Title: Creative Writing Craft — LearnCoachAssist

Q: What is creative writing?
A: The art of crafting fiction, poetry, drama, or creative nonfiction with imagination and literary techniques.

Q: What is a protagonist?
A: The main character of a story whose journey drives the plot.

Q: What is an antagonist?
A: The character or force opposing the protagonist.

Q: What is a story arc?
A: The progression of a narrative through beginning, middle, and end.

Q: What is a plot?
A: The sequence of related events that make up a story.

Q: What is the three-act structure?
A: A narrative model: setup, confrontation, resolution.

Q: What is the inciting incident?
A: The event that sets the main story in motion.

Q: What is the climax?
A: The peak of tension and turning point in a narrative.

Q: What is the denouement?
A: The resolution and tying up of loose ends after the climax.

Q: What is exposition?
A: Background information necessary for the reader to understand the story.

Q: What is conflict?
A: The struggle between opposing forces that drives the story.

Q: Name internal vs external conflict.
A: Internal: within a character (e.g., doubt); external: against another force (person, society, nature).

Q: What is theme?
A: The central idea or underlying meaning of a literary work.

Q: What is genre?
A: A category of literary composition (e.g., mystery, sci-fi, romance).

Q: What is point of view (POV)?
A: The perspective from which a story is told.

Q: What is first-person POV?
A: A character narrates using "I."

Q: What is second-person POV?
A: Narration using "you" addressing the reader.

Q: What is third-person limited POV?
A: Narration that follows one character's thoughts via "he/she/they."

Q: What is third-person omniscient POV?
A: A narrator who knows all characters' thoughts.

Q: What is third-person objective POV?
A: A neutral narrator reporting only observable actions.

Q: What is voice in writing?
A: The author or narrator's distinct style and personality on the page.

Q: What is tone?
A: The author's attitude toward the subject or audience.

Q: What is mood?
A: The emotional atmosphere a piece evokes in readers.

Q: What is setting?
A: The time and place where a story occurs.

Q: What is world-building?
A: The detailed construction of a fictional setting, especially in speculative genres.

Q: What is characterization?
A: How a writer reveals character through actions, speech, thoughts, and description.

Q: What is direct characterization?
A: Explicitly stating a character's traits.

Q: What is indirect characterization?
A: Revealing traits through actions, dialogue, and reactions.

Q: What is a flat character?
A: A one-dimensional character with limited traits.

Q: What is a round character?
A: A complex, fully realized character.

Q: What is a static character?
A: A character who doesn't change over the story.

Q: What is a dynamic character?
A: A character who undergoes significant change.

Q: What is a foil character?
A: A character who contrasts with another to highlight traits.

Q: What is dialogue?
A: Spoken conversation between characters in a text.

Q: What is subtext?
A: The unspoken meaning beneath surface dialogue or action.

Q: What is "show, don't tell"?
A: Conveying through action and sensory detail rather than explanation.

Q: Why show vs tell?
A: Showing immerses readers and lets them infer, increasing engagement.

Q: What is sensory detail?
A: Description appealing to sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.

Q: What is figurative language?
A: Language using figures of speech to extend meaning beyond literal interpretation.

Q: What is a metaphor?
A: A direct comparison without "like" or "as" (e.g., "Time is a thief").

Q: What is a simile?
A: A comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., "brave as a lion").

Q: What is personification?
A: Giving human qualities to non-human entities.

Q: What is hyperbole?
A: Deliberate exaggeration for effect.

Q: What is alliteration?
A: Repetition of initial consonant sounds.

Q: What is assonance?
A: Repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.

Q: What is consonance?
A: Repetition of consonant sounds in words.

Q: What is onomatopoeia?
A: A word that imitates the sound it represents (e.g., "buzz").

Q: What is imagery?
A: Descriptive language creating mental pictures.

Q: What is symbolism?
A: Using objects or actions to represent larger concepts.

Q: What is motif?
A: A recurring element with symbolic significance.

Q: What is irony?
A: A contrast between expectation and reality.

Q: What is dramatic irony?
A: When the reader knows something a character doesn't.

Q: What is situational irony?
A: When events contradict expectations.

Q: What is verbal irony?
A: When speech intentionally contradicts meaning.

Q: What is sarcasm?
A: A form of verbal irony, often biting.

Q: What is foreshadowing?
A: Hints about future events in the story.

Q: What is a flashback?
A: A scene set in a time earlier than the main story.

Q: What is pacing?
A: The speed at which a story moves.

Q: What slows pacing?
A: Description, introspection, exposition.

Q: What speeds pacing?
A: Short sentences, dialogue, action.

Q: What is a scene?
A: A unit of story with a setting, characters, and purpose.

Q: What is a beat?
A: A small unit of action or pause within a scene.

Q: What is exposition dump?
A: Too much background info delivered at once.

