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CREW 203: Intermediate Creative Writing Workshop

Course Convenor: Dr George Green

Lecture Time (Weeks 1-5 and 11-15 only): Tuesday 9am – 10am, Marcus Merriman LT

Course Aims and Objectives:
Students will develop key skills introduced at Part I level with an emphasis upon writing as process, exploring creative voice, identifying point of view, the implied author and authorial guises, and considering the creative and interactive nature of reading. A proactive workshop environment will enable the development of specific aesthetic and technical skills through lively participation in constructive criticism relating to fellow students’ work-in-progress. You will gain a deeper understanding of many important concepts such as structure, linguistic texture and resonance, point-of-view, form, pace, characterization, the mediation of tone and reader awareness. While the learning environment will usually be in the form of workshops, certain weeks may be designated for focused and practical set tasks. You will be expected to read widely from modern and contemporary creative works and to explore the work of ‘writers on writing’. The aim of this course is to develop a portfolio of closely edited and peer critiqued creative work that displays your own forms of expression alongside skills and insights developed through the course.  Students can expect to make fortnightly submissions and to receive oral feedback from their tutor and peers throughout the year. Students must attend workshops with each week’s copies of Moodle submissions and be prepared to contribute orally to the discussion.

Assessment:
1 x 8,000-word (maximum) portfolio of your own creative work. N.B. The majority of work submitted must have been previously discussed at workshops.
1 x 1,500-word (maximum) self-reflective essay.

Submission deadline:
Portfolio = by 12 noon, Friday Week 2/Term 3

Contact:
1 x 120 minute workshop per week OR 1 x 90 minute workshop plus 60 minute lecture per week.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course you should have

• a knowledge of a range of genres and conventions and the ability to put that knowledge into creative and critical practice
• a growing appreciation of structure, reader awareness and how readers interpret and construct texts
• the ability to demonstrate and effectively express an appreciation of the power of the imagination within literary creativity. 
• a well-developed technique for providing annotations and verbal critique of peer work and a knowledge of the critical criteria which underlie successful evaluations
• the ability to develop well-structured peer critiques in written form with reference to wider reading and technical awareness
• explored a range of literary forms and become aware of narrative and poetic effects
• a developing empathy towards the pivotal role of language in the manifestation of meaning together with sensitivity towards the conscious and subconscious energy of language
• a sensitivity and awareness of the subtleties of authorial viewpoints and their implications
• a sense of the self-awareness that characterises good writing, and the ability to express yourself reflexively
• a developing awareness of the structure, demands and interactions of the publishing industry

Set Texts:

Relevant authors and literary texts will be recommended by your tutor throughout the year. You will also be expected to read widely and discuss current reading in the workshops. There are no set texts for this course but the following will be suggested in terms of practical guides:
Linda Anderson, Creative Writing Coursebook, A Handbook With Readings
Paul Mills, The Routledge Creative Writing Coursebook.
J. Bell, The Creative Writing Course Book: Forty Authors Share Advice and Exercises for Fiction and Poetry- an excellent, many-voiced source of inspiration for aspiring writers
J. Newman, E. Cusick and A. La Tourette, The Writer’s Workbook, a sound practical guide.
Damon Knight, Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction
George Green and Lizzy Kremer, Writing a Novel and Getting Published for Dummies
Clare Brown & Don Paterson, Don’t Ask me What I Mean, Poets in their own Words
Barry Turner, The Writers’ Handbook
James M Frey, How to Write a Damn Good Novel.

Forward to: CREW 204

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