More about my creative writing process course...

Creative Writing Process Workshop is a series of four classes for writers of all skill levels. During the course we look at the writing process of four published authors and at their work which demonstrates the outcome of that process. Then we use writing prompts to help us mimic that process and generate our own new stories, poems, or memoirs. The course includes brief reading assignments outside of class, but otherwise doesn't require homework. It is my hope that the exercises in class give writers a fresh perspective on generating new material or re-envisioning current projects. The course also balances approaches to writing--some examples feature writers who like to organize upfront, and other examples feature writers who follow the wild ride of creativity and then organize later in the process. Students will have time at the end of our classes to share what they've written that day if they so wish, and the rest of us will enjoy listening to brand new words on paper!

More about my creative writing course...

Creative Writing Workshop is a course for writers who want to generate new material in a playful environment with the support of fellow writers. The course features three to four writing prompts per session including a miniature lesson in topics relevant to prose and poetry and the creative process. Two sessions involve writing in response to the Waldron's art exhibits through unique prompts (like those posted elsewhere in this blog). Classes always include an opportunity to read what you've written. Everyone enjoys hearing the variety of responses to a prompt. The workshop allows you to write without having to perfect anything--the prompts simply spark ideas for later. Together we have a great time and feel motivated to go home and finish what we've started. Many of my own poems and short stories were first composed in these classes. Because each session is unique, it is OK if participants are unable to attend regularly.

More about my creative revisions course...

Creative Revisions Workshop is a course for writers who seek feedback on their work from fellow writers. Writers who participate have already polished their written work, and want to know how readers perceive it so that it can be polished again. Participants vary broadly in their genres and writing styles. We’ve worked with short stories, creative non-fiction, novels, memoirs, personal essays, poetry, young adult fiction, historical fiction, and fairy tales. Topics have included family history, teen romance, long-lost love, war, personal triumph, aging challenges, brotherly squabbles, moonlit gardens, great quests, and much more. It is very important that participants spend time outside of class to read submissions and write feedback. In other words, if you seek feedback on your work, you must be willing to provide feedback to your classmates. This barter system is a powerful experience, and it is exciting to read new work by others. After the first class, which is an introduction to giving feedback, our class time involves lively discussion of each other’s works. We talk about the purpose, strengths, and weaknesses of the writing as well as ideas for what to cut, what to add, new directions, and favorite lines. Participants frequently mention how useful it is to read the work of classmates as a means to discovery in one’s own work. Since feedback is dependent on regular attendance, it is best if participants can commit to attending all class sessions.  
 

Writing prompts in an art gallery (encore)

Art Heist 

Someone steals a piece of art from this gallery. What piece is stolen? Who stole it? When? Where? Why? And importantly: How? Describe what happens in this heist. 

When Art Is Left Alone 

It’s late at night, maybe 1:00 am, and all the staff of the gallery has gone home. The lights are off, downtown is sleeping since it’s a Wednesday, and no one is even peeping in the windows. What does the art do when no one is watching? 

Mixing Art 

Take a look at two vastly different exhibits: the wooden sculpture verses the nature painting. Now imagine the sculpture inside the scene of the painting. What is it doing there? 

Art's Other Charms 

Find a piece of art that resonates with you. Now try to describe it without sight: What smells, sounds, tastes, tactile sensations, and emotions could describe it? (Remember, we’re not allowed to touch the artwork or breathe closely on it.) 

Art You Love 

Write a love poem or love letter to a piece of art. 

On fire, creative writing...

Exercise about dialogue around a fire. 

Campfires and fireplace hearths are significant places: One seems to represent the temporary nature of life, and the other seems to represent permanence. They are also gathering places, where people share companionship either quietly or loudly! Write a poem or scene that includes dialogue and captures the nature of gathering by fire. What is the occasion? Who is there? What happens?

Exercise on ritualized burning.

Many people are moved to burn something significant in a ritual right of passage. Here are two prompts based on these fire rituals: 1) Two characters are each burning something, but one is displeased with the other. Why? 2) List things that you would burn. Why would you burn them? How would you go about burning them? Describe their burning.

Creative writing about air and water

Prompt on the importance of air.

Perhaps our most notable moments with air are our first breath and our last breath. Describe one of these moments in  your life or your character's.

Prompt on the importance of water.

A lot happens in our lives involving water. You can be baptized in it. You can drown in it. You can survive due to it. You can play in it. You can float on it and travel by it. Your home can be destroyed by it. Your property value can be higher if next to it. You can be chastised by receiving a face full of it. You can be a savior by sharing it. Try writing a scene with two or more people in which water plays an important role.

A little creative writing on and off the planet

Writing exercise on Earth. 

 

Describe times when you or your character feels grounded. What conditions are present? What is the environment? Who or what is present? Create the scene for us in great detail.

Writing exercise that's not on Earth.

 

So we’re all familiar with Earth. We know what it looks like, feels like, sounds, smells, and even tastes like. What if we were colonists on a new Earth? A new planet not meant for human habitation, but for whatever reason, inheriting our species nonetheless. What does this new Earth look like, feel like, sound, smell, and taste like. The second you step off the ship, what is your impression? What do you say to your companions? What do you do?

Prompts using alien art and found art

Prompt on alien art.

 

View a work of art that seems alien to you. If you visited another planet and found this artwork, what would you imagine is the culture of the aliens? What do they value or disregard? How do they create art…with their arms, toes, ears? On what occasion or for what purpose might they create this sort of art?

Writing about found art.

 

Pretend you (or a character of yours) found one particular art piece in a basement. What is its story? Why was it in a basement? Why did you find it? Why did you bring it up and display it? What do you plan to do with it? Will it serve a good purpose or a sinister one?

Word choice: Change the atmosphere

Changing the atmosphere.
 

Present a setting with the same people, but write two versions with very different atmospheres by choosing specific words that change the mood. For example, the basic story might involve a teenager taking groceries up the front steps to an elderly couple’s home. The words you choose to describe the weather, the teenager’s attitude, the condition of the house, and the couple’s reaction at the door can vastly change the atmosphere of the story. After writing one version, try writing it again using the same people but different word choices that alter the mood. Here is a template:

A person(s)

approaches a building

at a time of day

in a certain type of weather

carrying something.

Some person(s)

answers a certain type of door

in a certain way

with a particular attitude

saying something.

As a result, something happens:

Blah blah blah blah blah…

This prompt can be:

1. Stage instructions for an opening scene in a play. Write the dialogue that follows. 

2. A poem with lines broken as above. 

3. A flash fiction piece of about 200 words.  

4. A memoir, something you remember from your own life. My own memory is of me as a child at Halloween approaching my grandparents’ door which was three hours from home.

Now try rewriting the piece using words that convey the opposite atmosphere!