Creativity and Expression
Beyond the basics of good writing lie the more creative elements – skills that elevate the craft of writing to the art of writing. Take your creative writing to the next level – no matter what type of writing you do. Learn techniques to add depth, texture, and emotion to your writing.
Course level: Beginner
Required Book: Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan
Workshop Length: 8 weeks
Tuition: $250.00 ($225 for VIP)
Start Date: View Creativity and Expression Course Schedule
Course Structure
The workshop will consist of four two-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures (text based), associated textbook reading assignments, creative writing and practice exercises, and writing assignments to be submitted to the instructor for private review. In addition, work will be posted each session for group review and feedback. The workshop provides a number of interactive venues, and you will be encouraged to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion and to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and self-directed creative writing exercises. (1.6 CEUs)
You will learn:
- What description is, and how to put your vision on the page.
- How to engage all of a reader’s senses in your writing
- To put characters into motion, portraying inner characteristics and emotions.
- How to set mood, using attitude and tone
- Do’s and don’ts of revision
- Putting your writing skills together to craft creative and expressive writing
Who should take this course:
- Beginner level writers looking to tap into their natural creativity
- Writers of any genre who have a good grasp of grammar, mechanics, and composition. (This is an excellent class to take after exploring the Elements of Effective Writing I & II)
- Writers looking to receive guidance from a Published Author to help discover the best way to express your natural creative style
Workshop Outline
Session One: Observation and Description
- What description is
- Learning to “see” like a writer
- Putting your vision on the page
- Diction
Writing assignment: Based on the exercises in the text,
(1) select an “ugly” image and write a 250-word redeeming description of it
(2) write a descriptive passage derived from a list of items associated with your vocation or avocation (250 words maximum)
(3) write a 250-word description of a person—real or fictional—in action.
Session Two: Sensory Perception & Detail and Figurative Language
- How to engage all of a reader’s senses in your writing
- How much description is enough
- Concrete details
- Abstract descriptions
- Figures of speech—what they are and how to use them
- Originality
- Some pitfalls and how to avoid them
Writing assignments:
(1) Select any two of these three assignments to turn in to your instructor: a) write a 250-word descriptive passage derived from a list of items you associate with a particular sensory quality; b) write a 250-word description of a place using just one sense (other than sight); c) write a 250-word description of a place or person that combines concrete details with abstractions
(2) Select any two of these three assignments to turn in to your instructor: a) write one page of original examples of the figures of speech covered in this session (250 words maximum); b) write a 250-word description of a natural object, idea or emotion using animism or personification; c) write a 250-word description of a person—real or fictional—built around a single hyperbole.
Session Three: People, Places, and Plot
- Physical description
- Revealing personality through personal history
- Putting characters into motion
- Portraying inner characteristics and emotions
- Point of view—options and techniques
- How point of view affects description
- Setting in fiction and nonfiction
- How much detail is necessary
- Historical settings
- Scene vs. summary
- Pace and tension
Writing assignment:
(1) write a 250-word description of a real or fictional person—both inner and outer characteristics—using any sense(s) except sight
(2) write a 250-word description of a place with “character,” revealing the elements that suggest its history
(3) write the opening of a story or essay featuring the character you described in part one of this assignment OR write a series of connected scenes featuring EITHER several dramatic scenes connected by summary or a flashback sequence, including the scenes in the “present time” of the story leading into and out of the flashback (maximum 1000 words).
Session Four: Refinement
- Mood
- Attitude and tone
- Revision do’s and don’ts
- Putting it all together
Writing assignment: Write 1,500 words of a short story or essay, using all of the techniques you’ve studied in this workshop.
