I took one in college, so my experience is going to be a bit different from yours. The teacher certainly is important, but I would say that it depends a lot more on the other students because a lot of time is spent critiquing other students' work and getting critiqued in return. If I remember correctly, I got 9 critiques of my work from 9 different people. Out of the 9, I felt that only 2 students knew what they were talking about when it came to giving critiques. A lot of people take these kinds of classes because they think it's an easy grade, so keep that in mind. The school only matters for MFA programs. I haven't come across any prestigious undergraduate or high school programs in creative writing (nor do I expect to). You may be better off looking into local critique groups.
I took one in college, Writing and Experience, with Peter Elbow as an instructor. Despite his reputation, the class was very loosely run. There was no real push for the students to develop their writing or critique skills, or to even participate actively. No guidance was given in either area, no real challenges offered. My fellow students were, like me, in it mostly to fulfill an easy Humanities requirement. It was a pass/fail freshman course at a well-known engineering school. It was worse than useless. Any interest I had in writing at the time was comatose for years to follow.
i've done two creative writing courses at uni level (UK) and found them very helpful. it does depend on your tutor to a degree and also the other students who are critiquiing your work. you get out of it what you put into it. but i have also learned just as much from online writing forums as well.
I haven't done a true creative writing course, but the literature semester I took at uni ended as one after we had all criticised the two mandatory texts and the prof found that we still were unusually interested (that's how he put it) for an elective. I didn't learn much new there in regards to writing, but I met a few like-minded people, and that alone made taking the class worth it. There's probably no easier way to get to know other writers-to-be in the area.
I took a creative writing course through Simon Fraser University. I really enjoyed it, but that was the only thing I got out of it...unfortunately. I felt that the course was rushed, and although it touched on different types of poetry and short stories it never went into depth. There were assignments to complete in a given time, and people in the class critiqued each other, but the only thing I actually got out of it was the enjoyment of reading and interacting with people that enjoy writing as much as I do. I could achieve that same enjoyment on this forum and not be under pressure to fulfill an assignment. Although if it is a credit you need, then I would say it is a good way to do it. Just don't go in expecting too much, and you will have fun and not be disappointed. That is unless you have a better instructor than I did. Good luck in whatever you decide to do ...but above all just keep writing...
I took one in school and hated it. It likely had something to do with the teacher rather than the course itself: she encouraged purple prose; believed all character names should match their personality; and didn't encourage the critiquing others have mentioned. I learned more about writing from literature and language classes. In college, my literature teacher told me she was not teaching a creative writing module as part of the course (even though it was an option) because she doesn't think it is possible to teach creativity. I completely agree with her.
i understand what you're saying about teaching creativity, but somehow it seems wrong. be creative and write your story, poem, etc., but without the technical side it will be creative but not much good. what creative writing courses should teach (as mine did) is the analytical side, which is the most time spent after the creative phase is finished. creativity can also be taught in learning different ways of writing or in different genres. courses should open up new avenues and new ways of doing things so that it unlocks creativity. so while i agree that creativity may be present in each person, it's full potential may only be kick-started by writing courses. just my thoughts.
That is one believe I totally disagree with. While creativity itself is an inherent trait, the way we talk about it we mean the application of creativity. And that can be taught. We develop it differently depending on our upbringing and circumstances in life, but just like we learn to apply new solutions to new fields that come up in our jobs, we can also learn to develop different thinking patterns when it comes to making up things for stories. It happens every day at work, and and being able to help others to be creative and come up with new, brilliant solutions is a major part of making work a satisfying thing for me.
Hi all, I am new to the forum and fairly new to creative writing. Yet, I am not new to writing as such. I am a social scientists, and crafting of a good piece is one of my favourite parts of the job. I like the concentration it takes and the rewards it brings. I was wondering whether anyone had some experiences and suggestions to share about going from scientific to non-scientific writing. Many thanks
Don't be afraid to break the rules. *grins* Get feedback on your creative writing, and take it from there.
