Religion and faith is a common creative writing topic for essays. The essayist may describe his own personal religious experiences and how they have changed (or changed him) over the course of a lifetime. Creative essays about religion and faith may also communicate an idea through a fictional character and story. Topics may include: writing as playing God, spirituality versus religion, or inspiration.
A good example of art and literature in creative writing is in Oscar Wilde's "The Decay of Lying." In the essay, Wilde discusses the nature of art and literature within the context of a dialogue between two people. Art and literature can be discussed on the author's own terms as long as it features a narrative or other literary techniques not seen in academic writing. Topics on art and literature may include: quotes and sayings, feminist literature, fiction vs. non-fiction, or an analysis of art.
The New Journalism popularized in the sixties and seventies introduced a different take on journalism. Writers began employing creative writing literary techniques to report events that took place in the real world. Accordingly, creative essays on society are based heavily in reality, using dialogue or narratives to convey the idea of the essay. Topics can be about child beauty pageants, homosexuality, socialism versus democracy, or peer pressure in schools.
A creative essay about love and relationships can be fictional or factual. The main goal of the creative essay when writing on love is to convey the idea of the essay through a personal or fictional narrative. Love and relationships in creative essay writing can be about living together before marriage, expectations in love, or forgiveness.