Introduction to Creative Writing 3301-LA2250-1ST
Students will adopt the dictum of Annie Dillard: “The more you read, the more you will write. The better the stuff you read, the better the stuff you will write.”
Students will be asked to read as a writer by learning the fine art of imitation via close reading and internalizing structure. However, in addition to reading, students will be required to write and write often and write freely. It is acceptable to make mistakes. In fact, students need to make many mistakes, so that they can take risks and grow as creative thinkers.
Students will study the main genres of creative writing: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and hybrid work. After they understand the genre characteristics via lectures, definitions of terms, handouts, and reading several published examples, they will have the opportunity to mimic the pieces. This will help prepare them to write their own, original examples of each genre. This writing will be the basis for the workshops.
The creative writing workshop method borrows elements from the artist studio. (Students work with an artist, practicing their craft, and then they share their works in progress with the professor and fellow students to receive feedback from everyone in the group.) The professor will share the history and method of the creative writing workshop (and how it has evolved over the years to become more inclusive).
The course will culminate in a final portfolio that will showcase their revised writing—along with an introduction that describes their growth as writers. There will also be a reading on the last day of class to share some of the revised work aloud.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
Students will be able to:
● K_W02 understand key terminology, well established methods and theories of literary studies with regards to the distinguishing features of literary genres
● K_W03 describe methodology and recent developments in English literary studies and the evolution of literary genres
● K_W05 list the characteristics of English grammar, syntax, phonology, phonetics, morphology and pragmatics on an advanced level
● K_W07 explain principles of designing literary forms
Abilities
Students will be able to:
● K_U01 employ the terminology and methodological tools from literary studies, especially in the area of creative writing
● K_U02 employ the methodology of literary studies within English studies, respecting the ethical norms and copyright law
● K_U04 implement knowledge to describe a problem and identify means to solve it, thereby completing a project in literary studies in the form of writing one’s own creative pieces in accordance with the feature of literary genres
● K_U11 design one’s own development as a creative writer
Social competences
Students will be ready to:
● K_K02 undertake life-long learning and personal development in the area of creative writing, applying skills and competences to select subjects and projects optimally suiting one’s personal interests
● K_KO3 value responsibility for one’s own work and respect the work of others, adhering to the professional and ethical norms in creative writing projects
Assessment criteria
- attendance and active participation in discussions
- participation in discussions and workshops
- multiple creative writing assignments constituting a portfolio
3 absences are allowed.
Assessment of student’s work throughout the semester
- portfolio of written assignments
- retake: further corrections of student’s portfolio
Bibliography
All texts will be made available to the students on Moodle. These texts will be contemporary examples of each genre as well as examples from very recent (within the last two years) publications.
Some sample texts may include the following:
Atwood’s “Happy Endings”
Saunders’ “Sticks”
Pritchard’s “Private Landscape”
Carlson’s “Bigfoot”
Jen’s “Who’s Irish”
Kincaid’s “Girl”
Carver’s “Popular Mechanics”
Lamott’s “Shitty First Drafts”
Dwyer’s “Inheritance”
Tayyar’s “Crystal Cove”
Thomas’ “Safekeeping”
Doyle’s “Being Brian”
Hall’s “Shunned”
Wallace’s “Math 1619”
Herbert’s “I Would Like to Describe”
Williams’ “This is Just to Say”
Wright’s “Lying in a Hammock”
Szymborska’s “Love at First Sight”
Clifton’s “Homage to my Hips”
Hughes’ “Harlem”
Kooser’s “A Happy Birthday”
Miłosz’s “A Song on the End of the World”
Gregg’s “There She Is”
Lee’s “Loading a Boar”
Creeley’s “I Know a Man”
Normile’s “Misunderstood”
Kelly’s “Gun Control”
Rao’s “Fullness and Hunger”
Wilkinson’s “Black Rapunzel”
Excerpt of Amanda Larson’s Gut
Excerpt of Maria Romasco Moore’s Ghostographs
Excerpt of Shawn Wen’s A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause: An Essay
Excerpt of Del Samatar and Sofia Samatar’s Monster Portraits
Excerpt of Bechdal’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: