Module Code - Title:
EH6051
-
CREATIVE WRITING I
Year Last Offered:
2025/6
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
This module will enable students to develop their skills in creative writing 1) through the careful consideration of the work of established writers; 2) through study of the elements and formal structures of a given genre; 3) through strategies for revision and refinement of creative work; 4) through learning to think critically about one's own and fellow students' work. The module will be built around workshop discussions of student work as well as analysis of models provided by established fiction and non-fiction writers, poets, and dramatists. Students will become familiar with the conventions of craft specific to genre; learn about techniques appropriate to crafting creative work in their chosen genre; and produce written work in their chosen genre for review by and feedback from their fellow students and instructor.
Syllabus:
This module will enable students to evaluate writing--their own and their classmates as well as that of established assigned writers--within the frameworks of craft and technique. Students will learn strategies for getting started, finding sources for ideas, and moving from ideas to drafts; consider the advantages and limitations of major genres; work on identifying "voice"; identify the role of sensory detail in establishing setting, mood, and character; work with figurative language; consider approaches to writing narrative and drama; develop convincing characterization and dialogue; and evaluate the role of narrative viewpoint. In addition to learning the frameworks of craft and technique, students will learn strategies for revision and presentation of their work. The module will encompass workshop sessions of student work as well as seminar sessions devoted to the analysis of the work of well-known established writers.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
On successful completion of this module, it is expected that students will be able to
--discriminate between genres and recognize the creative conventions associated with each;
--evaluate the merits of a piece of creative writing;
--prepare a piece of creative writing for presentation;
--employ strategies and techniques of creative writing practice;
--synthesize strategies, techniques, and feedback in revising their creative work.
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
On successful completion of this module, it is expected that students will be able to
--participate in collaborative creative work;
--respond with constructive criticism to other writers' work;
--listen to constructive criticism in the workshop setting;
--demonstrate an understanding of how critical response enhances the creative writing process.
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
N/A
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
This module will be taught as a seminar/workshop which will encompass large and small group discussions of student work and assigned readings; in-class writing exercises; and oral presentations of student work. Students will develop competence in their chosen genre and develop the capacity to bring theoretical and critical perspectives to their work (Knowledgeable); they will learn how to incorporate research in writing practice in their own creative endeavours (Proactive); they will develop collaborative skills by learning to listen to and respond to others in the workshop setting (Collaborative); they will hone their skills in written communication (Articulate).
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Prime Texts:
Janet Burroway (2010)
Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft, 3rd Edition
, Longman
Elizabeth Strout, ed. (2013)
The Best American Short Stories
, Mariner Books
Margaret Ferguson et. al., eds. (2005)
The Norton Anthology of Poetry, 5th Edition
, Norton
Julia Bell and Paul Magrs, eds. (2001)
The Creative Writing Coursebook
, Macmillan
Other Relevant Texts:
Ann Charters, ed. (2010)
The Story and its Writer 8th Edition
, Bedford/St. Martin's
David Morley (2007)
The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing
, Cambridge UP
Robin Behn, ed. (1992)
The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets who Teach
, William Morrow
Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter (2009)
What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers 3rd Edition
, Longman
Mary Oliver (1994)
A Poetry Handbook
, Mariner Books
Julie Checkoway (2001)
Creating Fiction
, Story Press
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Autumn
Module Leader:
Donal.M.Ryan@ul.ie