Creative Writing Fundamentals (with Carolyn Zaikowski) - ONLINE
Do you want to delve into or revisit the wonderful world of creative writing, but don’t know where to start? This course is for you! We'll engage in a variety of fun, thought-provoking in-class prompts in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and experimental/hybrid work, and we’ll examine examples from the masters to supplement our understanding. There will be weekly informal opportunities in small and large groups to share pieces, in the spirit of support and encouragement from your teacher and peers. We’ll also discuss some basic writers’ block strategies, revision methods, and ways to take your writing practice home with you. Estimated time for at-home reading and writing is 1-2 hours per week, depending on an individual’s speed of reading/writing. This course is geared toward beginners or those who crave a re-entry into writing after time away. Limited to 10 writers.
• There will be short readings sent out a couple days before the first week. They shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes.
• There will be at-home reading and writing each week (see description).
• This is a generative course, with only a brief focus on revision strategies.
WHEN: 6 Weeks: Mondays, January 23 - February 27 ( 6 - 8pm EST)
WHERE: Online, via Zoom video conference
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI is the author of the hybrid novel In a Dream, I Dance by Myself, and I Collapse (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2016). Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Everyday Feminism, DIAGRAM, West Branch, Dusie, Huffington Post, Denver Quarterly, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Naropa University and currently works in Western Massachusetts as an English professor and death doula.
COURSE GOALS
• Exploring key genres and concepts in creative writing with the spirit of curiosity, open-endedness, play, and gently pushing our comfort zones
• Working together to create a sense of community and a safe container for experimenting with the many forms and approaches in creative writing
• Generating a population of drafts in different genres and the inspiration for deepening and honing your writing beyond class
• Discovering what forms of writing might speak to you most
• Fostering a toolkit of writing skills to take beyond the class
COURSE OUTLINE
Each week will involve examining short readings from the masters to see that week’s writing form in action, picking apart those readings together, guided in-class writing to help students dip their toe in the forms, and optional but encouraged sharing of work. Most weeks will involve at-home writing and reading. Basic weekly topics will be:
WEEK 1: POETRY AND LYRICISM
We’ll explore the art of lyricism—that particular, peculiar sense of beautiful sounds, words, lines, moods, form, and imagery we see in poetry.
WEEK 2: NARRATIVE POETRY
We’ll continue exploring poetry by way of narrative…or, the ancient art of telling stories through poems.
WEEK 3: FLASH FICTION
We’ll take our first dip into fiction by experimenting with the fun, fascinating form of very, very, very short stories. Perhaps a page, perhaps just one sentence!
WEEK 4: SHORT STORIES
We’ll expand on some fiction storytelling concepts like character, setting, and dialogue by trying our hand at writing short stories up to four pages long.
WEEK 5: CREATIVE NONFICTION
We’ll head to the multi-faceted genre of creative nonfiction, where we use literary and creative methods to convey real-world stories and ideas.
WEEK 6: HYBRID AND EXPERIMENTAL WRITING
We’ll dive into the wonderful, weird, and poignant world of hybrid and experimental work which combines, crosses, or defies notions of writing altogether!
RECEIVING THE ZOOM LINK: For one-day workshops, we send out the link to attend the Zoom session 1 - 2 days before the event, via email. For multi-week workshops, you should receive info and the link about 3 - 5 days before. Please mark your calendars when you first register and look for our emails. If you don't see the email in your inbox on the day before the class, please check your spam and junk mail folders (and search all folders) for an email from joy@pioneervalleywriters.org before contacting us. We have found that very often our emails end up in those folders. This is based on your own email settings, and you can prevent this by adding our email as a contact.
ONLINE SESSIONS happen remotely, via Zoom video conference. All you need is a laptop, computer, or phone with functioning audio and a webcam. Those who RSVP receive directions and a link to "join" the session via email (please see above note about receiving the Zoom link). All online instructors will log on to the video conference a few minutes before the start of the session, so please plan to log on early if you'd like assistance! We'll do everything in our power to help you get comfortable with the Zoom format, though we are not able to offer technical assistance beyond basic Zoom orientation.
REFUND & CREDIT POLICIES AT PVWW
Because of non-refundable fees that we, PVWW, must pay for every transaction that happens, we are not able to give full refunds to those who register then withdraw from a workshop or class. If you withdraw from a workshop ten days or more before the start of the class: You'll receive full credit toward another workshop or class of equal value OR a refund minus 10%. If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive full credit toward another class OR a refund minus 30%. If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of a class or after the class has begun: We are not able to offer you credit toward another class or a partial refund, unless in the case of a medical emergency. If we have to cancel a class for any reason, you will receive a full refund, or if you choose, a credit in the amount of your payment, to be used for any future PVWW class. Anyone who does not specify whether they would like a refund or a credit for a cancelled class within 3 months will automatically be refunded. Please contact Joy (joy@pioneervalleywriters.org) for all matters concerning credit and refunds.