Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Module Identifier
WR11320
Module Title
Creative Practice
Academic Year
2021/2022
Co-ordinator
Dr Ann Matthews
Semester
Semester 2 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Other Staff
 

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Creative Practice Portfolio  Weekly entries to a creative practice portfolio c 1500-2000 in total (online writing tasks responding to prompts)  30%
Semester Assessment Attendance and Participation  Engagement with all teaching activities throughout the course of the module  10%
Semester Assessment Written Portfolio  2 x 2500 word portfolio comprising a 1500 word short story and a 1000 word critical commentary  60%
Supplementary Assessment Writing Portolio  Resubmit failed or missing essay (2 x 2500 word portfolio comprising a 1500 word short story and a 1000 word critical commentary)  60%
Supplementary Assessment Attendance and Participation  Students WILL NOT be permitted to make good the marks available for "attendance and participation"  10%
Supplementary Assessment Creative Practice Portfolio  Resubmit failed or missing creative practice portfolio  30%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the approaches and elements involved in fiction and poetry

2. Employ these elements in the planning and writing of their own stories and poems

3. Identify and correct common writing faults

4. Communicate knowledge and understanding of the elements of a critical commentary, including bibliography

5. Engage effectively with the full range of learning activities (lectures/seminars/workshops/tutorials/VLE) utilized in undergraduate-level creative practice teaching

Aims

This course is designed as a bridge from previous study/experience to university-level learning. It will provide an engaging and exciting introduction to core Creative Writing skills/knowledge and will teach important techniques of creativity which novice writers will benefit from understanding. Moreover, it will address issues which the teaching team repeatedly encounter at later points in students’ study) as well as deliver transferable skills pertinent to students’ broader academic and professional development. In terms of structure, format, and assessment, it has been designed to reflect the new Critical Practice module being designed on the Literary Studies side of the department and so offer an element of uniformity across departmental provisions

Brief description

This is the introductory module for students beginning their studies of Creative Writing and will provide core Creative Writing skills/knowledge and teach important techniques of creativity which novice writers will benefit from understanding. Students will be introduced to elements of good practice and common errors, as well as to a broad range of issues and skills including the use of self-reflexive commentaries and bibliographies. Assessment for this module is varied and designed to provide regular opportunities for formative feedback as well as traditional summative tasks

It will be delivered through a range of learning environments, with lectures used for the introduction of key material, seminars used for small-group discussion of lecture content, and writing labs used to hone skills, conduct exercises, and to gain feedback from tutors and peers on writing intended for the assignments. The module will provide students with the basic knowledge needed for the successful writing of fiction and poetry. In all cases there will be an emphasis on technical skills and on providing a foundation of knowledge and technique that students can build on in the rest of their degree course.

Content

SEMESTER 1

Week 1
Lecture: Introduction to the Module
Seminar: Welcome to your Imagination!

Week 2
Lecture: What is Academic Creative Practice? Craft and creativity
Writing Lab: What do we Want to Achieve From our Writing?

Week 3
Lecture: The Power of Description
Seminar: When to Show, When to Tell, and the Advantages of Each

Week 4
Lecture: Through whose eyes? Introducing point of view.
Writing Lab: First-person and third-person narratives

Week 5
Lecture: The Potential of Language: grammar, vocabulary, structure and imagery.
Seminar: Problem-based learning Task (elegant variation/imagery)

Week 6
Lecture: Something beginning with P: the power and possibilities of poetry.
Writing Lab: Poetry task

Week 7
Lecture: What is character and how do we write it?
Seminar: Problem-based Learning Task (Creating a Character)

Week 8
Lecture: ‘Speak, Friend, and Enter…’
Writing Lab: Writing Dialogue and Reported Speech

Week 9
Lecture: From beginning to end: approaches to plot
Seminar: Problem-Based Learning Task (Outlining a Plot)

Week 10
Lecture: Semester 1 Round-up: Putting it all Together
Writing Lab: Assignment Surgery 1


SEMESTER 2

Week 1
Lecture: What is Academic Creative Practice? The role of research.
Seminar: Methods of integrating research into creative work

Week 2
Lecture: What makes a piece of writing distinctive? From voice to genre.
Writing Lab: Experimenting with genre(s)

Week 3
Lecture: I Write, You Write, He Writes, She Writes…Further adventures with Point of View
Seminar: Experimenting with Narration and Point of View

Week 4:
Lecture: Manipulating Narrative Time
Writing Lab: Flashbacks, Flashforwards, and ‘Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey Stuff’

Week 5:
Lecture: Plots, subplots and twists: developing more complex plots
Seminar: The Plot Thickens…

Week 6:
Lecture: Fuller figures: further developments in character
Writing Lab: Characters in Action

Week 7:
Lecture: Into the unknown: believable world-building
Seminar: Exploring place and setting.

Week 8
Lecture: Thought Bubbles and Idiot Boxes: Approaches to Films, TV Shows, & Comics
Writing Lab:Problem-Based Learning Task (A Taste of Transpositions)

Week 9
Lecture: Short, sharp and to the point: effective editing.
Seminar: Editing techniques

Week 10
Lecture: Semester 2 Round-up: Putting it all Together
Writing Lab:Assignment Surgery 2

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number N/A
Communication Written communication in assessed work, oral communication in seminars and workshops.
Improving own Learning and Performance Improving writing in response to workshop criticism, and responding to feedback on assignments. Improving reading and research skills.
Information Technology Use of word-processing skills to prepare and submit portfolios, accessing material on Blackboard, use of digital resources for research.
Personal Development and Career planning Through critical self-reflection; transferable communications and research skills
Problem solving Dealing with the technical problems of writing fiction and poetry, including the correct use of conventions and English usage.
Research skills Undertaking research for portfolios, and background reading for lecture / seminar topics.
Subject Specific Skills Fictional and poetic techniques
Team work Participation and collaboration in workshops and seminars.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4