Creative Writing Commons^™

Marrying A Good Story And A Well-Formed Argument: The Metanarrative Of Zyx, Megan X. Schutte

The Qualitative Report

This article uses a metanarrative of a fictional, gender identity minority community college student (named Zyx) to elucidate and humanize the experiences that students in this population undergo throughout the course of their college career. Using a journal entry format, Zyx (they/them) is followed from the day before their first day at school through to their graduation. Their experience includes being first-generation and mixed race, living through COVID-19, coping with academic failure, and ultimately triumphing over adversity. The story is meant to cover some of the myriad obstacles to success faced by gender identity minorities attending community college while also …

The Fire Behind My Passion: Thief's Fire, Jessica Lacey Hackett

Masters Theses

Every day, I am bombarded by vulgarity of every kind through the people around me, the television, music, and sadly literature as well. The fantasy genre is a genre that is filled with made-up worlds and creatures that come from the awe-inspiring human imagination. However, it is not untouched by the vulgarity of this world. Fantasy novels have become just as filled with foul language and sex as the so-called “trashy romance” novels have in them. What is most disturbing about all this is that the vulgarity has leaked into the fantasy novels made for teens. I aim to create …

There Must Be More: God's Prescription For Living The Abundant Life, Rodney Gerald Coe

Masters Theses

Abundant life is a life that finds true satisfaction and fulfillment in Jesus alone. It is living in such a way that we realize life begins and ends in Christ. We cannot find abundant life in temporary pleasures, wealth, earthly success, or the praise of man. Abundant life begins in justification, grows more complete in sanctification, and is complete in glorification. 2 Peter 1-11 is where God outlines abundant life here on Earth. It speaks directly to the sanctification part of salvation. Peter writes that faith begins when we are justified by Jesus at Calvary and that our sanctification is …

Resurrecting Olympus, Jordan Ashley Miller

Masters Theses

The objective of this creative project was to reintroduce Greek mythology to the public, adapting the ancient tales to appeal to an ever-evolving world. In order to do the myths justice, it was important to examine adaptations and interpretations over the centuries to determine the philosophical trajectory of mythology. My studies unearthed a diverse portfolio of academic perspectives ranging from the likes of the more formal philosopher Thomas Bullfinch of the 1900s, to the modern, comedy-infused commentator Stephen Fry. Each voice revealed something new to consider. Synthesizing these varying positions into a holistic narrative, I set out to pen a …

Thesis Proposal And Project: The Cave, Jennifer Lee Bailey

Masters Theses

This piece is a work of creative writing, inspired by a true story. Slowly, it transitioned from creative nonfiction to a work of science fiction.

Poetry-Making As Healing, Callan Latham

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Many of us are taught to believe that poetry is restricted to a narrower existence than it truly is. Many people don’t enjoy poetry, or say they don’t understand it—but luckily, poetry, for a while now, is becoming more accessible as an art form. In this work, I seek to further this accessibility by connecting writing poetry with building a house.

Mrs. Blackbird And The Visiting Chair, Taylor Barnhart

MSU Graduate Theses

The following thesis is a middle grade novel exploring the events of one summer in the lives of two siblings, Susannah and Sawyer. The siblings are grieving the recent death of their mother and, at the same time, attempting to navigate the emotional withdrawal of their father. During the summer, the siblings get to know their eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Blackbird, who communicates with the spirit of her dead husband through an old armchair which is rumored to have magical powers. The novel deals primarily with the theme of grief and its pervasive nature in people’s lives. The story looks at …

Plant The Kinds Of Seeds That Destroy Foundations: An Interview With Jasmine Sawers By Ch Assistant Editor Nicole Lawrence, Jasmine Sawers, Nicole Lawrence

Critical Humanities

Jasmine Sawers is the author of The Anchored World (Rose Metal Press, 2022). Their work appears in such journals as Ploughshares, NANO Fiction, [PANK], SmokeLong Quarterly, Sycamore Review, and many more. Sawers won the Ploughshares Emerging Writers Contest and the NANO Prize.

Thesis Defense: The Yellow Wallpaper, Madison Hope Greathouse

Masters Theses

The purpose of The Yellow Wallpaper screenplay is to shed light on the mental health issues many in our society face, namely schizophrenia and similar mental disorders. It will also address the reality of an unhealthy marital relationship. The overarching message of the screenplay is one of hope for those struggling with mental illness and for others who seek to care for these people.

