What do creative writing classes teach

As a teacher, you can encourage your students to explore different sentence structures, themes, and narrative styles and voice in their diaries. Journals and diaries are excellent teaching resources. From time to time, the students might run out of ideas.

Sometimes, they might need mental stimulation too. At first, your creative writers might be reluctant to explore picture and word prompts. To make it easier, partake in the first picture prompt exercises and read out your stories during the writing workshop. Your job is to stimulate your students and to make sure that they are able to think outside the box.

The students can start by collecting words and building a list of strong verbs, adjectives and synonyms. Copy this list onto a large cardboard paper and paste it beside the board. This list should feature words like fine, boy, girl, man, woman, cool, fun, love, like, go, small, went and so one. The idea is to force the students to be more creative in their choice of words and sentences. In my classes, students tended to use 5trsentences that are more descriptive and less dull ones.

Allow them to use thesauruses in class. A thesaurus will teach them to use the best words in the right context. You can also give them exercises to sharpen their skills of showing and telling. You will be surprised to find that students will create interesting stories that will remain in the mind of the reader.

But the effort is usually worth it. When the right instructional materials and learning aids are used, students are more likely to enjoy and participate actively in the classroom.

Do you teach creative writing either online or offline? How do you make your classes more interesting? Kristen Ford is a professional writer at Bookwriting INC , She loves to write about the leading Bookwriting trends and diverse ranging topics.

It will also teach you how to give others constructive criticism. Writers need to stick together, and if you learn to give each other great feedback, you can rely on each other for years to come. Tagged with: agents Arvon Foundation creative writing Jenny Lewis London Book Fair Marti Leimbach pitch publishing reading revise rewrite self-promotion Self-publishing University of Oxford writer's block writing writing exercises.

Great article Megan! Thanks Ryn! Great post — boy do all those items resonate with me! Forever changed the way I approach life as a writer! What you can learn from a creative writing course 1 What not to do They might not be able to teach you how to write the next Booker prizewinner, but courses are great for showing you what not to do. Share this: Print Email Tweet.

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Megan Leigh. Previous: Deerskin by Robin McKinley. Writer and editor of Pop Verse. Co-host of Breaking the Glass Slipper. My special interests include publishing, creative writing, and geekery. June 7, at pm. Megan Leigh June 8, at am. Cindi Futch June 13, at pm. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Powered by WordPress Designed by Tielabs. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.

And, your course should guarantee that experience. Before you enroll in an online writing course, look to see if the program administrators have a student promise. In addition to useful lectures and assignments, creative writing courses give you access to helpful, instructional feedback.

Most instructors hold Masters or Doctoral degrees in English or creative writing and, as a result, they have ample knowledge of what works in literature, as well as tons of experience in giving feedback. In the best online creative writing classes, an instructor will both inspire you to write and guide you towards being a better writer.

Their feedback will cover the many aspects of great writing. For example, your instructor might comment on:. Finally, an instructor will tell you what you are already doing well in your writing.

When you write a really great metaphor , use interesting word choice, or find a moment of great insight, your instructor will tell you—highlighting the creative writing skills you have already mastered. You might be wondering how creative writing classes are different from high school English. The big difference is that, where a typical English class focuses on basic grammar and literacy skills, creative writing classes focus specifically on craft.

What is creative writing craft? Craft involves the elements of language and storytelling that make a work of prose or poetry successful. Focusing on craft is how creative writing classes primarily improve your writing. Your writing class might focus on the structure of a short story, the different types of literary devices , the importance of effective word choice , or the elements of storytelling. A writing class should break down successful works of literature into the components that make it work, giving you the tools to practice your own creative writing skills.

Additionally, craft-focused writing helps you with everyday writing. From improving your vocabulary to structuring an email, the creative writing practice translates to improved writing in every aspect of your life. One of the benefits of creative writing classes is the perspective you get from different writers. With so many different writing philosophies in one class, the new ideas you encounter can help strengthen your own writing.

But in the worst-case scenario, a student or instructor might try to force their writing philosophy onto you. This is always unfair, as there is no one-size-fits-all writing advice, your creative authority should be respected no matter how new you are to creative writing.

No matter how many times you explain you want this poem to be about your cat, the instructor keeps telling you to write more about your childhood. By ignoring your goals for the poem, the instructor is not respecting your creative autonomy, because they think they know your writing needs better than you do.

No matter where you are in your writing journey, you are a writer, and you deserve respect and compassion as such. Every writer is on a constant journey of growth and discovery; your instructor and course should acknowledge and respect that. In your course, you will encounter many different ideas, but you should also encounter the freedom to accept or reject those ideas. A creative writing course fosters a creative writing community. This community gives you the motivation to create, as it creates a safe environment to experiment, take risks, and grow in your writing practice.

Participating in a community of word enthusiasts can jog your creativity and give you useful feedback on your work. Additionally, the feedback you provide other writers in the community also helps you learn.