HENK13141U Writing in English: Creative Writing Workshop

This workshop will serve as a practical introduction to the art of writing narrative.  Participants will have the discuss and experiment practically in what it means to work with plot, voice, and character.  Reading for the class will involve studying contemporary British and American writers with an eye to their skills as practitioners of writing.  Students will put their critical insights in English to work in responses to these published authors, as well as in drafting and editing their own creative work.

Lectures will be held by visiting writers Stephen Muecke, Sarah Moss and Kirsten Tranter.  COVID permitting, they will join us in person.  But if not, they will be beamed in to present the writer’s perspective on narratological concepts such as point of, characterisation, conflict, and writing feeling.  In the workshops that follow these lectures, Tina and Helene will use writing prompts to explore specific techniques, look at how the writers we read use them, and share work with each other. The course will allow you to explore your creative side; it will not only make you a better writer but will change the way you look at literature.

Students who wish to take this course without writing creatively will write critically about the techniques and structures of contemporary writers.  Students interested in publishing their work or in writing creatively for professions will be given support in exploring these options.  All students will participate in workshopping each other’s writing and students should expect to produce several drafts of their work over the 14 weeks of the course.  While assessment will be based on 2 final pieces of writing (for a total of 25 pages), students can expect to write and get feedback on many more draft pieces of work.