Creative Writing

CHAPTER 1

Learning Outcomes:

1. Differentiate technical/academic writing and literary/ imaginative writing.

2. Cultivate creative ideas from experiences.
3. Use imagery, figures of speech, diction, and specific experiences.

CREATIVE WRITING

The word “creative” is synonymous with inventive, imaginative,

productive, and characterized by expressiveness and originality. It is a kind of
writing which is based from someone’s imagination. In this chapter, you will
learn the different devices used in creative writing.

LANGUAGE

Denotation and Connotation

Words have both denotative and connotative meanings. The denotative

meaning of a word is that which is found in the dictionary. It is also known as
the literal meaning of a word. On the other hand, the connotative meaning of a
word is that which is assigned by the writer to a word as it is used in the context
of his text.

Idiomatic Expressions

An idiom (also called idiomatic expression) is an expression, word, or

phrase that has a figurative meaning conventionally understood by native
speakers. This meaning is different from the literal meaning of the idiom's
individual elements. In other words, idioms don't mean exactly what the words
say. They have, however, hidden meaning.

IDIOMS MEANING
A penny for your thoughts A way of asking what someone is thinking

Add insult to injury To further a loss with mockery or

indignity; to worsen an unfavorable
situation.

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 Back to the drawing board When an attempt fails and it's time to
start all over.
Ball is in your court It is up to you to make the next decision
or step
Barking up the wrong tree Looking in the wrong place. Accusing
the wrong person

IMAGERY AND SENSORY EXPERIENCE

Sensory imagery involves the use of descriptive language to create mental

images. In literary terms, sensory imagery is a type of imagery; the difference is
that sensory imagery works by engaging a reader's five senses. Any description
of sensory experience in writing can be considered sensory imagery.

Visual imagery describes what we see: comic book images,

paintings, or images directly experienced through the narrator’s
Visual Imagery eyes.
Auditory imagery describes what we hear, from music to noise
to pure silence. Auditory imagery may include- Enjoyable
Auditory Imagery sounds, such as: beautiful music, birdsong, and the voices of a
chorus.

Olfactory imagery describes what we smell. Olfactory imagery

may include- Fragrances, such as perfumes, enticing food and
Olfactory Imagery drink, and blooming flowers.

Gustatory imagery describes what we taste. Gustatory imagery

can include- Sweetness, such as candies, cookies, and desserts.
Gustatory Imagery

Tactile imagery describes what we feel or touch. Tactile

imagery includes:
Tactile Imagery  Temperature, such as bitter cold, humidity, mildness, and
stifling heat.
 Texture, such as rough, ragged, seamless, and smooth.
Kinesthetic Imagery It is a poetic device that gives a feeling of natural or physical
bodily movement or action (like a heartbeat,
galloping, squinting, and breathing).

Thermal Imagery The imagery produced by the use of words that appeal to
the sense of heat, as in lukewarm, frigid, and steamy.

FIGURES OF SPEECH

A figure of speech is a word or phrase that possesses a separate

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 meaning from its literal definition. These are classified into figures of
comparison, contrast, representation or reference, order, omission, addition,
substitution, repetition, and sounds.

Kind Definition Examples

Figures of Comparison
Simile A figure of speech involving the Love is like a game.
comparison of one thing with another Your lips are red as roses.
thing of a different kind using as or Your love is like the sun.
like.

Metaphor A figurative comparison without the use Love is a game.

of as or like Your lips are roses.
Life is a game.
Figures of Contrast
Oxymoron Juxtaposition (placing side by side) of Sound of Silence
two contrasting words. Blinding darkness
Living dead

Irony The expression of one's meaning by The police station got

using language that normally signifies robbed.
the opposite, typically for humorous or You’re so lovely today; you
emphatic effect. look like a Christmas tree.

Antithesis A contrast or opposition between two To err is human;

things. to forgive is
divine.

