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Journal of Creative Writing Studies

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Journal of Creative Writing Studies is a peer reviewed, open access journal. We publish research that examines the teaching, practice, theory, and history of creative writing. This scholarship makes use of theories and methodologies from a variety of disciplines. We believe knowledge is best constructed in an open conversation among diverse voices and multiple perspectives. Therefore, our editors actively seek to include work from marginalized and underrepresented scholars. Journal of Creative Writing Studies is dedicated to the idea that humanities research ought to be accessible and available to all.

Journal of Creative Writing Studies is a publication of Creative Writing Studies Organization (CWSO), which also hosts the annual Creative Writing Studies Conference .

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Current Issue: Volume 9, Issue 1 (2024)

Research: qualitative and quantitative.

Analysis of Narrative Arcs of College Writers’ Creative Writing: Implications for Engaging Creative Writing Across the Curriculum Justin Nicholes

Creative Writing in a University Bridging Program for Underprivileged STEM Students GLEN RETIEF, Yolandi Woest, and Nosipho Mthethwa

"Give 'em Something to Talk About: Love, Generosity, and Wonder in the Portrait of the Artist Workshop" Florence Gonsalves and Matthew Vollmer

“A Book of Many Rooms”: Joshua Bennett as Personal Tour Guide through Decades of Spoken Word Poetry Michael Baumann

The Making of Instinct: A Review of Marbles on the Floor: How to Assemble a Book of Poems Mitchell James

Craft and Conscience: Writing and Social Justice Janelle Adsit

An Essential Guide to an Invisible Art: A Review of The Invisible Art of Literary Editing Jennifer Pullen

Creative Writing and the Mind/Body Connection

Body and Art as Message: an Experience with Chronic Pain, Writing, and the Mind-Body Connection Mitchell R. James

100 Prompts For Healing used in the Treatment of Addiction Eric A. Kreuter Ph.D.

Teaching Poetry to Med Students? A Conversation with Owen Lewis and Abriana Jetté Owen W. Lewis M.D. and Abriana Jette

A Proposal: Healing Impacts of Writing Groups on Cancer Survivors Cassandra M. Normand

Afterword and After the Ward: The Poetry Cure Abriana Jette and Margarita Sverdlova

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Elements of Creative Writing

(3 reviews)

J.D. Schraffenberger, University of Northern Iowa

Rachel Morgan, University of Northern Iowa

Grant Tracey, University of Northern Iowa

Copyright Year: 2023

ISBN 13: 9780915996179

Publisher: University of Northern Iowa

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Colin Rafferty, Professor, University of Mary Washington on 8/2/24

Fantastically thorough. By using three different authors, one for each genre of creative writing, the textbook allows for a wider diversity of thought and theory on writing as a whole, while still providing a solid grounding in the basics of each... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Fantastically thorough. By using three different authors, one for each genre of creative writing, the textbook allows for a wider diversity of thought and theory on writing as a whole, while still providing a solid grounding in the basics of each genre. The included links to referred texts also builds in an automatic, OER-based anthology for students. Terms are not only defined clearly, but also their utility is explained--here's what assonance can actually do in a poem, rather than simply "it's repeated vowel sounds,"

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Calling the content "accurate" requires a suspension of the notion that art and writing aren't subjective; instead, it might be more useful to judge the content on the potential usefulness to students, in which case it' s quite accurate. Reading this, I often found myself nodding in agreement with the authors' suggestions for considering published work and discussing workshop material, and their prompts for generating creative writing feel full of potential. It's as error-free, if not more so, than most OER textbooks (which is to say: a few typos here and there) and a surprising number of trade publications. It's not unbiased, per se--after all, these are literary magazine editors writing the textbook and often explaining what it is about a given piece of writing that they find (or do not find) engaging and admirable--but unbiased isn't necessarily a quantity one looks for in creative writing textbooks.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The thing about creative writing is that they keep making more of it, so eventually the anthology elements of this textbook will be less "look what's getting published these days" and more "look what was getting published back then," but the structure of the textbook should allow for substitution and replacement (that said, if UNI pulls funding for NAR, as too many universities are doing these days, then the bigger concern is about the archive vanishing). The more rhetorical elements of the textbook are solid, and should be useful to students and faculty for a long time.

