Introduction to Creative Writing: Fiction and Poetry
This workshop-style class is an introduction to the pleasures of the
writing process. You will benefit from in-depth readings and constructive
critical support in a class that encourages experimentation, daring, and
fun. You will develop a working knowledge of the elements of the craft of
fiction: character, plot, point-of-view, dialogue, and style, and you will
use them to build your own short story. Our approach to poetry will focus
on the importance of strangeness and surprise as well as the more familiar
basics: imagery, sound effects, and so on. You will practice writing both
lyric and narrative poems in free (mostly) and formal verse. Some of each
meeting will be devoted to discussing fiction or poems from our texts,
which may serve as springboards for your own work. From time to time, we
will do some in-class writing. Growing, experimenting, and revising are
key. Class participation and attendance are vital.