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Creative Writing

Welcome to Creative Writing! In this course we will be learning about the power of words, and how they link together to create an impact on your reader. We will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the elements of storytelling, fiction, and poetry. We will also cover editing and revision. We will learn to incorporate figurative language and sensory imagery with plots, themes, and symbolism.

Navigational Links: Quarter 2

Days with an asterisk (*) mean you have something to print.

Day 1

1. Some days we will do a writing warm up. When you have a writing warm up you must write on the day’s prompt for 20 minutes, and produce no less than 200 words. Label your file with the day number (for example, “Day 1”) and keep it.
2. For today’s writing warm-up, choose three descriptors from the list below and create a brief character sketch of each one. Include their name, physical traits, emotional traits, quirks, gestures, clothing style, way of talking, etc.)
cheat, sucker, coward, thinker, hustler, hotshot, sinner, gamer, sneak, wannabe, snob, eccentric, sweetheart, crybaby, charmer, saint, bad sport, showoff, giver, loudmouth, pushover, heartbreaker
3. In this course we will be writing multiple short pieces as well as creating a longer, novel-length project (at least 50,000 words). Today take the time to write down your personal writing goals. What kind of writing do you want to learn? What genres do you prefer? What would you like to learn or accomplish in this class? Write these goals in a document titled “Creative Writing Goals” and save it for later.

Day 2

1. Today, read “What Makes a Good Haiku?”
2. We’re starting with haikus because they are so short, and it’s pretty easy to successfully write one that follows the rules – or, at least, the syllable counts. Today write 3 haikus based on some aspect of nature. Try to use your language to create an image or emotion. (Remember to label and save your document.)
3. Which of your haikus do you think is the best? What do you like about it?

Day 3

1. Watch the lecture about short stories today. Follow along and complete the flash fiction exercise.

Day 4

1. Today we have a writing warm-up. Remember, when you have a writing warm up you must write on the day’s prompt for 20 minutes, and produce no less than 200 words. Label your file with the day number (for example, “Day 1”) and keep it. For today’s writing warm-up, describe your surroundings using only your sense of hearing.
2. Read Creative Writing 101.
3. Next, read “40 Basic Writing Terms and their Meanings.”
4. Practice these terms. Do 3 Rounds. (You will need to be logged in to Quizlet to complete this activity.)

Day 5

1. For today’s writing warm up, create a brief sketch of three characters, each based on one descriptor below.
stalker, slacker, bad seed, brash, cutup, rogue, elitist, silly, pigheaded, prissy, petulant, fidgety, fluttery, cranky, arrogant, goofy, flighty, brusque, lazy, cute, preppy, self-indulgent, bogus, pushy, cheap, slick, busybody, elegant
Refer to Day 1 if you’ve forgotten the requirements for a writing warm-up.
2. Watch the video “What is Creative Writing & How to Get Started.”
3. Open your writing goals document. Is there anything you would like to add or change?

Day 6

1. We’re going to be using some materials from Coursera. You will need to make a free account and be logged in to access these materials.
2. Today watch the video “What is Plot?” Click on the button that allows you to enroll in the course for free, then click the option to audit the course.
3. Read “How to Outline a Short Story.” Outline the plot of a short story. (Stuck? Try the plot generator.) Title your outline and save the document.

Day 7

1. Watch the video about how plot works in Harry Potter.
2. Watch the video “Character + Action = Plot.
3. Examine the outline of your short story. Answer the five character questions for your protagonist. Check to make sure that you know what your character’s goal is and that your obstacles act
directly to prevent them from achieving them. (Don’t forget the importance of try/fail cycles that was discussed on Day 3!)

Day 8

1. Watch the video “What is Structure?” Let’s take a moment to acknowledge that rabies is not a good story choice, as it is not something a pet or person can recover from after they start showing symptoms.
2. Watch the video with examples of ABDCE structure in literature.
3. Examine your short story outline. Does your plan fall along the lines of ABDCE plot? Would it be improved if you rearranged it so it did? Spend some time developing your outline, making sure you have at least one sentence for each of Action, Background, Development, Climax, and Ending.