Q: How can you avoid info dumps?
A: Layer information through action and dialogue.

Q: What is the hero's journey (Campbell)?
A: A common narrative pattern: call to adventure, refusal, supernatural aid, threshold, trials, transformation, return.

Q: What is "in medias res"?
A: Starting a story in the middle of action.

Q: What is a prologue?
A: An opening section that precedes the main story, providing context.

Q: What is an epilogue?
A: A concluding section that follows the main story's resolution.

Q: What is the rule of three?
A: Patterns of three feel pleasing and memorable in writing.

Q: What is parallel structure?
A: Using the same grammatical pattern for related elements.

Q: What is a cliffhanger?
A: An ending that leaves a story unresolved to entice continued reading.

Q: What is a hook?
A: The opening that grabs readers' attention.

Q: What is a beta reader?
A: An early reader who gives feedback on a manuscript.

Q: What is editing vs proofreading?
A: Editing addresses substance and style; proofreading catches typos and errors.

Q: What are the three levels of editing?
A: Developmental, line/copy, proofread.

Q: What is developmental editing?
A: Big-picture editing on plot, character, structure.

Q: What is line editing?
A: Sentence-level editing for clarity, voice, flow.

Q: What is copy editing?
A: Editing for grammar, syntax, consistency.

Q: What is the Hemingway style?
A: Spare, direct prose with short sentences and concrete nouns.

Q: What is purple prose?
A: Overly elaborate, ornate writing.

Q: What is the importance of revision?
A: Most great writing emerges through rewriting.

Q: What's a writing draft?
A: A version of a work; usually requires multiple drafts.

Q: What is killing your darlings?
A: Cutting beloved but unnecessary passages.

Q: What is a writing routine?
A: A regular schedule and ritual for sustained productivity.

Q: What is writer's block?
A: An inability to produce new work; usually broken by lowering standards and writing freely.

Q: What are some cures for writer's block?
A: Free-writing, walking, deadline pressure, switching scenes, reading.

Q: What is free-writing?
A: Writing continuously without editing for a set time.

Q: What is a writing prompt?
A: A starter idea or sentence used to spark writing.

Q: What is the importance of reading widely?
A: Reading exposes you to varied styles, techniques, and ideas.

Q: What is genre convention?
A: Reader expectations within a genre.

Q: What is breaking conventions?
A: Subverting expectations intentionally for effect.

Q: What is a stock character?
A: A common, recognizable archetype (e.g., the mentor).

Q: What is a Mary Sue?
A: A character so idealized they lack believable flaws.

Q: What is a deus ex machina?
A: A contrived resolution by introducing an unexpected savior or device.

Q: What is Chekhov's gun?
A: A principle: every element introduced should serve the story.

Q: What is the iceberg theory (Hemingway)?
A: Most of the meaning lies beneath the surface; show only the tip.

Q: What is omniscient narration's risk?
A: Head-hopping that confuses readers.

Q: What is head-hopping?
A: Shifting POV mid-scene confusingly.

Q: What is the value of restraint?
A: Less explicit telling allows readers to engage and infer.

Q: What is concrete language?
A: Specific, sensory words over abstractions.

Q: What is jargon?
A: Specialized vocabulary; can alienate general readers.

Q: What is cliché?
A: An overused expression or idea that has lost impact.

Q: How do you avoid clichés?
A: Read your work and rephrase common expressions in fresh ways.

Q: What is denotation?
A: A word's literal meaning.

Q: What is connotation?
A: The emotional or cultural association of a word.

Q: What is diction?
A: Word choice.

Q: What is syntax?
A: Sentence structure.

Q: What is rhythm in prose?
A: The pattern of stress and pause in sentences.

Q: What is varied sentence length good for?
A: Avoids monotony and controls pacing.

Q: What is a periodic sentence?
A: A sentence with its main clause delayed to the end for emphasis.

Q: What is a loose sentence?
A: A sentence with main idea first, modifiers following.

Q: What is an opening line's purpose?
A: To intrigue, set tone, and invite reading further.

Q: What is a memorable opening example?
A: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…" (Dickens).

Q: What is a closing line's purpose?
A: To resonate, complete the arc, leave an impression.

Q: What is genre fiction vs literary fiction?
A: Genre is plot-driven, conventions-bound; literary emphasizes style and depth.

Q: What is short story length?
A: Usually 1,000–7,500 words.

Q: What is novella length?
A: ~17,500–40,000 words.

Q: What is novel length?
A: Typically 50,000–100,000 words.

Q: What is flash fiction?
A: Very short fiction, often under 1,000 words.

Q: What is microfiction?
A: Even shorter, under 100 words or so.

Q: What is a memoir?
A: A narrative nonfiction work drawn from personal experience.

Q: What is creative nonfiction?
A: Factual writing using literary techniques.