Clarity rating: 5

Very clear, straightforward prose, and perhaps more importantly, there's a sense of each author that emerges in each section, demonstrating to students that writing, especially creative writing, comes from a person. As noted above, any technical jargon is not only explained, but also discussed, meaning that how and why one might use any particular literary technique are emphasized over simply rote memorization of terms.

Consistency rating: 4

It's consistent within each section, but the voice and approach change with each genre. This is a strength, not a weakness, and allows the textbook to avoid the one-size-fits-all approach of single-author creative writing textbooks. There are different "try this" exercises for each genre that strike me as calibrated to impress the facets of that particular genre on the student.

Modularity rating: 5

The three-part structure of the book allows teachers to start wherever they like, genre-wise. While the internal structure of each section does build upon and refer back to earlier chapters, that seems more like an advantage than a disadvantage. Honestly, there's probably enough flexibility built into the textbook that even the callbacks could be glossed over quickly enough in the classroom.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Chapters within each genre section build upon each other, starting with basics and developing the complexity and different elements of that genre. The textbook's overall organization allows some flexibility in terms of starting with fiction, poetry, or nonfiction.

Interface rating: 4

Easy to navigate. I particularly like the way that links for the anthology work in the nonfiction section (clearly appearing at the side of the text in addition to within it) and would like to see that consistently applied throughout.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

A few typos here and there, but you know what else generally has a few typos here and there? Expensive physical textbooks.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The anthology covers a diverse array of authors and cultural identities, and the textbook authors are not only conscious of their importance but also discuss how those identities affect decisions that the authors might have made, even on a formal level. If you find an underrepresented group missing, it should be easy enough to supplement this textbook with a poem/essay/story.

Very excited to use this in my Intro to CW classes--unlike other OERs that I've used for the field, this one feels like it could compete with the physical textbooks head-to-head. Other textbooks have felt more like a trade-off between content and cost.

Reviewed by Jeanne Cosmos, Adjunct Faculty, Massachusetts Bay Community College on 7/7/24

Direct language and concrete examples & Case Studies. read more

Direct language and concrete examples & Case Studies.

References to literature and writers- on track.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

On point for support to assist writers and creative process.

Direct language and easy to read.

First person to third person. Too informal in many areas of the text.

Units are readily accessible.

Process of creative writing and prompts- scaffold areas of learning for students.

Interface rating: 5

No issues found.

The book is accurate in this regard.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Always could be revised and better.

Yes. Textbook font is not academic and spacing - also not academic. A bit too primary. Suggest- Times New Roman 12- point font & a space plus - Some of the language and examples too informal and the tone of lst person would be more effective if - direct and not so 'chummy' as author references his personal recollections. Not effective.

Reviewed by Robert Moreira, Lecturer III, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 3/21/24

Unlike Starkey's CREATIVE WRITING: FOUR GENRES IN BRIEF, this textbook does not include a section on drama. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Unlike Starkey's CREATIVE WRITING: FOUR GENRES IN BRIEF, this textbook does not include a section on drama.

As far as I can tell, content is accurate, error free and unbiased.

The book is relevant and up-to-date.

The text is clear and easy to understand.

Consistency rating: 5

I would agree that the text is consistent in terms of terminology and framework.

Text is modular, yes, but I would like to see the addition of a section on dramatic writing.

Topics are presented in logical, clear fashion.

Navigation is good.

No grammatical issues that I could see.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

I'd like to see more diverse creative writing examples.

As I stated above, textbook is good except that it does not include a section on dramatic writing.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Chapter One: One Great Way to Write a Short Story
• Chapter Two: Plotting
• Chapter Three: Counterpointed Plotting
• Chapter Four: Show and Tell
• Chapter Five: Characterization and Method Writing
• Chapter Six: Character and Dialouge
• Chapter Seven: Setting, Stillness, and Voice
• Chapter Eight: Point of View
• Chapter Nine: Learning the Unwritten Rules
• Chapter One: A Poetry State of Mind
• Chapter Two: The Architecture of a Poem
• Chapter Three: Sound
• Chapter Four: Inspiration and Risk
• Chapter Five: Endings and Beginnings
• Chapter Six: Figurative Language
• Chapter Seven: Forms, Forms, Forms
• Chapter Eight: Go to the Image
• Chapter Nine: The Difficult Simplicity of Short Poems and Killing Darlings