Day 9

1. Watch the video “What is a Scene?
2. Watch the video “Examples of Effective Scenes.”
3. Examine your outline. How many scenes do you need to tell your story? Try to break up your outline into individual scenes and flesh them out with at least a beginning, the goal of the scene (these may be combined), and an end. When you read through your outline now it should sound like a complete story summary with a full narrative arc, without question marks or missing pieces in the middle.

Day 10

1. Today begin drafting your short story.

Day 11

1. Continue drafting your story. You will only have one more day to complete your draft.

Day 12

1. Complete a full first draft of your story today. Tomorrow, we will go over how to revise it.

Day 13

1. Watch the video “The Most Organized Way to Revise a Novel.”
2. Take a look at the revision levels. Revising your story in levels like this makes sense, because it doesn’t make any sense to worry about spelling descriptions while your underlying plot arc is in shambles still. Do not do anything to your story today.

Day 14

1. Today we’re going to complete step 1 of the story revision process: the Hands-Off Readthrough. Read your story from beginning to end. (This gives you the opportunity to see your story as a reader would experience it.)
2. Take notes on anything you might like to change, but DO NOT EDIT your story.
3. Feel free to read your story a second time (it’s a short story, after all).
4. Questions to consider as you take notes on your story:

  • Is my story structure strong?
  • Does my story start in the right place?
  • Have I shown clear goals, stakes, conflict, and tension?
  • Do my characters change in some way over the course of the story?

Day 15

1. Today, organize your notes and ideas into revision levels. (See here for infographic.) We’re going to deal with the story-level revisions first.
2. Create a ‘reverse’ outline for your story by outlining what you’ve already written. Open a document and write a sentence or two about each scene. This should include:

  • Primary characters in the scene
  • Major events
  • Important emotions
  • Important settings (if relevant)

When you’re finished, it should read like a plot synopsis of your story.

Day 16

1. Save a copy of your original reverse outline before you make any changes in case you need to go back to it. Now you’re going to create your revision plan. It’s time to incorporate your notes from Day 14 into your story outline. Flesh out your ideas and brainstorm solutions. Do you need to add any scenes? Do you need to change the order or remove any scenes? Do you need to add any characters? If so, when do they appear? Do you need to add a twist somewhere? Punch up an obstacle? Improve a character’s motivation?
2. Read through your new story outline revision plan. It should still read like a plot synopsis of your story, but hopefully you have improved it!
3. Your next step will be to edit your story to bring it into line with your revision plan. You can start today if you would like.

Day 17

1. Revise your story.

  • Start by moving any scenes that need to go in a different order.
  • Then begin writing any missing scenes you added in your revision plan.
  • Once you have the largest changes finished, you can begin working on smaller ones.

Day 18

1. Continue working on your story revisions. If you have your story-level edits complete, you can start looking at scene-level problems. Questions to ask yourself:

  • Does each scene function like a mini-story? Does it have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
  • Does each scene begin with a clear goal and end with either success, failure, or progress of some kind? (Don’t forget “yes, but” and “no, and” as strategies.)
  • Does every scene have conflict?
  • Does every scene serve a purpose in the story?
  • Are my transitions between scenes effective?
  • Are my scenes told from a clear and correct point of view?

Day 19

1. Watch the video “How to Write a Great Scene.”
2. Continue working on your story revisions.

Day 20

1. Watch the video “12 Ways to Write Better Sentences for Creative Writers.”
2. Begin working on page-level revisions today. Most of your structural edits should be complete at this point. Now you can work on making the actual words you chose for your writing better in each sentence and paragraph.

Day 21

1. Proofread your story. Run the spell checker, run it through Grammarly, read it looking for any spelling or punctuation errors.
2. Have someone else read your story.

Day 22

1. Visit the Submission Grinder and find at least 3 publications that are currently accepting submissions of stories in your genre and length.
2. Find the submission guidelines for each of these publications. How are they different? How are they similar? (Most publication submissions require similar formatting.)
3. Many publications will not accept simultaneous submissions. (That means, you cannot submit your story to another publication before they have had the chance to decide whether they want it or not.) Therefore, you will have to choose which publication to submit your story to. Which one is the best fit for your stories? Which ones pay more? Publications that pay more are often more competitive than those that pay less, but not necessarily.
4. Once you have chosen the publication you are going to submit to, format your story according to its guidelines and submit it for publication.

