Creative Writing

The greatest challenge to writing a first novel may be deciding where to start. This course will help you write an engaging first paragraph and a draft of at least the first chapter. You may also work on an outline. You will also learn how to use the elements of fiction--characterization, setting, dialogue, perspective, and plot--to set up your story. There will be some lecture, but basically this is a seminar course, focusing on read-and-critique sessions. All students are expected to participate in discussion.

Are you ready to develop a significant portion of your novel? This workshop will bring you valuable feedback on your work, including suggestions for revision. Class discussion will focus on the structure of the novel in its entirety. Participants will submit portions of their novels to be read and discussed in class. They will explore issues of craft as they arise, drawing on their previous knowledge, experience, and suggested readings.

This class will prepare you for the big picture review of your novel. With the use of contemporary and classic novels as examples, you will evaluate the progress on the plot arc and character development within your story. Other parts of craft will be reviewed as well, including point of view, conflict, and subplots to determine where the story as a whole is working or needs revision. For the workshop portion of the course we will focus on endings. This does not mean you have to have completed your novel, but we will begin the work to develop a last chapter, an essential way to determine...

Many of us have had fascinating lives, whether lived inwardly or outwardly, during childhood long ago or in the past decade. But when it comes to writing a memoir, where do we begin? The day of our birth? The day we left home? The beginning or end of a marriage? Memoir is most successful when it is not the "story of a life" but a focused part of that life: a dozen summers spent working on a grandfather's farm; a long relationship with a dying relative; the first year of law school. In this course, students will explore methods for planning and focusing on what their memoirs should be. By...

The ability to edit your own written work is a skill that's highly valued by employers and publishers. This class focuses on strengthening your writing for the web using journalistic techniques. Whether you want to create blog content, feature articles, or marketing copy, it is essential to organize your writing in logical, clear, and engaging ways. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to recognize good writing, critique their own work, write clean copy, and edit content for optimal readability.

The goal of this course is to introduce you to the purpose of journalism and the fundamentals of news and featue writing. In this ever-changing media landscape, one thing can remain constant: an individual reporter's professionalism. This course is intended to help students learn to develop story ideas, cultivate sources, practice interviewing techniques, and craft and structure compelling articles. Journalism ethical standards are covered and provide a valuable guideline for best practices.

Effective interviewing techniques translate to writing that is clear, lively, and – depending on the writer's mission – instructive or entertaining. This course will encompass all the integral components of the interviewing process, including preparation, one-on-one dynamics, comparing interview styles, how to take useful notes, asking the right questions, coaxing interesting quotes from interviewees and using quotes effectively in a feature story. Students will participate in interviewing and writing exercises in class and complete a major interview/writing assignment out of class.  

This course is a continuation of Finding Our Voices, Telling Our Stories: Part I. In this course students will continue to build upon the story they created in the first section of this series of classes. In Part I, students found their story and started to craft their opening scene. In Part II, students will refine their beginning and further develop their voices through storytelling. Students will receive feedback on their craft while focusing on common themes in story, character building through showing, pacing, flow and refine their book vision by writing a book description that they...

Have you ever told yourself that someday you will write a children's book? Now's your chance! Join us as we demystify the writing process and examine the wide variety of books offered to children: picture books, easy readers, early chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, children's magazines, fiction and nonfiction. If you want to write for children but don't know where to start, this course is for you. It reveals the best way to choose an idea, how to benefit from critique to improve your revisions, and how to write a catchy query letter or intriguing cover letter to...

Let the wild rumpus begin! Do you dream of imaginary lands and mythical creatures? Learn how to inspire a child's imagination by giving them the tools necessary to explore the world around them. The well-written picture book entertains the child while developing their reading skills. In this course you'll learn about writing for children and you'll be asked to write and revise several picture book manuscripts. There will be an opportunity to read your work (in-class) and to discuss and critique the work of other students. We will discuss the needs of the illustrator, how to approach...

Revision is the key to improving your work to reach the next level: publication. But often the hardest part is to figure out which words to cut, which to leave in, and how to tighten up the rest. This writing course will concentrate on revision through sharing your work - picture books, easy readers, nonfiction books, and novels - for constructive feedback from classmates and the instructor. What You Will Learn: Deep dive into the revision process. Tips on writing techniques. How the submission process works for publication. How to provide and receive critique via in-class exercises....

Discover how successful middle grade and young adult books are crafted, and begin to plot out and write a tale of your own. In this course, we will consider how a plot works, what makes a compelling character, and what drives a reader forward. Students will participate in an online critique group and have an opportunity to get their first five pages reviewed.

The market for children’s nonfiction and informational books and articles has never been better. In this course, which can be taken by those familiar with writing for children and those just beginning, students will learn about the needs and trends within nonfiction work for children ages 3-12 – magazines, trade books, school-library publishers, and book packagers. Students will gain practice researching nonfiction topics and writing for the various markets, as well as examining the variety of writing styles that can be used to write about individual topics. Topics covered in the course...

Amy Lowell wrote, "No one expects a man to make a chair without first learning how, but there is a popular impression that the poet is born, not made, and that his verses burst from his overflowing heart of themselves. As a matter of fact, the poet must learn his trade in the same manner, and with the same painstaking care, as the cabinet-maker." Let’s look at poetry from a designer’s perspective. As a designer of poetry, we are charged with creating works of beauty that sometimes fall within certain parameters such as: What does this “space” need? What do I want to “say” here? What are my...

As writers, we are the witness and voice of our time, and as such, we are invited to translate what we experience to share and celebrate with the generations to come. This course invites you to develop your writing while reconnecting with Mother Nature, or as author Bill Plotkin says, "grow deeper into our human nature". We will immerse ourselves in the contemplations of writers who have spent their life close to the heartbeat of Mother Nature. Through the examples of their offerings, your own discoveries in the inner and outer composition of your landscapes, you will shape writing that...

There a many avenues to building a business around writing. In this short course we will briefly discuss various possibilities including becoming a book author, “freelance” writer for hire, or journalist/article writer. You will learn how to develop a business mindset, determine the best writing path for you, and create a sustainable business.  

In this course students will learn the art of writing for an online audience, how to create a basic Wordpress site, insert blog posts, edit, and brand their blog. This course will also touch on how to use social media to draw readers to their site and the importance of collaborating with businesses to further promote their blog. In addition, students will learn about the importance of SEO and how to boost SEO for their blogs. Beginner and advanced writers are welcome. Participants should have basic computer software knowledge and Internet access.