Creative Writing 1 Words and pictures

1. Creative Writing 1Words and pictures Class 1

2. Agenda • Welcome • In Class Exercise: Creative Introductions • Course Overview • Course Schedule • Break • What is Creative Writing? • Inspiration • In Class Exercise: Memory and Imagination • Homework Exercise: History

3. Who am I? • Curriculum writer/editor for Lethbridge College • Writing and editing business • Published magazine writer • Other work experience includes management and administration • Formal education in broadcasting, advertising, marketing, communications and business writing • Enjoy writing children’s stories, short stories, poetry and novels

4. In Class Exercise Creative Introductions • Take 15 and write a creative introduction about yourself • Include who you are, what you do, and why you’re here • Include what you love about creative writing, and what your preferred style of writing is and why

5. Overview • The purpose of this class is to learn about creative writing and provide an opportunity for you to write, and write some more! • We will set aside class time for writing • There will be a lot of flexibility in the kinds of things we write • We will share our stories, brainstorm ideas and give each other encouragement and inspiration • We will utilize each other’s skills and engage in peer editing

6. Overview cont. • In each class we will do an in class writing exercise and share our work • In most classes we will discuss a piece of writing relevant to our topic • At the end of each class there will be a take-home exercise that we will review in the following class by sharing our work • I will bring in guest speakers for inspiration and different perspectives

7. Course Schedule • Handout • What’s missing? What do you want to learn? • Discussion on topics you would like to cover • Particular areas of interest • Things you would like to avoid

8. What is creative writing? • What’s your definition?

9. Creative writing is… • Considered to be any writing – fiction, poetry, or non-fiction – that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic and technical forms of literature • Believed to focus on writer’s self-expression rather than composing work based on the rules of language • Works include: novels, epics, short stories and poems (screenwriting and playwriting too)

10. Inspiration • Where does it come from? • What do you do with it?

11. Keeping a Journal • Indispensible part of being a writer • Place to record events, thoughts, sensations and dreams • Use pen and paper • small enough to carry with you • Write a lot and often • “Free writing” • Turn to your entries for inspiration

12. Memory and Imagination • Memory is the source of imagination • What we write about is based upon what we know, regardless of how imaginative or whimsical • Inventive use of memory is an integral part of the creative process • We all remember things differently and present it in our unique way

13. In Class Exercise • Think of your earliest memory. As you write about it, try to inhabit the voice of the child. You might incorporate nonsense words to enhance the effect of the child’s particular age. OR • Write a memory of something you couldn’t possibly remember; your grandparents’ wedding, your birth, the creation of the earth. • Your piece may be in any style you like.

14. Personal Stories: History as Your Own Heart Beat • History is a fundamental source of ideas • Your history in particular can be a gold mine for story ideas • Research history and make it mean something; make it personal

15. Homework Exercise • Choose an ancestor who has always interested you, and do some research on historical events that took place during his or her life. Do some personal research. Interview your family members about family history. Make detailed notes and save them for story ideas. • Write about a single incident in your ancestor’s life being as detailed and creative as possible. • Use any style you would like.