Description
Learn and practice the essentials of compelling creative writing!
Come explore elements that live at the heart of fiction, non-fiction and poetry in this eight-session introduction to creative writing. Either as an introduction or a refresher, this class will guide you into the exciting and profound practice of writing. Come write the things you have always wanted to write. Come write the things you had no idea you needed to write.
Facilitated by dynamic writer Kathryn Kruse, Creative Writing Essentials pairs strategies for generating and developing ideas with discussions of foundational principles of craft. Delightful generative prompts will help you get going and keep going, while we look at elements of writing that will help you shape your work. Students will also have the opportunity to workshop each other’s writing. You will leave with lots of work as well as lots of methods for creating new work. You will be encouraged to work on fiction, non-fiction, poetry or any other writing that you want to investigate.
You’ll leave the class with an understanding of basic writing craft, along with a body of work that can serve as the base for a whole lot of other work. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll connect with other writers and expand your creative support team. Writing happens better when we do it not alone.
Students do not need any prepared work before the course begins. The only requirements are that you arrive with some way to record words and an open imagination. Actually, we will have pens and paper available, so all you really need is an interest in opening the imagination.
Foundations of Craft
Each week we’ll explore a different foundational craft element. Consider them the building blocks of all strong writing. Classes will focus on:
- intention, necessity and occasion
- specific language choices
- time
- point of view
- structure
- audience
- rhythm
- the art of re-seeing
Along with focused, generative exercises and discussion, we’ll read published examples of writing to analyze and interpret elements of writing as we put the principles into practice in our own work. You will also learn and build skills through take-home exercises, and have the opportunity to share work and collaborate on guided critical response. Each week, we will look into how the individual elements we are studying inform each other and, together, create whole work.
New Pages, New People
You’ll leave the class with an understanding of basic writing craft, along with a body of work that can serve as the base for a whole lot of other work. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll connect with other writers and expand your creative support team. Writing happens better when we do not do it alone.
No matter what you want to write, or if you do not yet know what you want to write, Creative Writing Essentials offers guidance and practical tools to get going and keep going.
Students do not need any prepared work before the course begins. The only requirements are some way to record words and an open imagination!
Week 1: Intention, Necessity and Occasion: We will explore and practice the underlying driving force that makes a piece of writing hum.
Week 2: Specific Language Choices: This week looks into how language choice can inform everything from mood to character.
Week 3: Time: Shakespear told us to make use of time, and so we shall. We will look at multiple ways time can impact a piece of writing and engage with some exercises that will help you tame this mammoth force.
Week 4: Point of View: We will consider who is telling your story or speaking your poem and what choices you might want to make around that.
Week 5: Structure: It’s time to start thinking about shape. From standard plot and poetry structures to frames that break the norms, we will look at scaffolding that can support your work and how your work can support its scaffolding.
Week 6: Audience: In this week we will think about who is in the metaphorical room with us when we write and how they might impact our writing.
Week 7: Rhythm: This week we will shine a light on the beats and repetitions and rhymes and dissonance that make writing, from language choice to structure to character action.
Week 8: The Art of Re-Seeing: This is the week that we set you up for even more success as we look at methods for reseeing, revisioning, recrafting work and, also, explore your specific writing processes.
Readings include:
- Excerpts from Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
- “Ode to My Socks” by Pablo Neruda.
- “Gorilla My Love” by Toni Cade Bambara.
- Palm-of-the-hand Stories by Yasunari Kawabata
- “The Chicken” by Clarice Lispector
There will be 5-20 pages of work to read each week.
This class will include:
- Whole class workshopping of student work
- Small group workshopping of student work
- In-class peer feedback
- Written peer feedback
- In-class verbal instructor feedback
- Written instructor feedback
- Optional sharing of student work in class
- In-class writing exercises
- Generative exercises
- Editorial/revising strategies and exercises
- Drafting/planning exercises
- Writing exercises or writing assignments outside of class
- In-class reading
- Reading outside of class
- Discussion of outside texts
- Craft talks
- Class discussion
- A final reading or performance
“Kat gave us exercises to try that really helped me explore new ways of writing (for example, writing a letter to someone you know, interviewing your character, etc). She also gave us a safe space to try workshopping a piece for the first time.”
“Kat was so enthusiastic and kind and really created a space and community in our class that cultivated that attitude. I think everyone felt supported and encouraged and excited to participate and share with each other because of the example Kat set.”
“Kat worked very hard in this class. She exemplifies a creative writer in her skill set and bountiful warm-hearted encouragement of others. She is a gem!”