Figures of Representation or Reference

Metonymy A figurative representation of one thing The subjects pay taxes to
for another, e.g., a cause for an effect, an the Crown (for King or
author for his work Queen).
There is Death
(for poison) in
the cup.
Personification The attribution of a personal nature or Earth with herthousand
human characteristics to something voices praises God.
nonhuman, or the representation of an Money talks.
abstract quality in human form.
Synecdoche A figurative representation of a part for a I feed seven mouths (for
whole or of a whole for a part persons).
CCP (for Bobcats) beats TIP.
Figures of Order
Climax Arrangement of words or ideas in an I came. I saw. I conquered.
ascending order of importance. We came, we sang, we fell

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 in love.
Anticlimax Arrangement of words or ideas in In elementary, she graduated
descending order of importance. valedictorian; in High
school, salutatorian, and in
college, cum laude.
Figures of Omission
Asyndeton Omission of connectives, e.g., a I’ll give you the sun, the
conjunction or a linking verb moon, the stars above.
Syncope Omission of a letter/s from the middle of Somewhere o’er the
a word rainbow.
Ellipsis Omission of a word/s within a sentence Give it me.
or line
Figures of Substitution
Anthimeria Substitution of one part of It’s time to rice.
speech to another, e.g., a verb for a noun Fedex it.
or a noun for a verb
Periphrasis Substitution of a descriptive phrase for a The Land of the Morning
name or vice versa Calm will unite.
The Father of
English Poetry is
amazing.
Figures of Sound
Onomatopoeia Use of a word to indicate a sound In the field, birds chirp, cows
moo, dogs bark, cats meow,
snakes hiss.
Assonance Repetition of the vowel sound (not Haste makes
necessarily the initial sound)in a waste. Nine times
succession of words. ninety-nine.
Consonance Repetition of the consonant sound (not Ninety-nine nannies renewed
necessarily the initial sound) in a their contracts.
succession of words.
Figures of Repetition
Antanaclasis Repetition of a word, but in different I will sign the will with
meanings free will.
Anaphora Repetition of a word or words at the Thou shalt not kill.
beginning of lines, clauses, or sentences Thou shalt not commit
adultery.
Thou shalt not
steal.
Figures of Addition
Paragoge Addition of a letter/s to the end of a Cook- cooker
word Vast- vasty

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 Polysyndeton Addition of a connectives, e.g., a I love cakes and ice cream
conjunction or a linking verb and chocolates
and finger foods.

Other Figure
Hyperbole An exaggeration or overstatement for The orphaned child cried an
literary effect ocean of tears.
I am hungry, I want to eat a
big house.

DICTION

Diction simply means a choice of words. To express his ideas effectively, a

writer chooses the words from an inventory of words at his disposal. Thus, he whose
vocabulary is great has an easy time completing his creative works.

SAMPLE OF CREATIVE WORKS

 TO A SCHOOLMASTER
By: Martial
 PORPHYRIA’S LOVE
By: Robert Browning
 THE GIFT OF MAGI
By: O. Henry
 QUALITY
By: John Galsworthy

ACTIVITY NO. 1
Use the given terms as key words in the following figures of speech. The first one is done for you.
(15 items)

FIGURE TIME LOVE LIFE DEATH

Simile Time is like gold.
Metaphor Time is gold.
Personification Time waits.
Hyperbole Time heals all wounds.
Metonymy Have you bought your
time?

ACTIVITY
Create your NO.
own22 stanza poem using idiomatic expressions, sensory images, and figurative
language. Afterwards, underline at least 15 words and provide the connotative and denotative5
meaning of it. Remember, it must be your own poem. COPY PASTE IS STRICTLY
PROHIBITED.
 Reading & Writing poetry
CHAPTER 2
Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify the elements, techniques, and literary devices in poetry;

2. Determine specific forms and conventions of poetry;
3. Use selected elements of poetry in short exercises.
4. Write a short poem, applying the various elements, techniques, and literary

POETRY

A literary work in which a special intensity is given to the expression of

feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. It is a broad genre
of literature that is written in stanza form.

ELEMENTS OF POETRY

Rhyme

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 Correspondence of sounds between words or the endings of words, especially
when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry.

Internal rhyme The rhyme which exist within a line

Terminal rhyme The rhyme which exist at the end of lines
Perfect/Exact rhyme The rhyme which exhibited by words having identical final
sounds
Approximate/ Imperfect The rhyme which exhibited by words having similar or
rhyme approximate final sounds
Eye rhyme The rhyme which exhibited by words having the same final
letters
with differing sounds
Masculine/single rhyme The rhyme which exhibited by one-syllable words.
Feminine/ double rhyme The rhyme which exhibited by two-syllable words with stress on
the first syllable
Triple rhyme The rhyme which exhibited by three-syllable words with stress
on
the same syllable
Compound rhyme The rhyme which exhibited by compound words producing two
pairs of rhyming words

Rhythm

It refers to the regular succession of accented and unaccented syllables in

a line; associated within the metrical feet classified below.

