A conversation in the Creative Writing Pedagogy Facebook group got me thinking about this issue again. That conversation was initiated by Julianna Baggot’s blog post Is Writer’s Block a Form of Self-Protection. First, let me just say that I don’t really believe in writer’s block. I do believe there are many reasons why we don’t write,Continue reading “10 Strategies to Unblock Writer’s Block”
Tag Archives: creative writing
5 Creative Writing Myths Debunked
We all do it. We perpetuate these myths, and often they can be good advice and even good teaching tools, yet just as often these five catch phrases can create stumbling blocks. They aren’t right for everyone in every situation. Know Your Characters’ Motivation This is the myth that started me thinking about writing this post.Continue reading “5 Creative Writing Myths Debunked”
Creative Writing Final Exam
This is a follow-up post to my series on teaching a 4-genre introductory creative writing class: Why 4 Genres?, How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part I, How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part II, How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part III, and Teaching Creative Writing with Literary Magazines. All have been written asContinue reading “Creative Writing Final Exam”
Teaching Creative Writing with Literary Magazines
I’m a big fan of teaching creative writing with literary magazines, and have been doing it my whole my career. When I first started teaching Creative Writing, I used the textbook The Creative Process by Carol Burke and Molly Best Tinsley. It is a thin little book with chapters on poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, along withContinue reading “Teaching Creative Writing with Literary Magazines”
How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part III
In the first parts of this series, I discussed why I teach 4 genres, how teaching 4 genres is more efficient, and how small group workshops help me juggle 4 genres in one class. That covers about the first 50-60% of a semester, but now I’d like to turn to what I do in the restContinue reading “How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part III”
How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part II
One question I get about my new textbook A Writer’s Craft is, how is it possible to teach poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama all in one semester? This post is a continuation of “How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part I,” where I talk about the efficiencies of teaching 4 genres at the intro levelContinue reading “How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part II”
How I teach 4 Genres in 1 Semester, Part I
Teaching creative writing in 4 genres makes it more interesting, fun, and efficient than teaching the genres individually; you can see how each genre relates to and informs the others.
Why 4 Genres?
Why 4 genres? Because it is challenging, rewarding, and fun to teach them together and learn things from each that can be applied to any genre.
More Thoughts on MFA Applications
About a year and a half ago, I wrote a series of posts about MFA applications, beginning with “What to Say in your Statement of Purpose.” At the time, The W was just launching its low-residency MFA in Creative Writing, and I wanted to be transparent about the application process by telling prospective students whatContinue reading “More Thoughts on MFA Applications”
Plagiarism in Creative Writing
The recent plagiarism controversy sparked by Melania Trump’s speech to the Republican National Convention on August 18, 2016 has me thinking. Besides the obvious political ramifications of being found to have used ideas and language from Michelle Obama, which has to be embarrassing on multiple levels, the controversy has raised issues of plagiarism definitions and importance.Continue reading “Plagiarism in Creative Writing”
Kendall Dunkelberg 