ENG 313: Types of Creative Writing
In this generative, in-person writing class, we will gather collectively around writing, reading, and artmaking. With a focus on the genres of fiction, creative non-fiction, and screenwriting, we will explore different styles and approaches while honing our own unique voices and visions. Using the language of desire to frame our conversations, we will read rigorously and thoughtfully, engaging with a diverse selection of authors with the intent to understand what precisely makes a piece “work” then apply this knowledge to our own writing, which we will create both in and outside of our class. Along with reading and writing, we will discuss the ancestral inheritance of our creativity, our literary lineage, our kuleana as literary citizens, and the communities we write for and from.
Throughout the semester, you will expand your voice and hone your craft. The emphasis will always be on process more than product, and you will be encouraged to step out of your comfort zone and take risks. You will also get the chance to give and receive first impression feedback on each other’s work. Sharing one’s art can be deeply vulnerable, and we will actively work together to shape a classroom culture that prioritizes safety and trust. Ultimately, this class is meant to be at once rigorous and respectful—a space for creative writers of all backgrounds to experiment, imagine, and play.
Readings will include short stories, essays, screenplays, and craft pieces by writers from Hawaiʻi and around the world. I will make everything available for free online in the form of PDFs and/or direct links.
Expectations for this creative writing workshop include keeping an observations journal, submitting weekly reading responses, writing and informally workshopping your short fiction, and composing two final projects.
SLOs:
- Identify, describe, and compare the literary features and effects of specific craft conventions and techniques in the genres of fiction, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting.
- Compose original work in (at least) two genres, showing a critical awareness for the traditions, aesthetics, and narrative techniques of fiction, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting, with particular attention paid to audience and purpose.
- Work in each of the writing phases, from brainstorming and free-writing through drafting and revision to produce a polished, final draft.
- Revise and re-envision in order to strengthen ideas, form, voice and other techniques of the genre, as well as edit mechanics such as grammar, syntax, and diction.