creative writing aims

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• Creative Writing

Learning Goals & Outcomes

Minor in Creative Writing

As a student of creative writing , you will create original works of literature, culminating in a significant, extended body of poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction that manifests your artistic potential. 

These literary works will demonstrate the following aspects of your craft :

your own voice and style as a writer, which you have discovered and developed

your use of the central subject matter that comes out of your own individual life experience and from your imagination

your understanding of the creative process as a forum for critical as well as intuitive thinking, as well as problem-solving

your awareness of the literary, cultural, and historical contexts within which you write, including the influence of past and present literary forms, structures, styles, and traditions on your artistic choices

(for poets) : your ability to shape a poem in terms of lineation, stanza structure, rhythm, and sound; and to effectively work within the parameters of various poetic forms

(for fiction writers) : your ability to invent and organize plot; develop character; modulate tone; make use of evocative imagery; and shape and control the formal in both modular and linear narratives

(for creative nonfiction writers) : your ability to establish a distinctive voice and a clear sense of purpose; provide insightful reflection on the chosen subject matter; render vivid scenes complete with dialogue; distinguish between various types of nonfiction including memoir, personal essay, and literary journalism; and determine when and where to use research, as well as appropriate sources and research methods

Updated: February 2018

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