Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
NilUnit rationale, description and aim
This is an introductory unit in the Creative Writing minor sequence. Professional outcomes associated with creative writing require students to be familiar with different literary styles and have the capacity to produce, critique and edit original work.
The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the practice and theory of creative writing. Students will experiment with a variety of literary styles, methods and techniques to develop different forms of writing for a variety of audiences. This unit aims to provide opportunities for students to practice the craft of creative writing in a guided and supported environment. Students will learn to edit and critique another person's creative writing, as well as developing a self-critical awareness of their own work.
The aim of this unit is to introduce students to the necessary skills to practise and pursue their interest in creative writing.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Write short creative works in a range of literary styles. | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC8, GC11 |
| LO2 | Reflect upon and assess their own writing and develop a self-critical awareness | GC3, GC4, GC7, GC11 |
| LO3 | Edit and critique another person’s creative writing. | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC5, GC6, GC11, GC12 |
| LO4 | Produce polished creative work which shows knowledge of editing and revision skills within the review process. | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC8, GC9, GC11 |
Content
Topics may include:
- Developing your potential for creative work
- The craft of writing
- Experimenting with style and form
- Using words wisely
- Editing
- Audience
- Market
- Publishing environment
- On-line or digital resources and opportunities
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit features a practice-led exploration of how to write creatively in a variety of styles in the context of three-hour workshops. It will engage students in an active learning environment where they can share their work with their peers, critique their own and others’ work, and acquire knowledge and understanding of creative writing.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks for this unit have been designed to contribute to high quality student learning by both helping students learn (assessment for learning), and by measuring explicit evidence of their learning (assessment of learning).
- The “Writing Journal” allows students the opportunity to experiment with a range of literary styles, as well developing a self-critical awareness. Students will demonstrate their ability to create short creative works and reflect on their writing practice.
- The “Short Creative Piece and Peer Feedback” allows students to trial work with a new literary mode so that they have an opportunity to receive feedback prior to developing a substantial collection of work for the final assessment. Students are required to craft a short piece of writing, to participate in a peer-review process, and submit the ‘corrected’ piece of writing incorporating feedback.
- The “Final Folio” requires students to demonstrate their mastery of style and form across a range of literary modes. Students are also required to demonstrate their ability to self-reflectively assess their writing and incorporate feedback to revise and edit their work.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
1.Writing Journal This task helps students to experiment with a range writing techniques and to reflect on their own writing practice as they produce their work. | 20% | LO1, LO2 |
2.Short Creative Piece and Peer Feedback Focussed on production and drafting, this task allows students to produce writing, review the work of others and to re-draft work. | 30% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
3.Final Folio This task allows students to consolidate knowledge and skills of writing in an integrated work developed through a process of self- and peer-review. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO4 |
Representative texts and references
Chatterjee, A. Creative writing: Writers on writing. Newmarket, Suffolk, U.K: CSW, 2013.
Clark, R.P. The art of X-ray reading: How the secrets of 25 great works of literature will improve your writing. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2016.
Earnshaw, S. The handbook of creative writing. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
Elufiede, O. & Boden, C.J. Enhancing writing skills. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc., 2016.
Greenwell, B. & Seargeant, P. From language to creative writing: An introduction. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013.
Harper, G. A Companion to creative writing. Chicester: Wiley, 2013.
Jones, R.H. The Routledge handbook of language and creativity. London: Routledge, 2016.
Ramet, A. Creative writing: How to unlock your imagination and develop your writing skills. London: How To Books, 2011.
Simpson, P. Stylistics: A resource book for students. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2014.
Smith, R. & Coleman, S. The Jane Austen writers' club: Inspiration and advice from the world's best-loved novelist. New York: Bloomsbury, 2016.