An intermediate course in the writing of creative nonfiction, using a workshop format. Students will gain experience in crafting creative nonfiction through attention to a full range of formal elements and to different genres (e.g. memoir, personal essay, segmented writing, portraits, place essays, and narrative journalism). Works by other writers will be studied in the light of basic principles of form and genre. Through such writing and study, students will cultivate a Christian aesthetic of creative nonfiction.
Prerequisites:
Creative Writing I: Essential Tools and Strategies (ENG‑203);
Playwriting (ENG‑213);
ENG 203 or 213
Creative Writing I: Essential Tools and Strategies
ENG‑203
Energy, imagery, tension, patterns, insight, and revision: this course focuses on tools and strategies such as these, common to all forms of creative writing. Using a workshop format, this course develops students’ imaginative writing skills and cultivates productive writing habits. Students also explore a Christian understanding of the gift and practice of imagination as they experiment in different genres and modes–from fiction and poetry to creative nonfiction, drama, and graphic narratives.
Playwriting
ENG‑213
This course focuses on the student’s unique voice and vision primarily expressed through the written word. Providing a forum for presenting works in progress, the course enables students to hear their words read, with feedback and discussion by the instructor and fellow playwrights. Students create scenes emphasizing dialogue and character, and participate in exercises related to narrative and the formation of dialogue.