Iamb A two-syllable foot which is accented on the second syllable

Anapest/antidactylus A three-syllable foot which is accented on the third syllable
Trochee/ choree/ choreus A two-syllable foot which is accented on the first syllable
Dactyl A three-syllable foot which is accented on the first syllable
Spondee A two-syllable foot which is accented on both syllables
Pyrrhus/ Pyrrhic/ Dibrach A two-syllable foot which is unaccented on both syllables
Tribrach A three-syllable foot which is unaccented on all syllables
Amphibrach A three-syllable foot which is accented on the second syllable
Bacchius A three-syllable foot which has one unaccented syllable followed
by
two accented ones
Antibacchius A three-syllable foot which has two accented syllable followed by
one
unaccented ones
Amphimacer/ Cretic A three-syllable foot which has an unaccented syllable between
two
accented ones
Molossus A three-syllable foot which consists of three accented syllables

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 Horizontal Measure

It refers to the number of syllables or metrical feet within a line. A metrical foot is also
called meter.

Monosyllsabic A line which has one syllable

Disyllabic A line which has two syllable
Trisyllabic A line which has three syllable
Tetrasyllabic A line which has four syllable
Pentasyllabic A line which has five syllable
Hexasyllabic A line which has six syllable
Heptasyllabic A line which has seven syllable
Octasyllabic A line which has eight syllable
Nonasyllabic A line which has nine syllable
Decasyllabic A line which has ten syllable

Vertical Measure

It refers to the number of lines within a stanza or the number of stanzas in

a poem.

Couplet A poem or stanza which has two lines

Triplet A poem or stanza which has three monoriming lines
Tercet A poem or stanza which has three lines that are not monoriming
Terza rima A poem or stanza which has three lines with the following rhyme
pattern—aba, bcb, cdc, ded, etc.,
Quatrain A poem or stanza which has four lines
Cinquain/ Quintet/ A poem or stanza which has five lines
Quintain
Sestet A poem or stanza which has six lines
Septet A poem or stanza which has seven lines
Octave A poem or stanza which has eight lines
Nonet A poem or stanza which has nine lines
Etheree A poem or stanza which has 10 lines
Sonnet A poem or stanza which has 14 lines

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 OTHER ELEMENTS OF POETRY

Poems have elements other than rhyme, rhythm, and measure. These are the
following:

Theme The idea or concept of the author expressed in a concise statement; referred
to as the message of the story.
Tone Tone, in written composition, is an attitude of a writer toward a subject or
an audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words
which evoke an emotional response in the reader.
Mood Synonymous with tone, it refers to the feeling that an author creates in a
literary work.
Symbolism A person, a thing, or an experience that represents something else.

Moral A practical lesson about right and wrong conduct contained in the
narrative.
Values A Medium for Representing, Disseminating and Constructing
Norms and Values. Literature is an important means of world making,
of making sense of our lives and of reflecting, reinforcing but also
constructing the norms and values we live by.

FORMS OF POETRY

Poems take a variety of forms. These forms are either conventional or

unconventional.

Conventional Forms

Traditionally, poems were written such that they possessed rhyme,

rhythm, and measure. However, there are those that lack one but are still
considered conventional. An example of this is a blank verse, which has no
rhyme but has rhythm (usually iambic pentameter) and measure.

ON HIS BLINDNESS (A Petrarchan SONNET 116 (A Shakespearean sonnet)

sonnet) By William
By John Milton Shakespeare Let me not to the
When I consider how my light is spent marriage of true minds Admit
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, impediments. Love is not love Which
And that one talent, which is death to hide, alters when it alteration finds,
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more Or bends with the remover to
bent remove: O no! it is an ever-fixed
To serve therewith my Maker, and mark
present My true account, lest he That looks on tempests and is never

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 returning chide: shaken; It is the star to every wandering
“Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?” bark,
I fondly ask; but Patience, to prevent Whose worth’s unknown, although his
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not height be taken
need Either man’s work, or his own gifts. Who Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips
best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. and cheeks
His state Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed Love alters not with his brief hours and
And post o’er land and ocean without rest. weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of
They also serve who only stand and wait.” doom.
If this be error and upon me
proved, I never writ, nor no man
ever loved.

Unconventional Forms

Unconventional forms are poems that do not have rhyme, rhythm, and consistent
measure.