Creative Nonfiction

• Chapter One: Creative Nonfiction and the Essay
• Chapter Two: Truth and Memory, Truth in Memory
• Chapter Three: Research and History
• Chapter Four: Writing Environments
• Chapter Five: Notes on Style
• Chapter Seven: Imagery and the Senses
• Chapter Eight: Writing the Body
• Chapter Nine: Forms

Back Matter

• Contributors
• North American Review Staff

Ancillary Material

• University of Northern Iowa

About the Book

This free and open access textbook introduces new writers to some basic elements of the craft of creative writing in the genres of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The authors—Rachel Morgan, Jeremy Schraffenberger, and Grant Tracey—are editors of the North American Review, the oldest and one of the most well-regarded literary magazines in the United States. They’ve selected nearly all of the readings and examples (more than 60) from writing that has appeared in NAR pages over the years. Because they had a hand in publishing these pieces originally, their perspective as editors permeates this book. As such, they hope that even seasoned writers might gain insight into the aesthetics of the magazine as they analyze and discuss some reasons this work is so remarkable—and therefore teachable. This project was supported by NAR staff and funded via the UNI Textbook Equity Mini-Grant Program.

About the Contributors

J.D. Schraffenberger  is a professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa. He is the author of two books of poems,  Saint Joe's Passion  and  The Waxen Poor , and co-author with Martín Espada and Lauren Schmidt of  The Necessary Poetics of Atheism . His other work has appeared in  Best of Brevity ,  Best Creative Nonfiction ,  Notre Dame Review ,  Poetry East ,  Prairie Schooner , and elsewhere.

Rachel Morgan   is an instructor of English at the University of Northern Iowa. She is the author of the chapbook  Honey & Blood , Blood & Honey . Her work is included in the anthology  Fracture: Essays, Poems, and Stories on Fracking in American  and has appeared in the  Journal of American Medical Association ,  Boulevard ,  Prairie Schooner , and elsewhere.

Grant Tracey   author of three novels in the Hayden Fuller Mysteries ; the chapbook  Winsome  featuring cab driver Eddie Sands; and the story collection  Final Stanzas , is fiction editor of the  North American Review  and an English professor at the University of Northern Iowa, where he teaches film, modern drama, and creative writing. Nominated four times for a Pushcart Prize, he has published nearly fifty short stories and three previous collections. He has acted in over forty community theater productions and has published critical work on Samuel Fuller and James Cagney. He lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

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1 Theories of Creativity and Creative Writing Pedagogy

From the book the handbook of creative writing.

• Anna Leahy , Mary Cantrell and Mary Swander
• X / Twitter

Supplementary Materials

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Chapters in this book (63)

• Corpus ID: 141640884

Creative Writing: Theory beyond practice

• N. Krauth , Tess Brady
• Published 2006

13 Citations

Writing themselves: using creative writing to facilitate international student accounts of their intercultural experience, the writer walking the dog: creative writing practice and everyday life, creative writing studies, authorship, and the ghosts of romanticism, the waitress, the australasian association of writing programs 1996–2011, escaping the tractor beam of literary theory: notes towards appropriate theories of creative writing - and some arguments against the inappropriate ones, a coat of ashes: a collection of poems, incorporating a metafictional narrative - and - poetry, daoism, physics and systems theory: a poetics: a set of critical essays, creative writing and theory: theory without credentials, towards a theory without credentials, fingerprints: exploration of identity, community and place, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

• Feb 26, 2022

Creative Writing 102: Critical Theory-The (Im)possibility of Application

Creative Writing 102 articles are a continuation of the previous Creative Writing 101 series and serve as one of the academic courses in the field of Creative Writing Studies and Literary Theory. The course, which is a fundamental guide within the scope of general knowledge compared to the technical knowledge of Creative Writing Studies and Literary Theory, also addresses students and the general readership alike. With this goal in mind, the article has been written in very plain and basic English to convey just the necessary understanding of Creative Writing and provide an introduction.

