Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Reaching For A Higher Perspective: Exploring Elements Of Multiple Perspectives In Literature And Writing, Audrey I. Biggs

Masters Theses

In three parts, this thesis for the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing dives into perspective in writing and in life. After a statement from the author, the critical essay defines and analyzes a craft used in fiction novels: writing from multiple perspectives. First, the author describes the three basic perspectives and their uses in fiction writing. Next, a history of the development of multiple points of view leads the reader from ancient epics to modern novels. Finally, the author's analysis of William Faulkner's novel, As I Lay Dying, gleans a broader understanding of writing clearly and effectively from …

Characterizing The Female Main Character, Addison Leana Butler

Masters Theses

The strong female character is a term tossed around writing groups, book clubs, and TikTok as something to both strive to see and critique in literature. This research paper transformed throughout the actual research as it went from a study on cozy fantasy emergence and its effects to strong female characters and how to write them well, to its current iteration along similar lines of writing strong female characters. Qualitative and quantitative data was gathered through the use of a survey that I wrote and put to the field, research done primarily through JSTOR, and interviews conducted with experts in …

Developing And Enhancing Believable Characterization In Fiction, Hollie Boyd Nelson

Masters Theses

Developing and enhancing characterization in fiction is key to gaining a readership as well as perfecting the craft of writing. Through foundational information, relatability, and context within the work, a writer can create new and intricate ways to enrich their story. This then sets them apart from others in their field.

Form Follows Feeling Follows Form, Harshal Duddalwar

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I explore ways of expression at the intersection of form, feeling, and storytelling; through my lived experiences. I emphasize the act of documentation, encouraging introspection and reflection as a means of creating a body of personal work. I also talk about developing my visual vocabulary and language to express these narratives, along with strategies and plans for making personal work outwardly visible.

Writing As A Mode Of Therapy: The Path To Healing And Selfcare, Lolita Joyce Law

Masters Theses

When someone is plunging into a deep depression, they may not know what to do with the next moment in their lives. All they do know is that they would like the pain to stop. There are many modes of therapy used to assist people with healing. However, writing for many has the most rewards. It is an expression that allows the individual writing to dig much deeper than any spoken word could allow. Writing can help clear, evaluate, and purge the mind of negative thoughts before it leads to action. Poetry, journaling, and songwriting are just a few methods …

The Writing Of The War Within: A Study, Analysis, And Creation Of Narrative Reality, Katelynn Wood

Masters Theses

In an in depth analysis of my own work, I study the use of narrative reality and focus on the use of narrative style and strategy in the works of Renée Ahdieh, Khaled Hosseini, and Tim O’Brien to transport the reader from the reality in which they are reading a novel to the reality that exists within the novel itself. I apply the same lens to my own work and specifically hone in on the use of epistolary form to communicate the inner feelings and mindsets of the characters. Through the analysis of the use of this form by Jane …

Writing For The Fantasy Genre Through The Christian Worldview, Angelina Rose Butters

Masters Theses

My thesis proffers the prevalence of Christian worldview elements in fantasy fiction. The research findings presented expand on the different Christian elements within fantasy literature by interpreting the writing and influence of Christian authors, such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, and secular authors, such as Jennifer A. Neilson and J.K. Rowling. I argue that within fantasy there are Christian elements that are either overtly or covertly incorporated. I present my findings based on these readings in different sections: fantasy’s purpose to provide entertainment, the inclusion of God to dictate the destiny and laws of the fantasy worldview, the inclusion …

Understanding Toxic Cycles And How To Defeat Them: How Poetry Can Heal, Tosha Marie Brown

Masters Theses

Cathartic writing dates back millennia. Poetry, as a form of therapy, has been used in history to nurture the soul. Its effects go deeper than spiritually, and has been shown to aid in dealing with depression, anxiety and negative behaviors.