Shape Poem

TECHNIQUES AND LITERARY DEVICES

To produce the desired literary effect, poets use a number of

techniques and literary devices. Two of the most commonly used are parallelism
and ellipsis.

The use of similar structures in poetry and prose

Parallelism works. Ex: “ Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I
conquered).”

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 The omission of some words or phrases to produce a
Ellipsis literary effect.
Ex: “Wise men talk because they have something to say;
fools, because they have to say something.”

SAMPLES OF POEMS Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a shade,
summer’s day? When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE So long as men can breathe or eyes can
see,
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? So long lives this, and this gives life to
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: thee.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of
May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a Dreams
date; BY LANGSTON HUGHES
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, Hold fast to dreams
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; For if dreams die
And every fair from fair sometime Life is a broken-winged bird
declines, That cannot fly.
By chance or nature’s changing course  
untrimm'd; Hold fast to dreams
But thy eternal summer shall not fade, For when dreams go
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

ACTIVITY NO. 3
Identify the rhyming scheme, horizontal and vertical measure of the poem “MY
MISTRESS’ EYES ARE NOTHING LIKE THE SUN” BY: William Shakespeare below.
(15 POINTS)
“MY MISTRESS’ EYES ARE NOTHING LIKE THE SUN”
BY: William Shakespeare
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. 11
  And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
  As any she belied with false compare.
ACTIVITY NO. 4

Create a poem having the same rhyme scheme, horizontal and vertical measure of the poem
“MY MISTRESS’ EYES ARE NOTHING LIKE THE SUN” BY: William Shakespeare above. Use
the title “Unbreakable” for your piece.

CRITERIA: Content- 30 Creativity-10 Coherence-20

Relevance to the topic- 15 TOTAL= 75 points
khvjdhj;lhljgchtdshgfcb

Reading & Writing Fiction

CHAPTER 3

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify the various elements, techniques and literary devices in fiction;

2. Determine various modes of fiction;

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3. Write a short scene applying the various elements, techniques, and
literary devices in fiction.

FICTION

Prose is that broad genre of literature that is written in paragraph form. It is

a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow
of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure, rather than rhythmic structure,
such as in the case of traditional poetry. Normal everyday speech is spoken in
prose, and most people think and write in prose form.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A SHORT STORY AND A NOVEL

POINT OF SHORT STORY NOVEL

CONTRAST
Length Short (10 pages or less) Long (more than 50 pages)
Setting One or few settings Multiple settings
Characters Few characters (between 2 and Many characters (more than 20)
5 characters)
Plot Simple plot, usually linear Complicated plot, usually non-
linear and with subplots
Theme Singular theme Single theme for the entire work;
individual themes for the
chapters
Chapters Not divided into chapters Divided into chapters
Sitting Read in one sitting Read in several sittings due to
its length.

ELEMENTS OF FICTION

Characters

These are the beings who inhabit our stories. Sometimes they are actual
people but, just as often, they are animals, dragons, or even inanimate objects
(consider the spoon, dish, and clock from Disney's Beauty and the Beast).
Characters are necessary because we need someone to invest in, to care about,
and to root for (or against).

Protagonist The character around whom the story revolve.

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 Antagonist The character who is opposed to the protagonist.
Confidant A confidant is someone or something the main character
confides in. Readers can learn a lot about the main
character’s personality and thoughts through this. For
example, the fairy
godmother in the Cinderella story.
Foil A foil character is someone who is the opposite of another
character. They reflect the opposite traits, hence a foil
character. Your main character can be sweet and caring and
the foil character will bring
out that side by being nasty. It contrasts two characters.
Background character The character who provides reality to the story by his or her
mere presence.
Unseen/absent character The character who is mentioned in the story but does not
have any involvement in the series of
actions or in a dialogue.
Dynamic character A dynamic character is someone who changes throughout
the story. This may be a good change or a bad one, but their
motivations, desires, or even their personality changes due
to something in the story. This is usually a permanent
change and shows how the character has learned and
developed over time in the story.
Static or Flat character Flat character is the opposite of a dynamic character. A flat
character doesn’t change much or at all throughout the
story. Their personality and/or background aren’t revealed
well and we only know
a handful of traits about them.
Round character Round character is similar to a dynamic character.
They change throughout the story gaining new traits, some
traits opposite to who they used to be.
Stereotype A flat character of a familiar and often-repeated type.