Christian Values Guide Generation Z To A Better Future In Post-Apocalyptic Screenplay, Charlotte Ashleigh Rice

Masters Theses

Echo’s Calling is a screenplay written with the intention to relate to modern teenagers and young adults (Generation Z) and teach them the Christian values of forgiveness, love, and acceptance. According to research, Generation Z relates to post-apocalyptic narratives because they feel as if they are currently living in the apocalypse. Their dismal worldview is perpetuated by negative news, “cancel culture,” and the media. Despite all this, Generation Z strives for a better future free from hate. In order to produce such a future, the Christian values of forgiveness, love, and acceptance need to be relatable and teachable to Generation …

Weight Of The Sword And The Hero's Journey, Chase Baylor Moore

Masters Theses

Chapter 1 Review: This chapter outlines the artist’s statement on his motivation behind the project. This presents a history of engagement with the fantasy medium with the artist and how the fantasy genre has inspired him throughout his childhood and into his adult life. The artist discusses his fascination with the genre and how fantasy provides a safe medium which allows for people to engage in difficult and testing experiences in a setting which they can learn empathy. Chapter 2 Review: This chapter details Joseph Campbell’s Monomythic structure in the form of the Hero’s Journey before engaging with how Christopher …

Between The Sky And Earth, Swetha Amit

Master's Theses

Between The Sky And Earth is a collection of short stories that takes place in India, and in America, capturing the lives of Indian immigrants, and a cat, from different walks of life, some made up of students who came to pursue the American dream. The time span ranges between the early to late 2000s, capturing some significant events like farmer suicide and undocumented immigrants. These stories explore grief, trauma, identity, displacement, and relationships, focusing primarily on the consequences of losing loved ones, and unexpected mishaps that lead to a life and death situation. A couple of the stories grapple …

Reflections On Experiences Abroad, Myra Ann Houser, Benjamin Utter, Monica Hardin, Ray Franklin, Donald Allen Copeland Jr., Susan Monroe

Creative Works

Reflections on Experiences Abroad is a collection of essays written by Ouachita Baptist University faculty and staff who have lived outside of the United States. Students in Professor Margaret Reed's Fall 2022 ENGL 3383 Editing class copyedited and helped prepare this volume. It is a one-time publication that gave Reed's students an opportunity to demonstrate their editing skills at the end of the course. The student editors were Darby Jones, Sydney Motl, and Addie Woods.

Working At A Hospice Facility, Josh Paulter

PURE Insights

Poem entitled "Working at a Hospice Facility"

Third Prize winner of the Peter Sears Poetry Award 2022 at Western Oregon University

On Flowering My Father's Grave, Trinity Herr

PURE Insights

Poem entitled "On Flowering My Father's Grave"

First Prize winner of the Peter Sears Poetry Award 2022 at Western Oregon University

With The Screenwriter's Pen: An Analysis Of The Representation Of Gifted Children In The Family Film, Sarah Williams

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Family films are something that have been enjoyed for many decades. They often create a fantastic world that will enchant audiences and eventually become beloved stories. A big aspect often seen in these films is a protagonist that possesses some kind of gift. Where does this gift come from? How does it grow? Most importantly, how do the screenwriters who are responsible for bringing these gifted heroes to life go about it?

Using the screenplays of Kubo and the Two Strings, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Encanto, and Coraline, I take a deep dive into the portrayal of …

After Dante, Nathalie Anderson

Bibliotheca Dantesca: Journal of Dante Studies

No abstract provided.

Novella, Sydney German

Student Research Submissions

This paper was written for ENGL 470B:1 – Seminar: Creative Writing Fiction under the instruction of Dr. Ray Levy, and the project is titled Novella while the story is called Unforeseeable. It is an 11,000-word sensational, suspenseful psychological fiction about Ava Reed, a 22-year-old woman, who is on a search for independence and freedom from her small town. The story begins by immediately diving into the scene of a murder with Ava holding the weapon. From there, the story works backward to slowly reveal the motive and the true account of what took place that night. It focuses primarily …

The Fate Of Her Heart, Elizabeth Gisselquist

Student Research Submissions

The Fate of Her Heart, by Lisa Gisselquist, was written for ENGL 470B-02, with the instruction of Professor Ray Levy. This fiction novella poses the question of whether the person one loves is more important than the established ways of parents. It also examines the risks and rewards of a diplomatic approach versus stopping the enemy before they become too powerful. These questions are posed through a clean fiction story about the actions of the characters, Talia and Ryker, as they must overcome the stigmas of society, and defeat the encroaching Kaito fighters. While their story is not resolved by …

Spring Island, South Carolina, Marjory Wentworth

Appalachia

No abstract provided.