Young, Caroline
W 9:10 AM
Park Hall 67
" Creation must take place between the pen and the paper, not before in a thought or afterwards in a recasting…It will come if it is there and if you will let it come.”
Gertrude Stein, Atlantic Monthly 1934
In Introduction to Creative Writing, we will read, write, discuss, and revise short works in multiple forms and genres to explore the elements and processes of creative writing. The semester has two distinct units:
In the first nine weeks, students will read fiction, poetry, and non-fiction in an inquiry into the distinct and overlapping components of creative writing forms. With each assigned reading, students will respond to writing prompts designed to hone writing skills. During these nine weeks, students will conference with the instructor to create a custom reading list for the semester’s second unit.
In the second unit, students will focus on a project in their preferred form or genre while reading from their customized list of works. Biweekly, students will report on their reading and writing discoveries. On alternating weeks, we will explore hybrid texts that defy the conventions of traditional literary forms, considering why and how writers blend genre in service to their purpose. At semester’s end, each student will prepare an individual portfolio of their semester’s work. As a class, students will also organize an anthology that showcases each student’s favorite work of the semester.