Day 23

1. Time to cleanse our writing palate with some flash fiction! Today “spin the wheel” (here’s a random number generator) to find a subgenre, setting, and “must feature” for your story. Go here for the lists.
2. Remember: your flash fiction needs to be between 250 and 1000 words. Here is the flash fiction structure section from the lecture by Mary Robinette Kowal.

Day 24

1. Do it again! “Spin the wheel” (here’s a random number generator) to find a subgenre, setting, and “must feature” for your story. Go here for the lists.
2. Remember: your flash fiction needs to be between 250 and 1000 words. Here is the flash fiction structure section from the lecture by Mary Robinette Kowal.

Day 25

1. Now that we’ve learned about plot, let’s move forward and learn about character. We’re starting a new Coursera module, which means that you’ll need to click the button to enroll in the course for free and select ‘audit.’
2. Watch the video about character conception.
3. Watch the video “The Conflict Within.”

Day 26

1. For today’s writing warm-up, choose three descriptors from the list below and create a brief character sketch of each one. Include their name, physical traits, emotional traits, quirks, gestures, clothing style, way of talking, etc.)
trickster, dreamer, joker, rebel, maverick, flirt, genius, rascal, clown, enigma, player, loner, scoundrel, whiz, drama queen, prankster, smarty, guru, hothead, risk-taker
2. Watch the video “Desires and Goals.”

Day 27

1. Watch the video about hearing, selecting, and seeing.
2. For your writing exercise today, choose a character you know well. It can be someone from a movie, book, or tv show, OR a character you have created yourself. Describe them from three different points of view. How are they different? Use the point of view of:

  • Someone who loves them
  • Someone who hates them
  • A stranger passing them on the street

Day 28

1. Today you need to create a character that you will be interested in working with throughout more assignments. Brainstorm a character you would like to write about. Are they a teacher? A wizard? A space marine? A racecar driver? What characteristics make them interesting to you? Do they have a tragic backstory? A birdwatching hobby? A great sense of humor? Don’t forget to think about what their goal is: are they looking for true love? Trying to break a world record? Looking for their estranged parents?
2. Here is an article about creating a well-developed character. Make sure you write down all the information you can about this character and save it for another day.

Day 29

1. Watch the video about voice.
2. Write 3 brief interactions between a character and the cashier ringing up their purchases at the Wal-Mart checkout. Choose three of the following characters. Test how you can use voice to distinguish between each one, even though the interaction is similar and mundane.

  • A small child going to a birthday party
  • A contract kidnapper preparing for their next job
  • A time traveler who is souvenir shopping
  • A teacher getting ready for school
  • A camper preparing for a rafting trip
  • A sick college student
  • A farmer with too many kittens
  • A grandmother whose grandsons are coming to visit
  • An alien trying to fit in

Day 30

1. Today watch the video about creating compelling and relatable characters.
2. Choose 3 characters you know well from a book, movie, tv show or game. Write a brief paragraph about each and identify the following:

  1. Their flaw, fear, or misbelief
  2. Their internal conflict
  3. Their goals

3. Now for the challenge. Choose a character you dislike or find boring. What could you do to change or improve this character to make them more interesting and relatable? Write a brief paragraph explaining the changes.

Day 31

1. Watch the video about writing great dialogue.
2. Write dialogue between two characters. (They can be characters you have created for this class, pre-existing characters from other media, or new ones for this assignment.) They are angry about something, but they refuse to argue directly about it. Instead, make them argue about a different topic. Be sure to choose what they are really angry about and what they are arguing about instead before you begin.