Point of View

Point of view refers to the angle of narration; it indicates “who is the narrator”
and “how is the narrator done.”

First-person/ autobiographical POV The POV in which the narrator is the central
character or one of the major or minor characters.

Omniscient third-person POV The POV in which the narrator is the all-
knowing and all-seeing observer who tells
everything (speech, actions, thoughts, and
emotions) about the characters.

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Objective third-person POV The POV in which the narrator is an objective
observer who reports only the speech (what he
hears) and the actions (what he sees) of the
characters.
Selective third-person POV The POV in which the narrator is both an
omniscient and an objective observer.

Plot

Plot is what happens in the story, the series of events.

Linear plot A linear plot consists of a series of events that have a clear beginning,
middle and end. The story unfolds in a chronological order, which means
they are told in the order
they happened.
Episodic plot This is also a chronological structure, but it consists of a series of loosely
related incidents, usually of chapter length, tied together by a common
theme and/or characters.
Progressive plot This is a chronological structure which first establishes the setting and
conflict, then follows the rising action through to a climax (the peak of the
action and turning point), and
concludes with a denouement (a wrapping up of loose ends).
In medias res The plot which starts in the middle of the story and provides flashbacks to
promote reader’s understanding of the story.
Circular plot A circular plot is a non-linear plot that progresses more or less
chronologically and ends with its protagonist returning to a situation
similar to the one at the beginning of the story.
Exposition The exposition or the introduction introduces the characters, describes the
setting and establishes the problem in the story
Rising action The rising action is where the suspense builds and the problem gets worse
incident/s and becomes more complicated.
Complication Part of the plot in which the conflict develops
Crisis The problem of the story
Climax The highest or the most intense point of the story
Resolution The story begins to slow down and work towards its end, tying up loose
Denouement ends of the plot.
Falling action Falling Action happens as a result of the climax and we know that the story
incident/s will soon end. Resolution is when the character solves the main
problem/conflict or someone solves it for him
or her.

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Conclusions A conclusion is the last part of the story, its end or result. However, when a
story ends with a cliffhanger, the reader is
let to make his conclusion.

Setting

Setting is defined as the physical location and the time of a story. It

includes not only the physical environment in which the characters interact, but
also the cultural, sociological, political, religious, and other milieus, as well as
the ideas, customs, values, and beliefs of a particular time and place.

Conflict

It refers to the problem arises in the story.

Social conflict (man versus man) The conflict which exists between the protagonist and
the antagonist
Physical conflict (man The conflict which exists between the protagonist and
versus nature) any of the natural forces (water, earth, wind, and fire)
Metaphysical conflict (man The conflict which exists between the protagonist and
versus supernatural beings) supernatural beings or forces
Internal/ personal/ psychological/ The conflict which exists between the protagonist and
conflict (man versus himself his own self.

THEME AND OTHER ELEMENTS

The theme is the idea or concept of the author expressed in a concise

statement. Referred to as the message of the story, it concretizes the abstract idea
the writer wants to impart.

The tone is the emotional climate inherent in the story. It can be tragic,
angry, humorous, pathetic, satirical, romantic, etc.

The atmosphere is either the psychological environment or the

predominant mood of the literary piece.

TECHNIQUES AND LITERARAY DEVICES

Fictionists use, except parallelism and ellipsis, a number of techniques and

literary devices. The most common of these are flashback, foreshadowing,
symbol, and irony.

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 Flashback Is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the
current point in the story. Flashbacks are often used to
recount events that happened before the story's primary
sequence of events to fill in crucial backstory.
Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance
hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears
at the beginning of a story, or a chapter, and helps the reader develop
expectations about the coming events in a
story.
Symbol A symbol is literary device that contains several layers of
meaning, often concealed at first sight, and is representative of several
other aspects, concepts or traits than those that are
visible in the literal translation alone. Symbol is using an object or
action that means something more than its literal meaning.
Irony A literary device is a situation in which there is a contrast between
expectation and reality. For example, the difference between what
something appears to mean versus its literal meaning.

