Creative Composition: Inspiration and Techniques for Writing Instruction

by Danita Berg (Editor), Lori A. May (Editor)

Overview

For decades theorists have opined that the lines between creative writing and composition need to be lifted, yet little has been written about the pedagogical methods that allow a cohesive approach between the disciplines. This book brings together contemporary authors and well-respected creative writing instructors and theorists to explore ways creativity in composition may be encouraged in student writers. The question in this anthology is not ‘Can writing be taught?’ but ‘How can we inspire students to embrace the creative process no matter what they write?’ This book offers multiple strategies to merge the best practices of teaching writing, regardless of the genre.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783093625
Publisher:	Channel View Publications
Publication date:	05/01/2015
Series:	New Writing Viewpoints , #12
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.80(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Danita Berg is English Department Director at Full Sail University, Orlando, Florida. Her research interests include creative writing studies, women's voice in writing, and invention. She is also Founder and Co-Editor of Animal: A Beast of a Literary Magazine.
www.danitaberg.wordpress.com

Lori A. May is a writing mentor at University of King’s College, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is Founding Editor of Poets’ Quarterly (www.poetsquarterly.com), and her other books include The Write Crowd: Literary Citizenship & the Writing Life (Bloomsbury, 2014) and The Low-Residency MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Creative Writing Students (Continuum, 2011).
www.loriamay.com 

Table of Contents

Contributors vii

Foreword xi

Introduction xv

1 On Essaying Denise Landrum-Geyer 1

2 Eat Your Spinach! Why a Blend of Personal and Academic Discourses Matter Sara Burnett 10

3 Writing by Creation, with Response, in Experience Graeme Harper 16

4 Give it a Taste: Serving Creative Writing in Small Doses Abigail G. Scheg 24

5 Wiggling Between the Forms: A Cross-Genre Approach to Writing Dustin Michael 30

6 Writing to Discover: Creative Nonfiction and Writing Across the Curriculum Andrew Bourelle 35

7 Creative Writing's Five Stages of Development: The Mind of the Creative Writer in the Composition Classroom Jonathan Bradley Sarah Gray-Panesi 47

8 Sought-After Sophistications: Crafting a Curatorial Stance in the Creative Writing and Composition Classrooms Rochelle L. Harris Christine Stewart-Nuñez 59

9 Audience Resurrected: Restoring Motive and Purpose to Creative Writing Michael Kula 77

10 Lending the Muse a Hand: Expanding the Role of Social Constructivism and Collaborative Writing in Creative Writing Pedagogies Rod Zink 87

11 Grammar and Creativity in Composition: An Unexpected Nexus Shawn Kerivan 109

12 Invention in Creative Writing: Explorations of the Self and the Social in Creative Genres Danita Berg 114

13 Teaching the Exploratory Essay as Pedagogy Process and Project Sonya Ruber Ioanna Opidee 129

14 Beyond Argumentation: Toulmin's Model as a Dialogic, Processual Heuristic Debra Jacobs 138

15 Leave it to the Imagination: Service Learning as Part of an Undergraduate Creative Writing Curriculum Scott J. O'Callaghan 148

16 Show, Don't Tell: Using Graphic Narratives to Teach Descriptive Writing Tammie M. Kennedy Tracey D. Menten 154

17 A First-Timer's Approach to Teaching in a Non-Traditional Setting Connie Langhorst 169

18 In It for the Long Haul: The Pedagogy of Perseverance Anna Leahy 174

Index 182

Editorial Reviews

One of the rewards of a long career is the opportunity to see new ideas take hold and hang on for a new generation of scholars. This book represents the best current thinking about Creative Writing Studies and the composition-creative writing connection and nicely demonstrates how far we've come.

Patrick Bizzaro

This volume offers a fascinating and useful discussion of creative composition. It is a tricky subject to define and it is certainly difficult to establish whether we can or should teach it. Here the contributors explore the topic thoroughly. The reader is offered a wealth of diverse examples and ideas.

Gill James