Day 32

1. Watch the video “How to make your characters sound different.”
2. Test it out! Write a piece of flash fiction with a lot of dialogue in it. Choose one from each of the following options to get your story going. Your story is about a:

  • (reckless/stern)(captain/explorer)
  • and a (vulnerable/playful)(researcher/singer)
  • who are trying to (escape/break into)
  • a (hidden fortress/sinking ship)
  • while also having an argument about (the ethics of what they are doing/their relationship/who’s going to pay for this)

Day 33

1. Watch the video “Conversation’s Greatest Hits.” Consider the difference between realistic dialogue and interesting dialogue.
2. Today write another piece of flash fiction with a lot of dialogue in it. Remember that your dialogue should advance the plot and reveal information about the characters. Also remember that your characters should have a goal as well as obstacles between them and that goal. Your story will be more interesting if the goals of the two characters are not exactly the same.
3. Choose one from each of the following options to get your story going. Your story is about a:

  • (sullen/excited) (detective/adventurer)
  • and a (oblivious/trusting) (scientist/writer)
  • who are trying to (find/steal)
  • a (lost artifact/scavenger hunt prize)
  • while also having an argument about (trusting each other/their past mistakes/who deserves the credit)

Day 34

1. Watch the video about idiosyncrasies.
2. Today write a piece of dialogue about two characters deciding where to eat dinner. Choose existing characters you are familiar with distinctive speech patterns. Can you create dialogue where it is easy to tell who is speaking, even without dialogue tags?
3. You’re welcome to choose your own characters, but here are some suggestions for characters who have distinctive speech patterns.

  • The Hulk
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • Yoda
  • Gollum
  • Jack Sparrow
  • Darth Vader
  • Voldemort
  • C-3PO
  • Bugs Bunny
  • Tony Stark/Iron Man

Day 35

1. We’re going to begin writing another short story. This time, let’s make sure we create distinctive characters with individual voices and motivations.
2. As a refresher, go back over “How to Outline a Short Story.” Outline the plot of a short story. (Stuck? Try the plot generator.) Title your outline and save the document.

Day 36

1. Examine the outline for your short story. Take the time to develop your protagonist a little more deeply. What is it that they want, and more importantly, why do they want that? What is it that they THINK they need, and how does that compare to what they will come to realize they need by the end of the story? What belief about the world will they have to re-evaluate?
2. Then consider the obstacles standing in your character’s way. What is stopping them from achieving their goals/what do they THINK is standing between them and their goals? What kind of try/fail cycles can you set up?

Day 37

1. Let’s remember what we learned about story structure.
2. Examine your short story outline. Does your plan fall along the lines of ABDCE plot? Would it be improved if you rearranged it so it did? Spend some time developing your outline, making sure you have at least one sentence for each of Action, Background, Development, Climax, and Ending.

Day 38

1. Examine your outline. How many scenes do you need to tell your story? Try to break up your outline into individual scenes and flesh them out with at least a beginning, the goal of the scene (these may be combined), and an end. When you read through your outline now it should sound like a complete story summary with a full narrative arc, without question marks or missing pieces in the middle.

Day 39

1. Today begin drafting your short story.

Day 40

1. Complete a full first draft of your story today. Tomorrow, we will go over how to revise it.

Day 41

1. Revise your story.

Day 42

1. Proofread your story. Run the spell checker, run it through Grammarly, read it looking for any spelling or punctuation errors.
2. Have someone else read your story.

Day 43

1. Now we’re going to take a break from storytelling to try something else. Make sure you are logged into Coursera and visit Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics. Click on ‘enroll for free,’ click on ‘next,’ then click ‘audit the course.’
2. This course includes a song lyric playlist. It is recommended to listen to these songs and read the lyrics while you do.
3. Watch the video about “point of view.”
4. Create a list. Add five things, people, places, experiences, or feelings that you might want to write a song about. Also add five songs with lyrics that you like. Spend some time thinking. Why do you like them? What about them speaks to you?

Day 44

1. Watch the video about developing song ideas.
2. Choose an idea to develop into a song. Do not feel pressured to choose a good one! This is just practice. See if you can find the core of your message and try to build it up or give it weight for a second or third repetition. Make sure you take notes.

Day 45

1. Watch the video “Six Best Friends.”
2. Take the core of your song message and try to develop at least the ‘who, when, and where’ of it.

Please proceed to Quarter 2.