The Creative Process

3 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Lecture) This course addresses the complex processes involved in the creation of a literary text from initial inspiration to publication. The course focus is on contemporary fiction and poetry. Students' reading of fiction and poetry is supplemented with lectures based on documented evidence of the authors' own approaches to the craft of writing (including literary essays, interviews, drafts, letters, and/or occasional live appearances, when possible). The course examines the habits, beliefs, influences, and intellectual reasoning behind the decisions writers make while composing and revising their drafts. We also study the effects of those decisions in relation to the critical and popular receptions of the finished work to consider why they succeeded or failed. Note: This course is recommended for students who plan to enroll in further creative writing courses at the undergraduate level. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of First-year English, including ENGL-1001(6) or ENGL-1000(3) [prerequisite(s)].