Yes, I have a lot of experience with this. The two are similar in that writing is writing and any kind of writing is good practice for future writing, whatever that may be. It's also similar in that you want to be as precise (and often concise) with your language as possible. I haven't published anything creatively, but from what I have read, submitting manuscripts to literary journals is as much of a pain as submitting to scientific journals, and the publisher/agent query and negotiations are akin to grant proposals. A huge difference for me is that in scientific writing, you want to be as dry as you can, make it all about the data. You as an author are to be as far removed from the content as possible, because you are simply taking not of your observations as a disinterested, logical examiner of the facts. In creative writing, especially fiction, you want to put yourself into the writing. It is a much more personal, emotive process and you actual want to have your voice be a prominent part of your work. Creative writing is about execution more too. What else you want to know?
For years before I joined this forum, nearly all of my writing was scientific or technical. The best thing to retain from that kind of writing is an ability to organize and attend to details. But the biggest transition is learning to relax and let your imagination roam. Read plenty of fiction, and see how breaking, or at least bending, the formal rules can make the story flow better. Paragraphs need not be as rigidly organized as in more formal types of writing. Sentence fragments are actually valuable when used judiciously. And then there is dialogue. It's practically an art form in itself, one which few writers truly master. Take up people-watching, But don't hang around schools and public playgrounds - that kind of people-watching is usually viewed harshly!
I may have to disagree here.. and William Zinsser most definitely would, as well. Who says it has to be dry? I've read plenty of objective essays which are anything but dry. TO The OP: I'd suggest picking up Zinsser's book On Writing Well--he has a few chapters dedicated to science and technical writing that you may find incredibly insightful. The whole book deals with non-fiction. Hope this helps.
Start with reading a lot of fiction--deconstruct what you read: see how one writer approaches a particular type of scene compared to how another writer would handle the same type of scene. Just as sentences are the building blocks of paragraphs, paragraphs are the building blocks of scenes; and scenes are the building blocks of chapters.
Oh, I wasn't talking about science journalism. I meant research articles. Grant proposals. Dissertations. As to creative writing, I recommend the essay "Letter to a Young Writer" by Richard Bausch.
I think this was well put. For me it was the opposite process (and still is). Research = dry and distant, impersonal. Fiction = your own voice is clear, you get up close and personal, and there're basically no limits as long as you keep the grammar more or less in check. Some technical things are similarly important, like a good, clear structure. On the other hand, while passive voice is fairly prominent in scientific writing, you'd want to favor active in fiction.
I'm not sure if anyone else has this problem but it is quite a hindrance to my own writing. My mind has a habit of drifting off when I write. Sometimes this is good, if it is relevant to the story, but quite often it is unrelated ideas for a different story and I cannot get back on track for some time. I do jot down these ideas for future reference but it is quite a pain? Does anyone else have this problem? How would you recommend tackling it?
A mind full of ideas rocketing off everywhere all the time is not a creative mind; it's a normal mind. It becomes a creative mind when its owner learns some discipline and applies it. Most minds teem with ideas (that's my theory, anyway, and it seems to be true of myself and nearly all my family and friends), but creative minds actually get some creative work done. From that point of view, a creative mind is a blessing, not a curse. Don't fall into the trap of saying, "I can't get any writing done because my mind is just so amazingly creative! I can't shut off this fountain of brilliant ideas between my ears! It's a curse, I tell you! A curse!" That's just giving yourself an excuse to not finish anything and feel good about it. Now pardon me while I print this post off and stick it to the wall over my desk. :redface:
I still do get quite a bit done though I do often find myself daydreaming when I'm considering where to go next with a story.
Caffeine. Loud music. Eating nuts that have to be cracked. Talking to yourself. Swinging your feet really fast. All five. OK, OK, all of this assumes that the problem is the same as my problem - mild untreated likely-ADHD. My solution for wandering thoughts is to slowly introduce controlled distractions to use up my spare brain power until I have just enough brain power left to encompass the main task and no more. Sounds insane. Works beautifully.
