A creative writing sample or a coversheet is a short piece of non-fiction that serves as sample content for a creative writing course. It is usually between 500 and 1,500 words in length, though any number of words can and often are used to describe it.
A coversheet is, essentially, a summary of the work that will go into the final product. It is often used, though not necessarily so, as a kind of reader-friendly excerpt that will hopefully entice the reader into wanting more. The coversheet is, therefore, the “hook” that will hopefully get the reader interested in the larger project. In other words, the coversheet is used to get a reader to begin reading the creative work, which—in turn—will hopefully get him or her to continue reading the entire work. This, of course, is the goal of any writer, storyteller, or academic who is submitting a creative writing sample to an agent, editor, or institute.
What is a Coversheet?
A coversheet is, essentially, a summary of the work that will go into the final product. It is often used, though not necessarily so, as a kind of reader-friendly excerpt that will hopefully entice the reader into wanting more. The coversheet is, therefore, the “hook” that will hopefully get the reader interested in the larger project. In other words, the coversheet is used to get a reader to begin reading the creative work, which—in turn—will hopefully get him or her to continue reading the entire work. This, of course, is the goal of any writer, storyteller, or academic who is submitting a creative writing sample to an agent, editor, or institute.
What is a Creative Writing Sample?
A creative writing sample is, roughly speaking, the non-fiction portion of a creative work. It can, but doesn’t have to, include either poems or short stories. It can be any number of words in length, though the majority of creative writing samples are between 500 and 1,500 words. Creative writing samples usually take the form of a document, though they can also appear as part of a blog post or a social media update. They usually include endnotes or explanatory notes about the text, though these are not necessary.
Any text that is intentionally crafted to be read as a work of fiction, but which includes factual elements that would make it recognizable to a reader who knew the genre and content of the work is—in a very real sense—a creative writing sample. It is, essentially, an outline for a story, but one that is formatted to look like a finished product. It also serves as a means of demonstrating the author’s creative voice, knowledge, and skills to an audience.
Creative Writing Is An Evolving Field
Creative writing is, essentially, the act of using a writing exercise (be it a short story, a poem, or a play) to explore, analyze, and/or interpret an event or experience. It can and often does take a certain amount of trial and error—as well as an open and receptive mind—to find one’s voice in the field and to develop one’s creative writing style and approach. This is why it is essential to constantly be reading, studying, and thinking about what is happening in the literary world around you.