Creative Writing 102 is mainly divided into five chapters including:

- The Screenplay - Blending Screenwriting with Literary Theory

- In the Realm of Travel Writing - Immortalizing Stories in Nonfiction

- The Digitalization of Creative Writing Through Video Games

- Critical Theory - The (Im)possibility of Application

- Unraveling Creativity and Humor in Comedians' Personalities

[Book cover of Creative Writing for Critical Thinking: Creating a Discoursal Identity by Hélène Edberg].

“Studying theory is an important way of bringing together Literary Studies and Creative Writing. Theory enriches both creative and critical investigations and while the use of theory is considered de rigueur in Literary Studies, in Creative Writing, the value of theory has been hotly contested.” (Atherton, 2010, p. 5).

Critical theory and literary criticism are used for interpreting and analyzing the content of literary productions while creative writing targets the written outcomes of writers in terms of creativity, imagination, and originality. In the fourth article of the 102 series of Creative Writing, the concern is about questioning whether there is a possibility to incorporate critical theory to the teaching and practice of creative writing in higher education; or rather an impossibility of application due to the difference of the two disciplines. In this sense, to what extent and how can critical theory be applied to the practice of creative writing?

Critical theory and Creative writing – a relationship of interconnectedness or unrelatedness?

The adoption of critical theory to the discipline of creative writing has been controversial to many scholars and teacher-writers in higher education, questioning the efficiency and usage of the thematic content of literary criticism in the teaching of creative writing in classes. Some scholars are in favor of incorporating critical theory to creative writing while others refute such practice to preserving the authenticity of creative writing. Three basic fundamentals, including “freedom”, “receptivity to the new and unfamiliar”, and “experimentation” shape the discipline of creative writing by distancing its content from “the philosophical, social, historical, cultural, and psychological apparatus of critical theory.” (Ramey, p.46). In other words, the dissociation of literature, philosophy and other areas of humanities like psychology, sociology, and history in the Creative writing studies is thought to limit and hinder the writer’s creativity and writing process. Thus, the writer is thought to be deprived of guidance and in this way he or she is unable to produce, what Ramey (2007) refers to as, a “fine new literature”.

[Book cover of Thinking Creative writing Critique from the International New Writing Journal

edited by Graeme Harper].

The impossibility to write or create content is explained by the unpleasant experience of the ‘blank page’, whereby writers or students feel uncreative and powerless to put any ideas in the shape of words on a white paper or a blank Word document, explains Atherton (2010). Hence, they are overwhelmed by a feeling of blockage and feel trapped in the process of writing. At the Australian University of Melbourne, a literary approach to the teaching of poetry is used by Professor Kevin Brophy in his creative writing class. The experience of the ‘blank page’ is studied and examined in W.B. Yeats’ poem “The Balloon of the Mind” as an instance to demonstrate the complexity of the task of writing. In this sense, Pr. Brophy’s reference to Yeats’ poem is made on purpose to raise his students’ awareness of the process of writing in terms of processing ideas into the mind, structuring and organizing what to write and how to proceed with writing.

Coupled with the example of Pr. Brophy’s pedagogy, more insights on the creative process of writing are given by Atherton (2010) when she points out the interconnectedness between theories of the sublime and writing. The sublimity of creation undergoes a state of chaos before reaching a state of delight, whereby the writer experiences a certain kind of fright, frustration, and bewilderment in not being able to create. In this sense, the writer is transported by a series of mixed-up feelings and oscillates between the ability and inability of creation until comes a moment of illumination and inspiration enabling, thus, the writer to express ideas through words. Therefore, the incorporation of critical theory to creative writing studies is described as crucial as it “allows for the enrichment and layering of creative and analytical writing.” (Atherton, 2010).

“Literary Studies elevates creative writing to the highest level by studying and analysing creative texts; creative writing is similarly enhanced when it is underpinned by literary theory.” (Atherton, 2010, p .2).

