ENG 100 7 - Exploring Creative Writing

This course is designed for non-majors or potential majors who want to study and explore three creative writing genres (literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry) before enrolling in a single-genre workshop. Throughout the course of the semester, students will read and study a wide variety of contemporary texts while simultaneously drafting similar exercises that target point-of-view, form, voice, and structure. Students will study and discuss elements of craft, develop and implement a literary vocabulary, and begin to develop critical editorial skills for responding to their peers’ work and articulating how a particular manuscript is and is not successful and how to make it stronger. We’ll also grapple with questions on creativity and art at large: what is art? Why do humans make art? Students should expect to produce ample writing throughout the semester, share this work with others regularly in a formal workshop environment, and offer thoughtful verbal and written feedback. We’ll also work together to build a supportive literary community in our community while growing creatively as individuals. This course will culminate in a final portfolio comprised of original drafts and revised work as well as a thoughtful reflection.