Q: What is essay structure?
A: An organized argument or reflection, often with intro, body, conclusion.

Q: What is the narrative essay?
A: An essay told as a story.

Q: What is poetry?
A: Literary work using rhythm, sound, and imagery, often condensed.

Q: What is meter in poetry?
A: The rhythmic structure of a verse (e.g., iambic pentameter).

Q: What is iambic pentameter?
A: Five iambs per line; common in Shakespeare.

Q: What is a sonnet?
A: A 14-line poem with specific rhyme schemes (e.g., Shakespearean or Petrarchan).

Q: What is free verse?
A: Poetry without regular meter or rhyme.

Q: What is haiku?
A: A Japanese form: 3 lines of 5-7-5 syllables, often about nature.

Q: What is enjambment?
A: A line of verse continuing without pause into the next.

Q: What is a stanza?
A: A group of lines in a poem, like a paragraph.

Q: What is a refrain?
A: A repeated line or phrase in poetry.

Q: What is rhyme scheme?
A: The pattern of end rhymes in a poem.

Q: What is internal rhyme?
A: Rhyme within a single line of verse.

Q: What is slant rhyme?
A: Near rhyme using similar but not identical sounds.

Q: What is alliterative verse?
A: Poetry using alliteration as a primary structural device.

Q: What is a metaphorical conceit?
A: An extended metaphor running through a piece.

Q: What is a vignette?
A: A brief, evocative scene or descriptive sketch.

Q: What is a frame story?
A: A story within a story; an outer narrative containing inner tales.

Q: What is unreliable narrator?
A: A narrator whose credibility is compromised.

Q: What signals an unreliable narrator?
A: Inconsistencies, bias, limited perspective, or revealing motives.

Q: What is an antihero?
A: A protagonist lacking conventional heroic qualities.

Q: What is a tragic hero?
A: A protagonist whose flaws bring about their downfall.

Q: What is catharsis?
A: The emotional purging an audience feels through tragedy.

Q: What is verisimilitude?
A: The appearance of being real or true in fiction.

Q: What is suspension of disbelief?
A: Readers accepting fantastical elements for the sake of the story.

Q: What is a setting's role?
A: Setting shapes atmosphere, conflict, and character.

Q: What is a "character-driven" story?
A: A story where internal change matters more than external events.

Q: What is a "plot-driven" story?
A: A story where events and twists predominate.

Q: What is rising action?
A: The events leading to the climax.

Q: What is falling action?
A: The events after the climax leading to resolution.

Q: What is a McGuffin?
A: An object/goal driving plot but unimportant in itself.

Q: What is a beat sheet?
A: A document outlining major story beats for planning.

Q: What is an outline?
A: A plan for a story's structure.

Q: What is a pantser?
A: A writer who drafts without outlining ("by the seat of their pants").

Q: What is a plotter?
A: A writer who plans extensively before drafting.

Q: What is a save-the-cat moment?
A: A scene establishing the protagonist as sympathetic (Blake Snyder).

Q: What is the snowflake method?
A: An incremental planning method building from a one-sentence summary outward.

Q: What is the Pomodoro technique for writing?
A: 25-minute focused writing intervals with short breaks.

Q: What is morning pages (Cameron)?
A: Three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing each morning.

Q: What is the importance of reading aloud?
A: It exposes rhythm and awkwardness invisible on the page.

Q: What is bibliotherapy?
A: Reading literature to support emotional well-being.

Q: What is a literary device?
A: A technique used by writers to convey meaning or effect.

Q: What is symbolism vs allegory?
A: Symbols stand for ideas; allegory is a complete extended symbolic narrative.

Q: What is an allegory?
A: A narrative whose elements consistently symbolize abstract ideas.

Q: What is a fable?
A: A short story (often with animals) illustrating a moral.

Q: What is a parable?
A: A short story illustrating a moral or spiritual lesson.

Q: What is a myth?
A: A traditional story explaining beliefs or natural phenomena.

Q: What is folklore?
A: Traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a culture.

Q: What is magical realism?
A: A genre blending realistic narrative with magical elements treated as normal.

Q: What is speculative fiction?
A: A broad category including science fiction, fantasy, horror.

Q: What is hard science fiction?
A: Sci-fi emphasizing scientific accuracy.

Q: What is soft science fiction?
A: Sci-fi focusing on social/human aspects, less on technical detail.

Q: What is high fantasy?
A: Fantasy in fully invented worlds.

Q: What is low fantasy?
A: Fantasy set in the real world with magical intrusions.

Q: What is grimdark?
A: A subgenre of fantasy/sci-fi with dystopian, amoral tone.

Q: What is cozy mystery?
A: A subgenre with amateur sleuths, minimal violence.

Q: What is noir?
A: A genre of dark, morally ambiguous crime fiction.

Q: What is the importance of conflict layering?
A: Multiple conflicts (internal, interpersonal, social) deepen story.

Q: What is character arc?
A: The transformation a character undergoes through a story.

Q: What is the positive change arc?
A: Character grows for the better.

Q: What is the negative change arc?
A: Character degenerates or fails.

Q: What is the flat arc?
A: Character stays the same and changes the world.

Q: What is theme statement?
A: A concise statement of a story's central message.

Q: What is a working title?
A: A temporary title used during drafting.

Q: What is a manuscript?
A: A draft of a written work prepared for publication.

Q: What is a query letter?
A: A short letter pitching a manuscript to an agent.

Q: What is a synopsis?
A: A summary of a manuscript's complete plot, including the ending.

Q: What is an elevator pitch?
A: A concise sales summary of a story.

Q: What is a literary agent?
A: A professional representing writers to publishers.

Q: What is traditional publishing?
A: Publishing through established publishers, often via agents.

Q: What is self-publishing?
A: Authors publishing their own books, often via online platforms.

Q: What is print-on-demand?
A: A model where books are printed as orders are received.

Q: What is the importance of platform?
A: An author's audience and presence; useful for marketing.

Q: What is a book proposal?
A: A document pitching a nonfiction book.

Q: What is a chapter outline?
A: A plan summarizing each chapter's content.

Q: What is a writing community?
A: A network of writers offering critique and support.

Q: What is a writing critique group?
A: A small group exchanging feedback on works in progress.

Q: What is the importance of consistent feedback?
A: It exposes blind spots and accelerates growth.

Q: What is showing emotion through action?
A: Conveying feelings via gestures, behavior, or physical reactions.

Q: What is interiority?
A: The thoughts and emotional life of a character on the page.

Q: What is the body of work?
A: The cumulative output of a writer.

Q: What is craft?
A: The technical skill of writing, distinct from inspiration.

Q: What is the difference between style and voice?
A: Style is the technique; voice is the unique personality.

Q: What is the importance of specificity?
A: Specific details create vivid, believable worlds.

Q: What is the rule "write what you know"?
A: A guideline to draw on personal experience; not a strict rule.

Q: What is the antidote: "research what you don't know"?
A: Authentic stories often require investigation beyond one's experience.

Q: What is the show-don't-tell exception?
A: Sometimes telling efficiently advances the story; both are tools.

Q: What is summary vs scene?
A: Summary compresses events; scene dramatizes them.

Q: What is the importance of stakes?
A: Stakes give events meaning by what stands to be won or lost.

Q: What are physical stakes?
A: Threats to life, health, or safety.

Q: What are emotional stakes?
A: Threats to relationships, identity, well-being.

Q: What are professional stakes?
A: Threats to career, reputation, achievement.

Q: What is the climactic question?
A: The story's core dramatic question, answered at climax.

Q: What is a writing workshop?
A: A class or group focused on developing manuscripts through critique.

Q: What is the MFA (Master of Fine Arts)?
A: A creative writing graduate degree common in the US.

Q: What is the importance of patience?
A: Significant writing usually takes years to develop.

Q: What is the value of failure?
A: Failed drafts teach craft lessons that successes can't.

Q: What is editorial letter?
A: A detailed feedback document from an editor on a manuscript.

Q: What is line edit example?
A: "He walked slowly" → "He shuffled."

Q: What is the difference between cliché and trope?
A: Tropes are common patterns; clichés are tired, overused expressions.

Q: What is the importance of beginnings, middles, and ends?
A: Each part has unique craft demands and reader expectations.

Q: What is the muddle in the middle?
A: A common middle-section sag in long-form drafts.

Q: What is the importance of rest?
A: Time away from a draft restores judgment for revision.

Q: What is the importance of routine?
A: Consistency beats inspiration over time.

Q: What is the value of reading critically?
A: Active reading teaches what works and why.

Q: What is intertextuality?
A: References or relationships between texts.

Q: What is an epigraph?
A: A short quotation at the start of a work, setting a theme.

Q: What is a literary allusion?
A: A passing reference to a work or figure.

Q: What is style sheet?
A: A document recording stylistic and consistency rules for a project.

Q: What is point of view consistency?
A: Maintaining a chosen POV without unnecessary shifts.

Q: What is psychic distance?
A: The narrative's perceived closeness to a character's mind, from far to deep.

Q: What is interior monologue?
A: A character's thoughts presented directly.

Q: What is stream of consciousness?
A: Writing that mimics the flow of thoughts.

Q: What is the value of writing morning vs night?
A: Personal preference; both produce great work.

Q: What is the inner critic?
A: The internal voice that doubts and edits prematurely.

Q: What is silencing the inner critic?
A: Allowing imperfect first drafts and editing later.

Q: What is the difference between writing and rewriting?
A: Writing puts words down; rewriting makes them work.