Creative Writing 12
View the Learning Outcomes here: Creative Writing 12
Online (4 credits)
Creative Writing gives voice to our imaginary worlds and our emotions. Through creative writing, we better understand ourselves and our world.
This course strives to give students time to write, the skills necessary to develop voice and to meet the expectations of an audience, and the inspiration to take your ideas in new directions. By the end of this course, you can better discover your creative thoughts and turn those ideas into fully realized pieces of creative writing.
The course builds skills in fiction, poetry, and non fiction. Be prepared to write, write, write. Evaluation will be based on all steps of the writing process including brainstorming, writing exercises, editing, and finishing polished stories and poems.
Module ONE: Introduction to Fiction
Students practice the basic elements of fiction writing, from “show, don’t tell” to scenes and dialogue, characterization and setting. Students respond to short texts and write creative shorts on each skill.
Module TWO: Write a Modern Fairy Tale
Students explore the macabre stories of the Brothers Grimm. They then choose an element from a fairy tale to transform into a modern story of their own creation.
Module THREE: Introduction to Poetry
Students learn the basic elements of poetry writing, from caesura and enjambment, specificity and figurative language. Students write a variety of poems on each skill.
Module FOUR: Writing Creative Non-Fiction
Students return to the basics of narrative writing in two non-fiction exercises. Students explore their past with “tiny memoirs” and harness their creative powers and story telling skills to create a persuasive argument.
Module FIVE: Form Poetry
Students build on their knowledge of poetry by applying their skills to poetic forms. From writing sonnets to haikus to villanelles, students learn how form can provoke innovation, capture emotion, and send their creativity in unforeseen directions.
Module SIX: Final Project: Genre Writing
Fantasy? Sci-Fi? Romantasy? Detective stories? Students will create a story in their favorite genre, using and subverting the tropes and expectations that readers love about the genre.
Assessment
Students will be assessed on all steps of the writing process: brainstorming, writing rough drafts, editing, and producing finished polished work. Some assessment will be based on analysing the writing of published authors and creators.
Resources: A computer with internet access and headphones/microphone. All materials are online.