Serious Play: Creative Writing Workshop

Module title	Serious Play: Creative Writing Workshop
Module code	EAS2035
Academic year	2023/4
Credits	30
Module staff	Professor Andy Brown (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	16

Module description

This is a hands-on Creative Writing workshop for Prose Poetry and Flash Fiction, based on weekly exercises that introduce new writing techniques to fully extend your range of writing. Preparation for each seminar will include background reading of creative texts and completion of short writing assignments. Workshop attendance is compulsory, and you are expected to participate fully in discussions and peer criticisms.

As well as weekly writing workshops, you will give short presentations on 1) technical close readings of your own and others’ work and (2) the development of the portfolio as a cohesive project for final submission. You will have the opportunity to gain critical feedback from the workshop group and tutor. There will be detailed workshops on editing techniques and approaches.

Module aims - intentions of the module

To develop an advanced understanding of varied technical and imaginative approaches to writing Contemporary Prose Poetry and Flash Fiction in a range of traditional and non-traditional forms. The emphasis is on experiment, testing the boundaries of your approaches to creative writing, and the ‘serious play’ of developing a meaningful writing project.
Teaching is by weekly two-hour creative writing workshop, plus a 1-hour workshop for technical close reading, discussion and presentation of portfolios-in-development, as well as editing skills. Student participation and peer commentary on individual writing projects constitutes an integral part of teaching and learning, as the tutor's role will be that of a facilitator. There will be an emphasis on technical, stylistic and thematic approaches, workshopping creative writing techniques, group work, and critical feedback.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the generic conventions of creative writing, and the shaping effects of authorship and intended audience
2. Demonstrate a capacity to produce creative writing in a range of styles and genres, in a manner informed by your reading
3. Analyse and critically examine, at an advanced level, diverse forms of prose poetry and flash fiction and the devices used therein

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

4. Demonstrate an advanced ability to produce pieces of creative writing, in agreement with specified forms and genres taught on the module
5. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of a variety of theoretical positions
6. Articulate a broad range of appropriate critical and professional terminology

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

6. Present persuasive written and oral arguments concerning your own creative writing and the work of other authors, both peers and published authors
7. Through seminar work, demonstrate advanced communication skills, and an ability to work both individually and in groups

Syllabus plan

While the content may vary from year to year, it will cover some of the following topics:

Prose Poetry writing workshops;
Technical close reading workshops;
Flash Fiction workshops, including Minisagas, microfictions and flash fictions;
Ekphrasis (writing from other art forms);
Formative portfolio presentations, and Editing sessions alongside sessions to discuss the formation and development of a portfolio of work.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
33	267	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	33	Workshops
Guided Independent Study	267	Reading, research and writing preparation

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Weekly examples of original prose poetry and flash fiction in draft form	In-seminar	1-8	Oral and peer, with opportunity for tutorial follow-up
Formative presentations of portfolio project in development	In-seminar	1-8	Oral and peer, with opportunity for tutorial follow-up
Formative exercises of technical close reading of published and students own writing	In-seminar	1-2, 4-5, 7, 8	Oral and peer, with opportunity for tutorial follow-up

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
90	0	10

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Portfolio of original prose poetry and flash fiction	70	2500 words	1-3, 5-8	Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up
Critical statement of technical close reading (relating 2 published works to students own work)	20	1200 words	4, 7-8	Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up
Module Participation	10	Continuous	1-8	Tutorial follow-up

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Portfolio of original prose poetry and flash fiction	Portfolio of original prose poetry and flash fiction	1-3, 5, 8	Referral/Deferral period
Critical statement of technical close reading (relating 2 published works to students own works)	Critical statement of technical close reading (relating 2 published works to students own works)	4, 7-8	Referral/Deferral period
Module Participation	Repeat study/mitigation	1-8	n/a

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

You are expected to develop a reading list of contemporary prose poetry and flash fiction for this course. For the critical statement of technical close reading, you are expected to read and analyse the work of two contemporary writers in comparison with your own writing.

Core Reading:

Tom Hazuka, Denise Thomas, James Thomas.eds. Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories. (W.W.Norton 1992)
Jeremy Noel-Todd. ed. The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem. (Penguin , 2020)

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11188
Over 300 quality interviews with significant international authors are available at The Paris Review: http://www.parisreview.com

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Key words search

English, Literature, Creative Writing, Flash Fiction, Prose Poetry

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	5
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	20/06/2019
Last revision date	26/10/2020