GCSE creative writing is our favourite aspect of KS4 English here at Beyond. While it may be our favourite, we understand that it can be daunting for some students. To ensure everyone feels comfortable when expressing themselves, we’ve collated three top GCSE creative writing tips that are sure to coax out your inner author!
Show Not Tell
Your creative writing will be more engaging and sophisticated if you ‘show, not tell’.
But how do you do this?
- Vivid verbs – action or ‘doing’ words.
- Adventurous adverbs – words usually ending in ‘ly’ that tell us how the action has been done.
- Ambitious adjectives – describing words that add details about appearance, personality or condition.
GCSE Creative Writing Tip 1: Vivid Verbs
Describe the action using a vivid verb to make it interesting and give more information.
e.g. The crowd screamed Beyoncé’s name.
Why?
This adds extra information in a creative way. It tells us what the crowd was like and how they were feeling.
Your turn: think of as many as you can…
GCSE Creative Writing Tip 2: Adventurous Adverbs
Now, add some adventurous adverbs to add further detail and information.
e.g. Deafeningly, the crowd screamed Beyoncé’s name.
Why?
This adds extra information, building a clearer picture for the reader in just one word!
Your turn: think of as many as you can…
GCSE Creative Writing Tip 3: Ambitious Adjectives
Now, add some ambitious adjectives to add
further detail and information.
e.g. Deafeningly, the large, boisterous crowd screamed Beyoncé’s name.
Why?
This builds upon the image, adding extra information to help the reader imagine what is happening.
Your turn: think of as many as you can…
Try changing these character descriptions from telling to showing:
- Jonathan had ginger hair. He was very tall. He was feeling happy because it was the end of term.
- Louise was dressed in a ball gown ready for the school prom. But she was feeling sad because her cat had died.
Beyond’s GCSE Creative Writing Resources
Now it’s time to put these GCSE creative writing tips to use! Below is a Beyond resource that you might find helpful!
GCSE Creative Writing: Vocabulary ‘Show Not Tell’ Lesson Pack
Everything else you might need can be found in our GCSE creative writing category. You can find our other GCSE English blogs here and don’t forget to subscribe to Beyond for access to thousands of secondary teaching resources. You can sign up for a free account here and take a look around at our free resources before you subscribe too.