Creative Writing Craft Practice Exam

Question 1 Creative Writing Craft

What is the importance of specificity?

Readers accepting fantastical elements for the sake of the story. Spoken conversation between characters in a text. The thoughts and emotional life of a character on the page. Specific details create vivid, believable worlds.

Question 2 Creative Writing Craft

What is denotation?

Too much background info delivered at once. When events contradict expectations. A temporary title used during drafting. A word's literal meaning.

Question 3 Creative Writing Craft

What is hard science fiction?

Writing continuously without editing for a set time. A traditional story explaining beliefs or natural phenomena. Hints about future events in the story. Sci-fi emphasizing scientific accuracy.

Question 4 Creative Writing Craft

What is the antidote: "research what you don't know"?

Inconsistencies, bias, limited perspective, or revealing motives. Authentic stories often require investigation beyond one's experience. A temporary title used during drafting. ~17,500–40,000 words.

Question 5 Creative Writing Craft

What is the value of restraint?

Editing addresses substance and style; proofreading catches typos and errors. Less explicit telling allows readers to engage and infer. Head-hopping that confuses readers. A temporary title used during drafting.

Question 6 Creative Writing Craft

What is silencing the inner critic?

Allowing imperfect first drafts and editing later. A group of lines in a poem, like a paragraph. The main character of a story whose journey drives the plot. It exposes rhythm and awkwardness invisible on the page.

Question 7 Creative Writing Craft

What is morning pages (Cameron)?

Developmental, line/copy, proofread. Conveying through action and sensory detail rather than explanation. Three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing each morning. A 14-line poem with specific rhyme schemes (e.g., Shakespearean or Petrarchan).

Question 8 Creative Writing Craft

What is a writing community?

Read your work and rephrase common expressions in fresh ways. Background information necessary for the reader to understand the story. A network of writers offering critique and support. Allowing imperfect first drafts and editing later.

Question 9 Creative Writing Craft

What is imagery?

Usually 1,000–7,500 words. Using the same grammatical pattern for related elements. Descriptive language creating mental pictures. The author or narrator's distinct style and personality on the page.

Question 10 Creative Writing Craft

What is indirect characterization?

Reading literature to support emotional well-being. Revealing traits through actions, dialogue, and reactions. Sometimes telling efficiently advances the story; both are tools. A short letter pitching a manuscript to an agent.

Question 11 Creative Writing Craft

What is a vignette?

Starting a story in the middle of action. A short story (often with animals) illustrating a moral. Very short fiction, often under 1,000 words. A brief, evocative scene or descriptive sketch.

Question 12 Creative Writing Craft

What is a metaphorical conceit?

The story's core dramatic question, answered at climax. An organized argument or reflection, often with intro, body, conclusion. Traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a culture. An extended metaphor running through a piece.

Question 13 Creative Writing Craft

What is head-hopping?

A character who undergoes significant change. Shifting POV mid-scene confusingly. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…" (Dickens). A neutral narrator reporting only observable actions.

Question 14 Creative Writing Craft

What is character arc?

~17,500–40,000 words. The transformation a character undergoes through a story. Stakes give events meaning by what stands to be won or lost. Writing that mimics the flow of thoughts.

Question 15 Creative Writing Craft

What is a synopsis?

A narrator whose credibility is compromised. Literary work using rhythm, sound, and imagery, often condensed. A summary of a manuscript's complete plot, including the ending. A small unit of action or pause within a scene.

Question 16 Creative Writing Craft

What is voice in writing?

Writing puts words down; rewriting makes them work. A starter idea or sentence used to spark writing. Consistency beats inspiration over time. The author or narrator's distinct style and personality on the page.

Question 17 Creative Writing Craft

What is a closing line's purpose?

To resonate, complete the arc, leave an impression. Readers accepting fantastical elements for the sake of the story. Personal preference; both produce great work. Character grows for the better.

Question 18 Creative Writing Craft

What is copy editing?

