my teacher suggeste basing your creative writing piece on a true/historical event, and bring into it related literary references or historical references that make it look as though you know what you're talking about.
alternatively, if you cannot write that, choose a real-life experince of yours and appropriate it slightly.
Mine was a vein of the first, and it worked a treat. i'll post it if i can... on second thoughts, i'll make a short film of it one day.
Cheers,
Glenn.Saunders (formerly MKZaa)