Not many universities are in favor of adopting critical theory and literary criticism to the teaching of creative writing, for many teacher-writers and scholars think that creative writing is far distinct from English. In other terms, English is given more importance as a field of study and the inclusion of critical theory to its curriculum in higher education is justified by the fact that theory is de facto considered to be part of English studies. However, this claim is refused by other scholars. According to them, critical theory used in the field of English studies is by no means a part of it. It is an independent discipline and a mixture of other field of studies, such as philosophy, psychology, and sociology, combined to provide criticism and analytical explanations of literary works. Any attempt at separating both disciplines would be qualified as “artificial” and “unconstructive”, argues Ramey (2007). For this reason, the debate over adopting creative writing to critical theory or rather separating it from literary criticism is still open to discussion and further examination of teaching programs at higher education.

[Book cover of Creative Writing with Critical Theory: Inhabitation

edited by Dominique Hecq and Julian Novitz].

At some point, there are several universities worldwide whose curriculum programs have been re-designed for the benefit of prioritizing critical theory in the teaching of creative writing. For instance, the MA in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of Sussex promotes the interconnectedness between theory and practice through an emphasis on critical writings to empowering students with enough knowledge and mastery for writing and thinking in a creative way. Moreover, the MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Maryland provides students with a literary program in the study of creative writing and elaboration of academic projects on poetry and fiction. Not only such programs aim to improve the students’ writing skills, they also cover, most importantly, a great deal of theoretical and historical framework related to the students’ discipline for a better quality of training. In this way, creative writing students and contemporary creative writers in general, explains Ramey (2007), are tempted by experimenting and using “techniques such as self-reflexivity, pastiche, parody, irony and other frame-breaking operations,” in their writings and creative process of literary composition.

“At California State University, Los Angeles, MA students in the Creative Writing Option are required to enrol in classes in Historical Criticism and Contemporary Critical Approaches and take classes in a variety of periods and genres of English, American and world literature.” (Ramey, 2007, p. 46).

How is critical theory taught in creative writing classes?

Postgraduate students of creative writing studies have pre-constructed opinions about critical theory as “didactic, political, polemical, rigid, and impenetrably jargon-laden,” argues Ramey (2007). They think that blending creative writing with critical theory is a useless and threatening method of learning as it would jeopardize their ability to produce any literary writings and put their imagination and creativity at risk. In fact, the common concerns that students express are “If I know too much, I won’t be able to write naturally,” and “It will take away my creativity,” describes Ramey (2007). She lists out three preliminary questions that any creative writing student should ask in class before proceeding with writing. The first question is “What are a writer’s responsibilities?”, supposedly helping the student to find out the motives of becoming a writer and the main tasks any writer has to follow and prioritize. The second question is “Why do you write?”, which incites the student to question himself or herself about the reasons of as well as the need for creating stories, in general. The third and last question is “Whom do you write for?”, which targets not only the writer’s readership in terms of gender, but also implicitly points out the readers’ age and interests.

[Book cover of Creative Writing and the New Humanities by Paul Dawson].

To undo the traditional thoughts about the triviality of combining critical theory with creative writing, Ramey (2007) proposes to teach her students the basics of theory by referring to passages of significant literary and philosophical figures, including Horace, Dante, Lucretius, Quintilian, Tertullian, Plotinus, Longinus, Plato and Aristotle. Ramey’s method of teaching aims to demonstrate the importance and relevance of ancient literature in terms of concepts, themes, and reflections in contemporary literature and how it guides, teaches and impacts new creative writers to produce innovative, complex, and novel literature. Also, acquiring more knowledge about history of literary criticism and theory is required, if not compulsory, for the grasp of the discipline of creative writing, claims Ramey (2007).

“Critical theory for creative writers reflects who we are as individuals in relation to the literary examples of the past. It is a way of entering into tradition in order to express our unique voices and visions in the present.” (Ramey, 2007, p. 50).

In a unit of her MA class Critical Theory for Creative Writers, Ramey (2007) shows the link between critical theory and the practice of creative writing by dividing the course into four main sections – a lecture, a writing assignment, a discussion, and a workshop. A list of selected readings of Longinus’ five notions of ‘Sublimity’, Sappho’s poem “Fragment thirty-one”, the section twenty-two of Aristotle’s Poetics , a section of James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake , and Karl Marx’s Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1859), followed by another literary representation and Marxist examination of William Shakespeare’s King Lear (1605) through Edward Bond’s Lear (1971). The selected themes are utilized to prompt students to interact through discussion and debate. Thus, for the sake of producing critical and creative writings, students are encouraged to criticize the various thematic content of the course. Hence, it paves the way to a better understanding of the interconnectedness between critical theory and creative writing.

On the whole, teaching critical theory and literary criticism in creative writing classes is still subjected to debates in many institutions in the world. Many scholars and teacher-writers are against the idea of linking the content of theory to the practice of creative writing, for the literary and non-literary themes of theory are considered to be unimportant to be taught to creative writing students. Others, however, are aware of the utility and relevance of critical theory to the discipline of creative writing. The inclusion of modern and experimental methods to their courses are made to help, guide, and teach new writers to produce better creative and critical writings by reproducing other versions of ancient and canonical literature.

Image Sources

Dawson, P. & Routledge. (2004, December 9). [Book cover of Creative Writing and the New Humanities by Paul Dawson]. Routledge.com. https://www.routledge.com/Creative-Writing-and-the-New-Humanities/Dawson/p/book/9780415332217

Edberg, H. & Palgrave Macmillan. (2018, February 8). [Book cover of Creative Writing for Critical Thinking: Creating a Discoursal Identity by Hélène Edberg]. Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Writing-Critical-Thinking-Discoursal-ebook/dp/B079PPGQ26

Hecq, D., Novitz, J., Hills, L., Matthews, A., Bacon, E., Harper, G., Pittaway, G., Coles, K., Disney, D., West, S., Hetherington, P., Munden, P., Hogan, E., Jackson, A., Kocher, S., & Walker, A. (2018, September 26). [Book cover of Creative Writing with Critical Theory: Inhabitation edited by Dominique Hecq and Julian Novitz]. Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Writing-Critical-Theory-Inhabitation/dp/1780240686

Routledge, & Harper, G. (2020, December 18). [Book cover of Thinking Creative writing Critique from the International New Writing Journal edited by Graeme Harper]. Routledge.com. https://www.routledge.com/Thinking-Creative-Writing-Critique-from-the-international-New-Writing-journal/Harper/p/book/9780367730543

Atherton, C. & University of Melbourne. (2010). Sleeping with the enemy: creative writing and theory in the academy . Aawp.Org.Au. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.aawp.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Atherton.pdf

cassandra-atherton.com. (n.d.). Cassandra Atherton . Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://cassandra-atherton.com/about-cassandr

mup.com.au. (n.d.). Kevin Brophy . Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://www.mup.com.au/authors/kevin-brophy

Ramey, L. (2007). Creative Writing and Critical Theory. In S. Earnshaw (Ed.), The Handbook of Creative Writing (pp. 42–53). Edinburgh University Press.

Additional Readings

Lamarino, D. L. (2015). Codifying the Creative Self: Conflicts of Theory and Content in Creative Writing. Theory and Practice in Language Studies , 5 (6), 1123–1128. https://www.academypublication.com/issues2/tpls/vol05/06/01.pdf

Yeats, W. B. (n.d.). The Balloon of the Mind by W.B. Yeats . Poets.Org. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://poets.org/poem/balloon-mind

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ENGL2666: Creative Writing: Theory and Practice

2025 unit information.

This unit fosters students' practice and knowledge of creative writing through interactive workshops, seminars and lectures led by established writers and academics. Exploring the theoretical and practical dimensions of developing a personal creative writing practice, the unit emphases writing as a mode of intellectual, historical and aesthetic engagement with the contemporary.

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Managing faculty or university school:, arts and social sciences.

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Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

• LO1 . understand the relationship between literary and writing-focussed theory and creative practice, and the fundamental significance of reading
• LO2 . respectfully and usefully critique both their own and others’ writing in the classroom as well as online, and to assess and use constructive feedback
• LO3 . position their own creative and critical writing within contemporary practices and debates
• LO4 . sustain and continue their creative writing practice.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

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Creative Writing Theory

Conference-length paper.

Students in English 617 will produce a conference-length paper suitable for the creative introduction to the MFA thesis or for publication in a literary journal of national reputation.

Theories and Techniques of Creative Writing

Students in English 617 will study and identify theories and techniques of creative writing, primarily in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.