Studying Creative Writing - Norris, Sharon (The Professional and Higher Partnership Ltd, 2013)
Creative writing as a reflective/reflexive activity
Cover; Title; Copyright; Disclaimer; Series; Contents; Editor's preface; Chapter One What to expect of a creative writing degree; Why study creative writing in a time of uncertainty?; The benefits of a creative writing degree; Preparing to study creative writing; Chapter Two The skills you'll need to study creative writing; A willingness to learn; Learn to read as a writer; The power of description; Memorable use of language; The ability to organise your ideas; Lots of ideas; Good research skills; Attention to detail
Conclusion: have as many strings to your bow as possible and be open to new ideasChapter Three The importance of reading to your writing; Writers read differently to other readers; A list of questions; Making your own list; What to do with your list; Conclusion; Note; Chapter Four Pre-writing: how to use journals, notes andplans to improve your writing; What is pre-writing?; Why pre-write?; Pre-writing: tools and techniques; Thinking; Composting; Free-writing; Mind-mapping/clustering; Talking (and listening); Journaling; Noting; Planning; Research; Reading; Playing; Timetabling; Buddying
The downside of pre-writingHow to avoid the downside?; Chapter Five Workshops: what they are (and aren't) and howto make the most of them; The structure of a workshop; Your own work; The work of others; Getting the balance right in feedback; Workshopping after university; Conclusion; Chapter Six Online learning and how it can help your work; Introduction; Pros and cons of learning creative writing online; The virtual learning environment (VLE); Getting orientated: making your own map; Ask questions; Some tools and resources; Discussion forums; Live chats; Assignment tools; Resources; Webinars
WikisInvisibility online; Practise your craft; Language and structure matters; Finally; Chapter Seven The role of editing and redrafting, and how to do both; It's never over till it's over, or the myth of the finished story; Here we go again: editing and redrafting, the key techniques; So, who exactly does this editing?; A friend or 'trusted reader'; An editor or agent; Editing that you can do; Ongoing editing; Summative editing; The 'short and sweet' mode; The 'long and hard' mode; Conclusion; Chapter Eight Reading aloud: making the most of your workwhen you present it; The basics