Creative Writing

Creative writing could be “defined” broadly as the pursuit of artistic ends through the written word. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, prose poem, memoir—the possibilities for the form that your writing, and thus your message, may take are as diverse and numerous as there are writers writing. And as a creative writer, just as important as your final product is the process by which that product comes to be—how you develop your own personal toolbox of skills, strategies, and styles is going have an impact on the form your final product will take. It could be (and should be) argued that this is all, to some extent, true of writing in any discipline; —however, here we will focus on the tools that may be helpful specifically in a creative writing class. While it is important to be creative in such a class, it is equally important to keep in mind the skills or techniques being practiced in a given assignment. The development and demonstration of these skills is a necessary step; therefore, though you have some room for experimentation, it’s important to follow the assignment. This is where writing as an art form can be truly appreciated. On this page, our tutors have compiled some tips to help you as you learn and practice the tools you have at your disposal in a classroom setting (where there will be, for now, specific, guided expectations and assignments in order to help foster your toolkit).