The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students 4th Edition by Heather Sellers, ISBN-13: 978-1319215958

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The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students 4th Edition by Heather Sellers, ISBN-13: 978-1319215958

[PDF eBook eTextbook]

• Publisher: ‎ Bedford/St. Martin’s; Fourth edition (September 11, 2020)
• Language: ‎ English
• ISBN-10: ‎ 1319215955
• ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1319215958

When it comes to writing, The Practice of Creative Writing has a simple you can do this, and it’s worthwhile to try. Designed for students in the introductory course, The Practice of Creative Writing teaches writers how to trust their own voice, experiment with form, and develop a writing process that allows them to spend more productive time at the desk. Rather than locking into one genre early, writers are encouraged to work among and in between genres and to focus on creating a writing practice that privileges close observation, patience, and techniques of pattern, energy, and shape.Heather Sellers, who writes in multiple genres herself, has developed a lively, welcoming, student-centered approach that teaches creative concentration, close reading, and generating pages. She provides opportunities to be playful and to experiment at the same time that she teaches students the importance of discipline, form, and craft. Heather Sellers is a certified online instructor, and The Practice of Creative Writing is designed to be used in traditional face-to-face classrooms or in online education. Each chapter begins with objectives for that module. Prompts and writing practices are carefully sequenced. Every chapter ends with both genre-specific writing projects alongside hybrid and experimental prompts. The readings included in this new edition invite students to experience an even wider range of innovative and new literatures. A new chapter on creative ways to approach revision as a shaping practice engaged throughout the writing process helps students work harder on their writing.

Table of Contents:

About this Book

Cover Page

Inside Front Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Preface for Instructors

About the Author

Contents

Introduction: How Creative Writing Works

How The Practice Of Creative Writing Work

Asking Generative Questions

Part One: Foundations

Chapter One: Finding Focus

The Mind’s Eye

Write What You See

Moving Images

Subject as Focus

Write What You Know

Developing Focus

The Writing Habit

Writing Rituals

Flow

Lack of Focus

Writer’s Block

Distraction

Procrastination

Judgment

Writing Projects

Readings

Chapter Two: Reading as a Writer

Tips for Reading as a Writer

Be Curious

Read Widely

Explore Genres, Question Boundaries

Embrace Discomfort

To Read is to Travel

Strategies for Close Reading

Read Multiple Times, Take Notes

Read Aloud

Experiment with Copywork

Memorize

Annotate

Genres: An Overview

Hybrids and Experiments

Poetry

Creative Nonfiction: Memoir and Literary Essay

Fiction

Drama: Spoken Word, Monologue, Play, and Screenplay

Closely Reading Your Own Work

Reading Work by Peers

Reading to Write

Inspiration

Imitation

Writing Projects

Readings

Chapter Three: Creating From Components

Core Components of Creative Writing

Words

Metaphor

Polarity

Genre-Specific Components

Components of Narrative: Memoir, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction

Components of Poetry

Plays

Components of Plays

Writing Projects

Components Workshop

Readings

Part Two: Strategies

Chapter Four: Images

The Principles of Images

Images Are Active

Reading Is Image Viewing

Images Are the Opposite of Thought and Feeling

Generating Images

Creating with Images

Focus on People in Action

Think from within Images

Use Specifics

Move Around in Images

One Sentence, One Action

Summary Images

Sliding

A Word on Ideas

Writing Projects

Images Workshop

Readings

Chapter Five: Energy

The Principles of Energy

Subject: Focus on What’s Fascinating

Leaps: The Energetic Power of Gaps

Sparky Word Choices

Super-Specifics

Filters

Manipulating Energy

Pace

Camera Work

Too Much Energy?

Troubleshooting Energy

Writing Projects

Energy Workshop

Readings

Chapter Six: Tension

The Principles of Tension

Tension = Yearning + Obstacles

Tension, Stakes, and Cause/Effect

Maintaining Tension

Work with at Least Two Characters/Elements

Match Your Opponents

Tension in Poetry

Manipulating Tension

Creating Oppositions

Thermostat Control: Adjusting the Temperature

Layers: Adding Dimension

Façade

Writing Projects

Tension Workshop

Readings

Chapter Seven: Pattern

Pattern by Ear

Rhymes and Other Echoes

Word Order

Rhythm

Pattern by Eye

Object Patterns

Gesture Patterns

Pattern on the Page

Writing Projects

Pattern Workshop

Readings

Chapter Eight: Insight

Reading for Insight

Principles of Insight

Accuracy

Generosity

Practicing Insight

Reflect on Your Personal Experience

Ask Questions

Reverse Expectations

Create Deep Context

Surprise Yourself

Create Subtext

Rely on Form

Three Pitfalls

Writing Projects

Insight Workshop

Readings

Chapter Nine: Shape

Principles Of Shape

Shaping, Editing, and Proofreading

Revision = Seeing Again

Shaping by Strategy

Additional Techniques For Shaping Your Work

Look Closer

Work by Hand

Be Bold: Let Go

Sketch

Cut

Pitfalls

Perfectionism

Anxiety and Fear

Overwhelm

Darlings

Shaping A Story: A Writer At Work

Letting Go

Applying the Wheel of Strategies

Getting Feedback

Sketching Not Drafting

Building a Personal Process

Editing And Proofreading

Writing projects

Shape Workshop

Part Three: Forms

Chapter Ten: Finding Form

Forms: Recipes For Writers

Writing in the Genres

How to Create with Form

A Note on Poetry

Creating A Portfolio Of Forms

Fourteen Forms

Abecedarius

Reading the Abecedarius

Further Reading

Writing an Abecedarius

Anaphora

Reading Anaphora

Further Reading

Writing an Anaphora

Braid

Reading Braids

Further Reading

Writing a Braid

Comics And Graphic Narratives

Reading Comics and Graphic Narratives

Further Reading

Writing a Comic or Graphic Narrative

Flash

Reading Flash Fiction and Micro-Memoir

Further Reading

Writing Flash Fiction

Writing Micro-Memoir

Ghazal

Reading Ghazals

Further Reading

Writing a Ghazal

Journey

Reading Journeys

Further Reading

Writing a Journey

List

Reading Lists

Further Reading

Writing a List

Monologue

Reading Monologues

Further Reading/Listening

Writing a Monologue

Pantoum

Reading Pantoums

Further Reading

Writing a Pantoum

Play/Screenplay

Reading Plays and Screenplays

Further Reading

Writing a Play

Sestina

Reading Sestinas

Further Reading

Writing a Sestina

Sonnet

Reading Sonnets

Further Reading

Writing a Sonnet

Villanelle

Reading Villanelles

Further Reading

Writing a Villanelle

Part Four: The Writing Life

Chapter Eleven: Reaching Readers

Preparing To Publish

Live Readings

Attending a Live Reading

Giving a Live Reading

Literary Magazines: Print And Digital

Rely on Guides and Directories

Research a Wide Range of Publications

Submit Your Work

Get Rejected

Portfolios And Chapbooks

Portfolios

Chapbooks

Artist Statements

Chapter Twelve: Writing Resources

Smart Searching

Social Media

Hashtags

Twitter

Resources

Creativity and Inspiration

Images: Seeing More Closely

Self-Expression and Personal Writing

Literary News

The Business of Writing: Agents, Freelancing, Book Proposals, and Publishing

Notes

Appendix: Terminology for Creative Writers

Acknowledgements

Index

Inside Back Cover

Back Cover

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