Run by School of Languages, Literatures, Linguistics and Media

30 Credits or 15 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Ms Alys Conran

The course will offer you the opportunity to develop an idea, carry out the necessary research, select an appropriate genre, form and style and construct a piece of writing suitable for its intended audience. You will learn how to critically reflect on your own work and on the work of others and the ways in which it is an expression of a particular culture and society.

By the end of the module you will have written and edited a piece of prose fiction and have an understanding of its literary and social context.

Through seminars, workshops and individual tutorials participants will learn how to develop an idea, carry out the necessary research, select an appropriate genre, form and style and construct a piece of writing suitable for its intended audience. Participants will be required to critically reflect on their own work and on the work of others and the ways in which it is an expression of a particular culture and society. Links between creative writing and other forms of non-creative writing will be made explicit, and participants from non-creative backgrounds will be encouraged to reflect on the ways in which the skills they develop can be transferred between different forms. By the end of the module participants will have written and edited a piece of prose fiction and understand its literary and social context.

threshold

40-49

A Pass (D) candidate’s work will show many of the following features:

• Some originality and engagement with ideas.

• Some sense of formal conventions and structures.

• Occasionally inconsistent with regard to linguistic technicalities.

• Some awareness of the creative process and of decisions made in writing.

• Sound work, but its strengths need to be more fully sustained to reach publishable standard.

C- to C+

        50-59

A Pass (C) candidate’s work will show many of the following qualities:

• Original and interesting work with an attempt at serious exploration of ideas.

• Clear link between themes and form.

• Technically proficient and well-focused use of language.

• Sound critical understanding of the creative process and of decisions made in writing.

• Good work, which at times comes close to publishable standard.

        60-69

A candidate’s work reaching Merit will show many of the following qualities:

• Demonstration of vitality and originality; sustained engagement with ideas.

• Very good understanding of generic conventions; sound use of structures, forms and technique.

• Resourceful and imaginative use of language.

• Clear critical understanding of the creative process and ability to think conceptually about decisions made in writing.

• Very good work, approaching publishable standard.

excellent

70 and above

Typically, the work of a candidate reaching Distinction will show many of the following qualities:

• Excellent levels of originality, vision and depth; striking and thorough engagement with ideas.

• Excellent understanding and control of form and technique.

• Impressive linguistic control and/or innovation.

• Sophisticated critical understanding of the creative process and confident ability to conceptualise approaches to writing.

• Dynamic work of publishable standard.

1. To develop students abilities in creative writing in prose.

2. To support the development of the knowledge and skills necessary to structure creative writing.

3. To be aware of audience when making choices of style, tone or structure.

4. To introduce students to the idea of thinking creatively and how this may support creative and non-creative writing.

5. To develop an appreciation of the ways in which society and culture relate to processes of writing and reading.

• Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
• Computer Literacy - Proficiency in using a varied range of computer software
• Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
• Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
• Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
• Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
• Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
• Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
• Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
• Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
• Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

• An awareness of writing and publishing contexts, opportunities and audiences in the wider world (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.1).
• Artistic engagement and ability to articulate complex ideas in oral and written forms. (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• Ability to connect creative and critical ideas between and among forms, techniques and types of creative and critical praxis. (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• Awareness of how different social and cultural contexts affect the nature of language and meaning (English Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• Reflective practitioner skills, including awareness of the practice of others in collaborative learning (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• The ability to synthesize information from various sources, choosing and applying appropriate concepts and methods (English Benchmark Statement 3.3).
• Ability to formulate and solve problems, anticipate and accommodate change, and work within contexts of ambiguity, uncertainty and unfamiliarity (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.3).
• Ability to engage in processes of drafting and redrafting texts to achieve clarity of expression and an appropriate style. (English Benchmark Statement 3.3; NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2).
• Ability to gather information, analyse, interpret and discuss different viewpoints (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.3).
• Information technology (IT) skills broadly understood and the ability to access, work with and evaluate electronic resources (NAWE Creative Writing Benchmark Statement 3.2; English Benchmark Statement 3.3).

Compulsory in courses:

• Q3AJ: Diploma Creative Writing (English) year 1 (DIP/CWE)
• Q3AK: MA Creative Writing (English) year 1 (MA/CWE)
• Q2W9: MArts English Literature with Creative Writing year 4 (MARTS/ELCW)