SAMPLES LIST OF SHORT STORIES

 “THE LAST LEAF” by: O.Henry (source:

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short- stories/UBooks/LasLea.shtml)
 “A HAPPY ENDING” by: Anton Chekhov (source:
http://www.online- literature.com/anton_chekhov/1229/)
 “WHERE LOVE IS, THERE GOD IS ALSO” by: Leo Tolsoy (source:
http://www.online- literature.com/tolstoy/2892/)
 “WAR” by: Luigi Pirandello (source:
http://web.mit.edu/alam/Public/weblog/War.htm)
 “THE NECKLACE” by: Guy de Maupassant (source:
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short- stories/UBooks/Neck.shtml)

ACTIVITY NO. 5

Create your own short story –FICTION and identify the characters, point of view, plot,
setting, and conflict. Use the title “The Gift” for your piece.
CRITERIA: 17

 Plot Development – 20 %
(Coherent story that presents an intriguing conflict and creative resolution)
18
 Reading & Writing Drama
CHAPTER 4

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify the various elements, techniques and literary devices in drama;

2. Conceptualize a character/setting/plot for a one-act play;
3. Write at least one scene for a short drama, applying the various
elements, techniques, and literary devices.

DRAMA

Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and

performance. It is one of the literary genres, which is an imitation of some
action. Drama is also a type of a play written for theater, television, radio, and
film. It is derive from the Greek word dram meaning to act or to do. In simple
words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose presenting a story in
pantomime or dialogue. It contains conflict of characters, particularly the ones
who perform in front of audience on the stage. The person who writes drama for
stage directions is known as a “dramatist” or “playwright.”

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

The elements of play production vary from one medium to another. For
instance, editing and cinematography do not apply to a stage play. Besides,
editing and cinematography, lighting effects and visual effects do not apply to a
radio play. Generally, the elements of play production are the following:

Literary Elements. The literary elements are those elements of drama as

a literary art. These include characters, setting, plot, theme, point of view,
conflict, tone, atmosphere, and dialogue.

Direction. The director is the overall in charge of the dramatic

performance. He instructs the actors and all the people involved in the
production. He is always present from the pre- production stage to the post-
production of the play.

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 Acting. The members of the cast perform the roles assigned to them by
the director. They read the script, memorize their lines, follow the instructions
given by the director, and give justice to their assigned roles.

Editing. The editor sequences the scenes to be presented in such a way

that they make up a coherent whole.

Set design. The set designer does the layout of the set. He determines
what to put as backdrop and what to display on stage.

Cinematography. The cinematographer is the person who takes charge

of the photography. He search for a location that is suited to the story and, with
the help of the cameramen, shoots the scenes forming part of the drama.

Production design. Similar to the set designer for a stage play, the
production designer is assigned to do the overall design for a drama to be shown
on the small screen or the wide screen. In contrast to a set designer, a production
designer has a bigger responsibility because his work is not only limited to a
studio, a room, or the stage but it covers an area as wide as a small community or
a large province.

Costume design. The costume designer creates the clothes to be worn by the
actors actresses.

Make-up. The make-up artist beautifies or uglifies the actors and

actresses based on the roles they portray.

Properties. The properties (props for short) are the things which the
actors and actresses carry or bring them as they performed on stage or in front of
the camera in order to establish their characters.

Light/ lighting Effects. The light man is in charge of determining the

amount (bright or dark) and the sources (sun, lamp, flashlight, or candle) of light
needed to make scenes realistic and credible.

Sound Effects. The sound effects man is in charge of determining the

amount (loud or soft) and the sources (people, animals, objects, e.g., horns, and
others, e.g., thunder) of sound needed to make the scenes realistic and credible.

Visual Effects. The visual effects man is in charge of producing those

sights that are not usually captured by the camera in order to make the scenes
effective, exciting, and appealing to the viewers.

Theme Song. The theme song is the song composed to represent the

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theme or the subject matter of the drama.

Musical Score. The theme song is not the only song played in a drama.
There are other songs played to set the mood.

Story. The story is the most important aspects of a play for without it,
there won’t be any production.

Script. The script is that which contains the dialogue or the lines to be
memorized by the performers. It also contains the director’s instructions.

CLASSIFICATION OF DRAMAS

Many people, particularly the Filipinos, have misconceptions regarding

dramas. Two of these are that drama is a tear-jerker and that a comedy is a bone-
tickler. Not all dramas are serious and tend the audience cry. Not all comedies
are funny because there are those that are mostly serious.

Tragedy. Tragic dramas use darker themes, such as disaster, pain, and
death. Protagonists often have a tragic flaw — a characteristic that leads them to
their downfall.

