Study and write imaginatively in a variety of genres--play and screenwriting, short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Read and respond to imaginative writing.
Goals: (all optional)
Portfolios: include a polished short story, screenplay, a creative nonfiction piece, and four poems. This will divided into sections: Creative Nonfiction and Poetry; and Screenplay and Short Story. All my portfolios will be under the Projects tab of this website.
Blog Journals and/or exercises: that deal with matters of craft. If you choose, you may write on a topic of your own selection! You are always free to go off subject and write about something else. Going off topic is part of the fun. The most important thing is that you write! There will generally be two journals at a time. The goal is to get you writing early on as much as possible, having fun and experimenting in your journal.
Discussions: The discussion boards require thought and energy. All of my forum boards will remain open. As much as possible, view the discussion boards as an opportunity to dialogue. Pose questions for other readers. Offer an alternate viewpoint. Your goal when responding is to contribute something new to the conversation. The only thing that is required to post on them is to become a member of this site. It's free (and gains you access to my newsletters).
Books Referenced:
Kowit, Steve, and Dorianne Laux. In the Palm of Your Hand: A Poet's Portable Workshop. Tilbury House Publishers, 2017.
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor, 1995.
Creative Writing Guidelines:
All work must be your own. If it’s not your own words you must cite and give credit properly. If you plagiarize you will fail this class and face possible academic suspension. See your student handbook for consequences.
Stories with ultra-violent content or those featuring violence without any discernible meaning or aiming violence at other ethnic groups are highly discouraged. Likewise, stories with graphic sexual content have no place in the workshop. Our focus is on craft, and on mastering structure and the elements of creative writing.
**All work comes from Thomas Maltman's 2018 Introduction to Creative Writing course
Comments