If you need an interesting story idea, these creative writing tips will get you on the right track.
I’ve always loved creative writing, but executing an actual idea has never been easy for me or any of the over 150 students I have worked with since 2021.
The common issue? They “don’t know what to write.”
In this article, I’m going to share exemplar HSC creative writing examples from NESA and 8 imaginative writing tips to help you find inspiration.
Let’s get into it!
Looking at HSC Creative Writing Examples
Tip #1: “Good artists borrow and great artists steal”
Tip #2: Get Inspired by Short Films
Tip #3: Use Inspiration from a Character or Event
Tip #4: Draw Inspiration from Personal Experience
Tip #5: Be Influenced by Your Dreams
Tip #6: Experiment with Autofiction
Tip #7: Use the World Around You as Reference
Tip #8: Take a Look at the Module C Syllabus
Looking at HSC Creative Writing Examples
You need to know what good writing looks like if you want to write something great. So first, let’s check out some HSC creative writing examples for Module C.
Below is an excerpt from a Band 5/6-level imaginative piece written in response to this stimulus from the 2019 HSC English Standard Paper 2:
This story takes inspiration from Ray Bradbury’s short story The Pedestrian and details a person wandering the streets at night before encountering the mysterious figure of a young girl. The full story, as well as other creative writing examples, are available on NESA’s website.
“Charcoal paint smears the aqueous sky – pressing against the mango horizon. The thick winter fog rests over the city streets like a blanket – putting the lights to rest, and one by one, the houses… stacked and aligned like boxes… vanish into the night’s breath. All that remains is a pure white light which like a matchstick in the sky, engulfs the remaining lights of hope. My tired legs tense with fear as the metallic mist freezes my skin upon touch as it howls it’s way through the alleyways. I trudge onward, trying to find a place to hide within the abyss of night but my feet begin to stick to the slab of wet cement that covers my surroundings – grappling onto my soul… forcing me to stay. The iced mist attacks my fragile bones as my callus-filled hands rub together for warmth.”
Right away, you can see some strategies the writer used to make a good exposition, like using figurative language, complex grammar, and building tension.
You also get a clear idea of what the student was aiming for: a dramatic story with a vivid setting that uses lots of sensory details, which is something the marker picked up on in their feedback:
“The response uses a highly developed creative structure to present a sustained and original idea. It uses the conventions of imaginative writing in a sophisticated manner. The response uses imagery with flair, which helps to engage the audience…”
Tip #1: “Good artists borrow, greats steal”
My first creative writing tip comes in the wise words of Pablo Picasso, “Good artists borrow and great artists steal.”
Although this might sound like plagiarism, the meaning behind this phrase is that artists build on ideas and works of other artists — they take an idea and change it!
A good example of this is The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, which started out as a Star Wars fanfiction. The Love Hypothesis went on to be a New York Times Bestseller and a film adaptation is currently in production!
Hazelwood essentially used the characters Rey and Kylo Ren and got rid of all the references to Star Wars, creating an entirely new story appealing to similar audiences.
It’s this exact process that you can use as a to help you with your imaginative writing!
Tip #2: Get Inspired by Short Films
The great thing about short films is that they’re all over YouTube, they don’t take a lot of time out of your day, and they’re the perfect size to translate into a short story.
Tropfest is a great place for you to find some great short films to use as creative writing examples, with the added bonus of it being a local competition.
Once you’ve found a story that stands out to you, rewrite the story in your own words. At this initial stage, don’t think about changing the story or characters yet.
Once you’re comfortable with the storyline, start to bring in your ideas and changes! Start simple with the character’s names, and their dialogue. Then progress onto bigger components like the location or setting, the conflict, maybe even introduce different character personalities.
Soon you’ll find that you’ve created a completely new imaginative piece!
Tip #3: Think of A Character or Event
Although short films are a great source of inspiration for imaginative writing, you can also use longer novels and films in a similar way.
The only difference is that trying to tell the whole story in about 1000 words isn’t going to happen!
What you can do instead is choose a specific event that happens in the film or novel to focus on. Alternatively, you might like to focus on one character and write around their experiences.
From here, you want to change some of the main qualities of the characters or some of the details in a certain event when writing the story.
You might even try taking a character and putting it into a different context to look into how this character would behave in a different environment. And vice versa!
⭐ Bonus Tip: Get Inspiration, Don’t Plagiarise
One thing to remember is that it’s absolutely crucial that you do not plagiarise. This might sound pretty confusing, but what this means is that you need to still create your own story — you’re just using other stories as a basis for inspiration.
So by changing the characters, adding on different events and bringing in new ideas, you’re making the story your own!
Tip #4: Reflect on Personal Experience
If you draw inspiration from your own life, you can use your memories of different feelings and sensations to make your scenes more vivid and engaging.
You might have a funny or dramatic story that comes to mind when you think of your best memories. If not, try scrolling through your camera roll on your phone to remind you of experiences you have had that you thought were worth capturing.
From there, you can put your original characters into a similar place or situation based on elements you borrowed from your own life.
Adding this personal touch to your writing will help you capture moments in detail, as you’ll have a more dynamic reference than if you were just imagining a scene you created from scratch.
Tip #5: Be Influenced by Your Dreams
When we sleep, our minds can come up with some pretty unique ideas, some of which stick with us even after we wake up.
For this creative writing tip, if you want to write something really unique, it’s a good idea to take notes on any dreams you have when you wake up. You can leave yourself a voice memo on your phone about what you remember, or just jot down some notes to piece together later.
Even your nightmares can be useful! A nightmare can give you a unique way to build tension or drama in a story. So, paying attention to your dreams is a great way to come up with something totally original and unlike anything else your teacher or marker has seen before.
Tip #6: Write What You Know
When creative writing teachers tell you to “write what you know,” they mean that a good way to gain control of your story and develop an idea is to mix fiction with autobiography.
Sometimes called “autofiction”, these stories take a lot from the author’s own life, but the lines between what’s real and what’s made up are blurred, as writers often change their name, the names of places, and tweak some facts so they work better in a fictional setting.
You can change as many or as few details as you want. Even if you haven’t had a super exciting life—most people haven’t—you still have interesting stories and incorporating a personal perspective is a great way to connect with readers.
Tip #7: Use the World Around You as Reference
A lot of writers find ideas by “people watching,” so #7 of my creative writing tips involves getting inspiration from everyday life by noticing scenes, people, and interactions.
Start taking a notepad with you everywhere you go and take note of any interesting people, places, and things you see.
Sometimes, it’s tough to just rely on our imagination for interesting ideas. By writing down what you see in the world, you might discover some great ideas that have been hiding in plain sight!
Tip #8: Take a Look at the Module C Syllabus
Your syllabus for each module shows what you need to know and demonstrate in both your internal assessments and HSC. By examining it closely, you can get a sneak peek into what teachers and markers will want you to focus on.
For example, there’s a part in the Module C rubric that says:
“They [students] evaluate how writers use language creatively and imaginatively for a range of purposes; to express insights, evoke emotion, describe the wonder of the natural world, shape a perspective, or to share an aesthetic vision.”
This short section lists five possible “purposes” that would fit well for a Module C imaginative piece. So, you might want to think about a story that highlights the profound beauty of nature or describes an emotional moment—or both!
Another part of the Module C rubric to pay attention to is where it says:
“Through the study of enduring, quality texts of the past as well as recognised contemporary works, students appreciate, analyse and evaluate the versatility, power and aesthetics of language.”
Although this section refers to the prescribed texts your class will study as part of this unit, taking inspiration from “enduring, quality texts” is a big part of Module C and you might want to consider how you could use it to build your own narrative.
Hopefully, these creative writing tips and examples can help you develop an idea for your next imaginative work. However, If you’re still having a hard time with writing and creating a storyline, you can get in touch with the tutoring and mentoring team here at Art of Smart to receive some further guidance!
Looking for more creative writing tips?
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Holden Walker is a Senior English Coach at Art of Smart Education, with 7+ years of tutoring experience. He is currently a PhD candidate in English Literature at the University of Wollongong and was named Art of Smart’s 1-on-1 Coach of the Year in 2024. Having taught over 150 students tutored since 2021, Holden brings a wealth of expertise and dedication to his work.
Nandini Dhir is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Marketing) and a Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications), as a Dalyell Scholar, at Sydney University. She enjoys covering local issues in her area and writing about current events in the media. Nandini has had one of her pieces published in an article with the Sydney Morning Herald. In her free time, Nandini loves doing calligraphy, ballet, and sewing, or is otherwise found coddling her cats.
