View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What will help a writer to maintain consistency?

2. What type of reaction will an audience have to a character with opposing characteristics?

3. How will the story itself suggest characters?

4. What kind of story does the author use as an example of how a story can suggest characters?

5. What do walk-ons lend to a narrative?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is milieu and which types of stories feature it as the main narrative?

2. What are the two aspects of creative writing and what is the difference between them?

3. How can writers find characters within themselves?

4. How well do readers want to know the fictional characters they are reading about, and what is the purpose of fiction in general?

5. What does the author mean when he writes about "raising the emotional stakes"?

6. What is an event-focused narrative and how much characterization is necessary for it?

7. What are some characteristics that make characters more appealing in general?

8. What is the role of a major character?

9. How and why should a writer vary the names used in their stories?

10. What is the difference between "walk-ons" and minor characters?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define creative writing as an art form using examples of other mediums and how they differ from writing. Also, compare and contrast the storyteller and the writer, their responsibilities, and the ways they approach the story.

Essay Topic 2

There are four basic factors that can be found in all narrative writing.

1) Describe milieu, how it works, and which stories feature it as the primary narrative.

2) Explain what the idea of a story is, which stories revolve around it, and how it changes the way the characters are developed.

3) Define character, the difficulties associated with a narrative based on character, and the techniques a writer can use to overcome them.

4) Explain what the event is, which types of stories are based on it, and the way fiction can use events to help make reality seem more logical.

Essay Topic 3

According to the author, writers have a responsibility to the reader and the world around them.

1) Describe the contract that a writer has with a reader and how it affects the way a story is presented and delivered.

2) Explain writers' responsibility in observing the events that take place in their life, how receptive they should be to them, and the way the events are analyzed when writing fiction.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 957 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample