1. Writing 101
Creative Writing

2. Learning Objectives

To appreciate the value of a creative problem
and twist in the ending in enhancing the overall
appeal of a story.

To learn and achieve creative writing
techniques to form a story that is engaging and
interesting to the reader to attract high marks.

3. Introduction

You have probably heard this famous ending to
fairy tales, “And they lived happily ever after.”

You probably also know that life does not
always work out to be a fairy tale!

Life is life precisely because it is NOT a fairy
tale – it has its ups and downs and rollercoaster
rides.

It is these uncertainties that make life – and
your story, to make it realistic – interesting.

4. Introduction

In other words, a creative twist to a problem
and ending adds a nice surprise; like special
ingredients and an icing in a cake that engage
the reader to the very end.

Here are some possible problems that you can
put a twist to: David...
1) went to the supermarket and on one of the
shelves he found ...
2) was waiting at the bus stop when a man in
dark glasses came and …

5. Creative Twist to a Problem
David...
1) went to the supermarket and on one of the shelves
he found a cockroach, nestled between two soda
cans, looking quite still except for its antennas. Like
two light sabers in a cross fight, they were
purposefully cutting the air.
2) was waiting at the bus stop when a man in dark
glasses came and asked for directions. It was
evening time but the sight was plain – this stranger
had a deep scar that ran along the length on the left
side of his face, a wound that must have been
caused by a serious accident a long time ago.

6. Creative Twist – A Special Ingredient

Do the above stories keep you in suspense?

The stories described are not ordinary events;
neither are they too outrageous to be considered
unbelievable.

In other words, they are creative because they
use everyday situations and turn them into
unexpected problems.

The following diagram illustrates this principle.

7. Walking the ‘NO’ Line
Normal Possible Impossible Outrageous
Where you need to be –
possible but unlikely,
good material for
creativity

8. Walking the ‘NO’ Line

A twist to the problem, like what was presented
above, keeps your reader engaged throughout
the reading.

This is an important requirement to attract high
marks.

Further in the story, ending it unexpectedly is
like adding a nice icing to an already beautiful
cake.

9. Walking the ‘NO’ Line
(Continued) … this stranger had a deep scar that
ran along the length on the left side of his face, a
wound that must have been caused by a serious
accident a long time ago...
(Creative Ending) …
...As Lee finished sharing his run with the law in the
past, David sensed a gentler side and a hint of a
resolve to change for the better. “Perhaps we will
meet again,” said David, surprised that he
enjoyed this stranger’s companionship.
“Perhaps,” came the reply, as he alighted the bus,
one bus-stop away from where David lived.

10. In summary

A creative story adds a distinctive flavour to
any story.

It turns what would be normal, everyday
situations into a unexpected event that is
possible but unlikely to happen to most people.

A story with a creative problem AND twist at
the end provides an engaging read that attracts
high marks from the examiner.