Editing for grammar, syntax, consistency. A small group exchanging feedback on works in progress. A plan for a story's structure. A sentence with its main clause delayed to the end for emphasis.

Question 19 Creative Writing Craft

What speeds pacing?

A character's thoughts presented directly. The emotional atmosphere a piece evokes in readers. Short sentences, dialogue, action. Failed drafts teach craft lessons that successes can't.

Question 20 Creative Writing Craft

What is the importance of patience?

Most great writing emerges through rewriting. A character who doesn't change over the story. Significant writing usually takes years to develop. The emotional or cultural association of a word.

Question 21 Creative Writing Craft

What is genre fiction vs literary fiction?

The emotional atmosphere a piece evokes in readers. Genre is plot-driven, conventions-bound; literary emphasizes style and depth. A narrative model: setup, confrontation, resolution. The rhythmic structure of a verse (e.g., iambic pentameter).

Question 22 Creative Writing Craft

What is the flat arc?

A narrative model: setup, confrontation, resolution. Character stays the same and changes the world. A broad category including science fiction, fantasy, horror. A story where internal change matters more than external events.

Question 23 Creative Writing Craft

What is a setting's role?

Editing addresses substance and style; proofreading catches typos and errors. Multiple conflicts (internal, interpersonal, social) deepen story. Spoken conversation between characters in a text. Setting shapes atmosphere, conflict, and character.

Question 24 Creative Writing Craft

What is killing your darlings?

Threats to life, health, or safety. A network of writers offering critique and support. Cutting beloved but unnecessary passages. The events after the climax leading to resolution.

Question 25 Creative Writing Craft

What is internal rhyme?

A word's literal meaning. Editing addresses substance and style; proofreading catches typos and errors. Character degenerates or fails. Rhyme within a single line of verse.

Question 26 Creative Writing Craft

What is foreshadowing?

Revealing traits through actions, dialogue, and reactions. A professional representing writers to publishers. A plan for a story's structure. Hints about future events in the story.

Question 27 Creative Writing Craft

What is bibliotherapy?

Specific details create vivid, believable worlds. Writing puts words down; rewriting makes them work. A narrative model: setup, confrontation, resolution. Reading literature to support emotional well-being.

Question 28 Creative Writing Craft

What is a periodic sentence?

Using the same grammatical pattern for related elements. A sentence with its main clause delayed to the end for emphasis. The rhythmic structure of a verse (e.g., iambic pentameter). A repeated line or phrase in poetry.

Question 29 Creative Writing Craft

What is editing vs proofreading?

Specialized vocabulary; can alienate general readers. Editing addresses substance and style; proofreading catches typos and errors. A starter idea or sentence used to spark writing. A broad category including science fiction, fantasy, horror.

Question 30 Creative Writing Craft

What is a foil character?

A word that imitates the sound it represents (e.g., "buzz"). A concise sales summary of a story. A character who contrasts with another to highlight traits. "He walked slowly" → "He shuffled."

Question 31 Creative Writing Craft

What is a literary allusion?

A passing reference to a work or figure. A common, recognizable archetype (e.g., the mentor). Writing that mimics the flow of thoughts. ~17,500–40,000 words.

Question 32 Creative Writing Craft

What is the value of reading critically?

A character who doesn't change over the story. The pattern of stress and pause in sentences. Writing that mimics the flow of thoughts. Active reading teaches what works and why.

Question 33 Creative Writing Craft

What is folklore?

Traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a culture. A network of writers offering critique and support. A class or group focused on developing manuscripts through critique. The progression of a narrative through beginning, middle, and end.

Question 34 Creative Writing Craft

What is a frame story?

25-minute focused writing intervals with short breaks. A guideline to draw on personal experience; not a strict rule. Each part has unique craft demands and reader expectations. A story within a story; an outer narrative containing inner tales.

Question 35 Creative Writing Craft

What is creative writing?

The art of crafting fiction, poetry, drama, or creative nonfiction with imagination and literary techniques. A version of a work; usually requires multiple drafts. Conveying feelings via gestures, behavior, or physical reactions. A plan for a story's structure.

Question 36 Creative Writing Craft

What is a writing workshop?

A starter idea or sentence used to spark writing. A class or group focused on developing manuscripts through critique. A character narrates using "I." Internal: within a character (e.g., doubt); external: against another force (person, society, nature).

Question 37 Creative Writing Craft

What is a plot?

The sequence of related events that make up a story. A story where events and twists predominate. Five iambs per line; common in Shakespeare. When events contradict expectations.

Question 38 Creative Writing Craft

What is haiku?

Too much background info delivered at once. A document recording stylistic and consistency rules for a project. A network of writers offering critique and support. A Japanese form: 3 lines of 5-7-5 syllables, often about nature.

Question 39 Creative Writing Craft

What is a tragic hero?

A common narrative pattern: call to adventure, refusal, supernatural aid, threshold, trials, transformation, return. Repetition of consonant sounds in words. Fantasy in fully invented worlds. A protagonist whose flaws bring about their downfall.

Question 40 Creative Writing Craft

What is the importance of routine?

A summary of a manuscript's complete plot, including the ending. Consistency beats inspiration over time. Layer information through action and dialogue. Genre is plot-driven, conventions-bound; literary emphasizes style and depth.

Question 41 Creative Writing Craft

What is grimdark?

A passing reference to a work or figure. Sci-fi focusing on social/human aspects, less on technical detail. A subgenre of fantasy/sci-fi with dystopian, amoral tone. Avoids monotony and controls pacing.

Question 42 Creative Writing Craft

What is the MFA (Master of Fine Arts)?

A temporary title used during drafting. A short story illustrating a moral or spiritual lesson. A creative writing graduate degree common in the US. Narration that follows one character's thoughts via "he/she/they."

Question 43 Creative Writing Craft

What is the importance of reading widely?

A summary of a manuscript's complete plot, including the ending. Reading exposes you to varied styles, techniques, and ideas. Too much background info delivered at once. A writer who plans extensively before drafting.

Question 44 Creative Writing Craft

What is an antihero?

It exposes blind spots and accelerates growth. A protagonist lacking conventional heroic qualities. The detailed construction of a fictional setting, especially in speculative genres. A group of lines in a poem, like a paragraph.

Question 45 Creative Writing Craft

What is the value of writing morning vs night?

Most great writing emerges through rewriting. A character who doesn't change over the story. Personal preference; both produce great work. Specific, sensory words over abstractions.

Question 46 Creative Writing Craft

What is the rule "write what you know"?

A guideline to draw on personal experience; not a strict rule. Inconsistencies, bias, limited perspective, or revealing motives. A subgenre of fantasy/sci-fi with dystopian, amoral tone. A short story (often with animals) illustrating a moral.

Question 47 Creative Writing Craft

What is soft science fiction?

Sci-fi focusing on social/human aspects, less on technical detail. The detailed construction of a fictional setting, especially in speculative genres. A short story (often with animals) illustrating a moral. A summary of a manuscript's complete plot, including the ending.

Question 48 Creative Writing Craft

What is a stock character?

The detailed construction of a fictional setting, especially in speculative genres. An organized argument or reflection, often with intro, body, conclusion. A common, recognizable archetype (e.g., the mentor). The central idea or underlying meaning of a literary work.

Question 49 Creative Writing Craft

What is the narrative essay?

A regular schedule and ritual for sustained productivity. A genre blending realistic narrative with magical elements treated as normal. An essay told as a story. Genre is plot-driven, conventions-bound; literary emphasizes style and depth.

Question 50 Creative Writing Craft

What are professional stakes?

A character who doesn't change over the story. Most great writing emerges through rewriting. Threats to career, reputation, achievement. Even shorter, under 100 words or so.