Often when students think of essays, they think of the five paragraph style of essay taught during grade school. However, not all essays have to be so rigid and structured. With creative essays, you as the writer get to choose how to present your unique point of view to your audience. As such, you can decide whether to build your essay's paragraphs around a story or choose some other writing platform that allows you to expand on your creativity.
Decide what you want your essay to be about. This can be anything from how you hate animals to the Vietnam war. If you have free rein on what topic to write about, choose a point of view you hold, that you feel passionately about. Remember that even though you are writing a creative essay, you still have to make a point and have a purpose for writing.
Figure out an intriguing way to present your point of view. You can, for instance, write about a funny experience you had that led you to dislike driving in the car with your grandmother. Or, you can try using a literary device that keeps the essay intriguing to the reader. For example, you can write about the war in Iraq using a metaphor that becomes an unlikely parallel to the situation. That way, you make your point while you demonstrate your creativity and intrigue your readers.
Develop an outline that gives you a structure. Though you typically don't have to use the five paragraph model in a creative essay, you still want to plan exactly what information you need to present in your essay and at what points you will present it. This is especially important when unraveling a story within an essay. Write your essay with your audience in mind. The introduction should work just as an intriguing story-with an opening sentence that reels in the reader and makes him want to know more.
A creative essay helps you to delve more deeply into a subject by presenting a story or situation that allows you to show your point of view through less obvious means. Remember that after you have shown the reader the reasoning behind your point of view through your story, you should sum up your perspective in some way-whether it be in a paragraph or a few pages.