Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminars / Tutorials | 4 x 1 hour seminars |
| Practical | 2 x 2 hour workshops |
| Seminars / Tutorials | 2 x 1 hour tutorials (per student) |
| Lecture | 4 x 1 hour lectures |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | A collection of poems of approximately 24 pages, OR one or two pieces of prose fiction totalling approximately 6000 words, OR a combination of poetry and prose fiction whose length will be calculated on the basis that one page of poetry is equivalent to 250 words of prose, eg, a portfolio containing 3000 words of fiction would need 12 pages of poetry. In addition the project must include a critical commentary on the student’s own poetic and/or fiction-writing practice with relevant bibliographical details (a further 2,000 words). | 100% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Resubmit or resit failed elements and/or make good any missing elements | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Plan an extended piece of creative work.
2. Plan and carry out appropriate research for a creative writing project.
3. Explain their plans in writing, plcing them in a critical and theoretical context.
4. Solve technical and conceptual problems arising from extended, researched creative writing projects.
5. Revise and improve their projects in response to feedback from tutors and peers.
6. Complete an extended, researched project in fection, creative non-fiction or poetry.
Content
Week 1
Lecture - Ideas, Inspiration, Creativity. The theory and practice of creativity, including examples from the work of well-known writers and practical advice on the kind of projects students may decide to undertake.
Seminar - Inspiration games. Tutor and students share their own experiences of creativity. Students are given exercises to stimulate ideas.
Week 2
Lecture - Planning Your Project. The many ways in which a creative project can be planned, again using examples from the work of well-known writers. Problems that may arise, and how to deal with them.
Seminar - Discussion of Plans. Students should now have drafts of their plans, which will be discussed in class before submission at the end of this week.
Week 3
Lecture - Researching your Project. Research methodologies, using libraries, online facilities and practical research through interviews etc. Ethical implications of these.
Seminar - Discussion of Research. Students share their research plans and discuss possible approaches to their research.
Week 4
Lecture - Keeping Going. The different stages of a literary project, including examples from well-known writers. Writers’ blocks and what to do about them.
Seminar - Drafting, Unblocking, Changing Course. Students are given examples and exercises designed to test their ability to solve creative and technical problems.
Weeks 5-10
Tutorials (1 hour per student).
Semester 2
Week 2
Workshop 1. Students workshop extracts from their projects in progress.
Week 4
Workshop 2. Students workshop extracts from their projects in progress.
Weeks 5-10:
Tutorials (1 hour per student).
Brief description
The Writing Project is the culmination of your undergraduate courses in Creative Writing, and corresponds to the Dissertation in the BA English Literature. You will work on a creative project of your own design over a full year, and will need to take a more independent and ambitious approach than in other assignments. Lectures and seminars at the beginning of semester one will introduce you to the planning and research necessary for the project. At the end of week two, you will be asked to submit an outline plan. You will then be assigned a supervisor, with whom you will have one-to-one tutorials. The first assignemnt will consist of an essay / detailed plan on the project. In the second semester you will workshop your writing, have further one-to-one tutorials and submiot your creative portfolio.
Aims
To develop the skills of planning, research and long-term work necessary for extended projects, and to encourage independent working practices.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | N/A |
| Communication | Through class interaction (not assessed) and written assignments |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Through ongoing revision of work. |
| Information Technology | Through use of Blackboard and wordprocessing skills. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | N/A |
| Problem solving | Through dealing with problems characteristic of extended, researched writing projects. |
| Research skills | Through researched nature of project. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Technical skills appropriate to chosen literary genre. Critical self-reflection. |
| Team work | Through class discussion in seminars and workshops. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6