On Becoming a Writer: Creative Writing Tips, Practices and Creative Inspiration
What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
This is an on-going class focused on the creative voice. Do you want to write? Whether it be poetry/stories/journal entries ... the entrance into writing is all the same ... it begins with you and the world around you. Each week we will look at tips, practices, prompts, advice and exercises to go deeper into our creative voices. There will always be time to write as well as time to share your writing and get feedback Writing is a journey, especially creative writing, that requires us to be honest with ourselves and our experiences. To be a good writer there is an element of presence in our lives. Some of the topics of creative writing topics we'll look at and dive into over the weeks are: Description Details Dialogue The 5 senses Journaling into experiences I'll be using quotes, stories and advice from authors/poets on their writing processes I'll talk about daily/weekly practices that you can use to help discover your voice as a writer We'll play around with both creative writing prompts as well as journal prompts Each week we'll discuss the on going process of stepping into ourselves in order to elevate our writing In the end I'll be asking the students to become more present in their own experiences in order to both live in and observe the world around them as a way of becoming a better writer. This is an example of how the class will flow Week 1: The writer's voice ... What is a writer's voice? Why do we write? What do we have to say. Introduce quotes from Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and write on 2 creative prompts, share our writing for feedback Week 2 Theme: Honest Description ... How do we dive into description? What is good creative description? How does description actually come from the writer's experience, even if they are working a piece of fiction? Introduce quotes by C.S Lewis and write on 2 creative wiring prompts and share for feedback Week 3: Theme: Writing Process ... Talk about the process of writing and introduce some daily practices that can be incorporated easily into the students lives. Introduce some quotes from Julia Cameron and the Artists Way and write on some creative writing prompts, share our writing for feedback Week 4: Theme: Deep Dive into personal description and memory ... Check in with students on their practices, and then dive deep into both description and experience and how it relates to memory on a longer writing prompt and share writing for feedback and so on ... Once a moth we'll have a creative writing prompt session to practice the creative dive into our own stories Each class will be tailored to the students in class so these can shift and change This is not a class that focuses on grammar/sentence structure/etc ... It is purely a creative process class
Learning Goals
To open the gates of creativity through curiosity, attention and presence
Other Details
Supply List
Something to write on and something to write with
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Psychology from Lesley University
Bachelor's Degree from California Institute of Integral Studies
I am a Published Author, a Teaching Artist and an Expressive Arts Therapist/Intermodal. I was a spoken word poet in NJ and NY. I've also worked as a Poetry Therapist with people who have had brain and spinal cord injuries, using writing and the written word/poetry to both come to terms with their physical situation as well as to ignite and explore the pathways of the brain that were affected by injury.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$16
weekly1x per week
45 min
Completed by 33 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
3-10 learners per class