Comedy. Comedies are lighter in tone than ordinary works, and provide
a happy conclusion. The intention of dramatists in comedies is to make their
audience laugh. Hence, they use quaint circumstances, unusual characters, and
witty remarks.

Tragicomedy. It a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and

comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either
a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood
or a serious play with a happy ending.

Farce. Generally, a farce is a nonsensical genre of drama, which often

overacts or engages slapstick humor.
Melodrama. Melodrama is an exaggerated drama, which is sensational
and appeals directly to the senses of the audience. Just like the farce, the
characters are of a single dimension and simple, or may be stereotyped.

Religious play. A religious play is a drama that serves to re-enact a

biblical event that plays an important role in the lives of the viewers.

Historical play. Just like religious play, a historical play serves to re-

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enact a historical event that plays an important role in the lives of the viewers.

Musical play. Musical play is a form of theatrical performance that

combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional
content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through
words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an
integrated whole.

MODES OR MEDIUMS OF DRAMA

Before when the camera, radio, and television were not yet invented, the
stage was the only venue used for dramatic purposes. With the advancement in
technology, plays have been performed in places other than the stage and
presented days or months after the actors’ performance.

Stage play. A play performed on stage rather than broadcast or made into a movie.

Radio play. It is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on

radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual
component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help
the listener imagine the characters and story. ‘

Television play. A television play is a drama shown on television. The

dramatic performers tape the play days before it is presented to the public.

Movie or Film. A movie or film is a drama shown on the wide screen.

The dramatic performers shoot the film months before it is presented to the
public.

TECHNIQUES AND LITERARY DEVICES

Intertextuality

Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's meaning by another text. It is the

interconnection between similar or related works of literature that reflect and
influence an audience's interpretation of the text. Intertextuality is the relation
between texts that are inflicted by means of quotations and allusion.

Conceptualization of stage modality

Dramas are written to be staged. For them to be effective, the

organization or construction of the stage structure must be conceptualized. Stage
modalities are dependent on the complexity of the dramatic plot and the
elaborateness of the setting.

SAMPLES OF DRAMA

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  Play the Judas - Jesus T. Peralta
 The Gardener - Crispin Ramos
 The Sign of the Sea Gulls – Jesus T. Peralta

ACTIVITY NO. 6

Setting. Name at least five typical settings for the following characters.
CLASSMATES SOLDIERS TOURISTS CHILDREN

ACTIVITY NO. 7

Characters. Name at least five typical characters for the following settings.
ZOO CHURCH BEACH RESORT HOTEL MALL

ACTIVITY NO. 8

Write at least one scene for a short drama, applying the various elements, techniques, and
literary devices.

CRITERIA: Concept -15 Structure -15 Content -25

Originality -5 =60 POINTS

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References

Jesus Z. Menoy. “Creative Writing.” Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. 2016

O.Henry (source: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LasLea.shtml)

Anton Chekhov (source: http://www.online-literature.com/anton_chekhov/1229/)

Leo Tolsoy (source: http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/2892/)

Luigi Pirandello (source: http://web.mit.edu/alam/Public/weblog/War.htm)

Guy de Maupassant (source:

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-
stories/UBooks/Neck.shtml)

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45087/sonnet-18- shall-i-
compare-thee-to-a-summers-day)

LANGSTON HUGHES:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/150995/dreams-
5d767850da976)

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44624/the-arrow-and-the-song)

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 NOTE TO STUDENTS
This module is a semi-detailed guide of the content to be learned in the subject.
The use of other resources such as books and credible online sources are
encouraged. Sources are indicated within this module for your reference. There
are sets of questions and tasks to be completed at the end of each lesson and
unit. The quality of your answers and outputs will have a bearing on your grades
for this subject. May you use this resource to the best of your advantage.

The tasks can be found after each chapter. Use small notebook- color black and
indicate the subject and your name on the cover of your notebook. To avoid
losing your tasks, submit it together with your final examination. (DO NOT USE
YELLOW PAPER).

Examinations must be submitted upon deadline. Make sure to indicate this

following information on your envelope:

NAME:
SEM & TERM:
SUBJECT:
TIME:
TEACHER:

Should you have any questions, please message me on this

Facebook account: IamIlyn Bacan
Please do introduce yourself properly upon contacting me and if ever there
is a delay in responding to you, please bear with me because I am working on
my time in catering you all.

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Please be updated with our page for more announcements.
Thank you and God Bless!

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