Analytical creative writing (ACW) is a type of creative writing that focuses on the analysis of existing material – usually textual, but it could be visual or environmental. A common analysis task might be to examine the patterns of certain words or phrases in the material being studied, or to map the relationships between different elements of the text (e.g., characters, settings, and themes). Although the process of analysis is an integral part of the creative writing journey, it is by no means the only or even the primary focus of this type of writing. In fact, many writers who engage in analytic writing report that the analysis ends up inspiring the creative part of the process – the writing itself.
Characteristics
Just as with any other type of creative writing, there are some general characteristics of analytic creative writing that can be identified. For example, just like any other narrative-based writing, analytic creative writing tends to favor the use of dialogue and descriptions of actions over the use of psychological analysis or interior monologue. In addition, just like any other fiction-based writing, analytic creative writing tends to feature a more realistic approach to the world and often explores social or historical issues in a more direct and engaging manner.
Purpose
The main purpose of analytical creative writing is to help the student develop the skills needed to become a better writer. Many analytic writing assignments are aimed at improving specific aspects of the student’s writing, such as narrative voice, description, or organization. For example, one of the most common assignments for English majors is to analyze a short story in terms of its parts – character, plot, setting, and theme. Studying the structure of a text (its parts and their relationships) is a crucial element of any writing or rhetorical course, and many English and creative writing programs include significant amounts of structural analysis within their curriculum.
Method
Although many English professors favor a narrative-based approach to creative writing, it is not necessary to utilize this type of structure for an analytical writing assignment. There are many tools available to the modern language learner, and one of the best known and most widely used is the tool called “XOmar.” Developed by the Swedish language learning website Textbrokering, XOmar is a crowdsourced translation memory platform that can be used to create and analyze sentences and phrases as one would commonly do in a dictionary. The XOmar interface is a useful tool for creating lists of words and their associated translations, as it provides a variety of useful features, including the ability to add words and translate between languages.
Practical Applications
The practical applications of analytical creative writing are numerous. Many English professors and creative writing tutors report that students use the skills they learn from analyzing literature to improve their productivity on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook – analyzing trends on these platforms can be equated to performing market research, and many students see this type of writing as a valuable tool for gaining valuable industry experience.
In addition to practical applications in terms of professional development, many students see the benefits of a well-designed and well-executed analysis of existing material. For example, one of the most common analysis tasks for English majors is to look at the text in terms of its parts, as mentioned above. A common analysis for this type of writing is the parts-of-speech analysis, which can be used to determine the structure of a text and its constituent elements, as well as to pinpoint the major themes or ideas that the text is discussing (e.g., “analysis of Hamlet by parts”). This type of analysis can be very useful in terms of finding weak spots in a text, which can then be worked on (e.g., “analysis of Hamlet by parts”: “Is there a specific line you would like me to focus on?” “The play’s not that bad, overall…” “But look at how the dialogue flows…” “…what about the ending?” “I know! There’s something missing…”).
Whether you are an English major or a creative writing major, it’s never too early to start thinking about the future of your writing career. Developing the skills needed to become an effective researcher and writer is a crucial step toward becoming the successful author you were born to be.