An Exploration Of The Axiom “Show, Don’T Tell” In Fiction Writing, Tina Matras

Masters Theses

This thesis is about one person’s journey from the stringent, fact-based world of technical writing to a creative place known as fiction writing. The Artist Statement explores the author’s journey into the world of creative writing and choice of genre. The critical paper is a sample of the process the author undertook to learn how to “show” a story. Instructional technical writers provide readers with a set of instructions or steps from information that already exists. Nothing is made up, and any visual provided is accompanied by pictures. The reader doesn’t have to imagine anything. Fiction writers must help a …

The Supporting Role: Cultivating A Writing Life To Prevent And Combat Writer's Block, Molly Elizabeth Hanberry

Masters Theses

Every writer will suffer from writer’s block from time to time, and there are two general schools of thought in dealing with this affliction: wait it out or struggle through. The purpose of this thesis is to illuminate the nature of writer’s block from a fundamental level, beginning with the neuroscience of creativity. From there, it will explore the three root causes of writer’s block: lack of inspiration, burnout, and fear. And finally, with an understanding of its causes, it will be possible to examine ways to combat writer’s block through methods based in neuroscience, personal experience, and professional advice …

The Prevalence Of Grammar In Virginia Higher Education, Caroline Nicatie Stimpson

Masters Theses

This thesis describes why the prescriptive grammar model should be implemented in public education rather than the descriptive grammar model. For the purposes of this paper, prescriptive grammar refers to how words ought to be used, while descriptive grammar refers to how words are used by native speakers in natural settings. The central issue I address in this thesis is how prescriptive grammar enables students to read and write properly, heightens their linguistic knowledge, improves their ability to express themselves, and teaches them useful skills for future educational and employment opportunities. Additionally, it outlines the flaws inherent in the descriptive …

The Writer’S Grit Guide: Practical Methods For Effective Writing, Victoria Renee Gomez

Masters Theses

Successful writing practices involve confidence, idea generation, and productivity habits. Writers can lack confidence about their abilities or about the quality of their writing when pitted against the creative and technical challenges that come with writing. Fear—which leads to both insecurity and egotism—is often what drives confidence issues in writing. True confidence emerges from the middle ground—or balance—between insecurity and ego. Writers can also struggle to develop new ideas when the competition to come up with original material results in writer’s block. Writers must improve their productivity and follow through on their goals by developing grit. This thesis will reveal …

The Storying Of Colombian Writing Centers, Jennifer Erin Pretzer

Masters Theses

Using the results from a study conducted on Colombian writing centers, this thesis applies principles from narrative theory to posit a grand narrative for Colombian writing center professionals. The study was modeled on one Jackie Grutsch McKinney used to examine US writing center professionals’ descriptions of their work, and the thesis includes a comparison with her results. Respondents were asked to answer seven questions, two of which were multiple choice and five of which were short answer. The questions asked respondents to describe their tutoring staff composition, their center’s operations, writing centers in general, and ways their center resembles and …

Writing With Incarcerated Students Towards Humanization: A Christian Critical Perspective, Deanna C. Kabler

Masters Theses

This thesis centers on the intersections between critical pedagogy and writing instruction in a prison college program with the aim of humanization. A theoretical framework is constructed that relies on the pillars of tenets from Liberation theology, critical pedagogy, an anti-racist and multicultural praxis, and generative culture-making. Writing as the foundation of education is the medium for supporting a humanizing and liberatory education.

Language Attitudes Of Writing Center Consultants: Perception And Expectation, Benjamin John Sparks

Masters Theses

This master’s thesis explores the results of research into the language attitudes of peer consultants working in a writing center at a large regional public university in the American Midwest. A survey was administered to writing center staff in which they were asked to evaluate the sociopolitical relationship between standard and nonstandard English dialects, the perceived relative grammaticality of these dialects, and the traditional concept of appropriateness in academic writing. Also included were questions pertaining to how consultants manage the practical responsibilities of their positions and the expectations of students and professors with the writing center’s stated policy of linguistic …

Troubles At Coal Creek: Rhetorics Of Writing, Research, And The Archive, Sumner Stevenson Brown

Masters Theses

Digging through the past can uncover painful truths. As such, historiography that does not acknowledge negotiated spaces, cultural erasures, and flexible frameworks may fall short. It may limit both breadth and depth of the past, thereby (re)producing erasures, whereas a reflexive theoretical framework delivers not only depth and breadth, but it also adds texture and dimension to historical writing and research processes. It is for these purposes that the value of alternative methodologies is not situated at the margins of the rhetorical canons. Instead, it is embedded in the very core of the canons, defined as an element that works …

Elementary Art And Writing, Mary A. Beningo

Masters Theses

The problem that I researched in today’s art education world is how to correlate elementary art curricula with writing curricula. To investigate this issue I field tested a curriculum module that reflects the contemporary issues of writing in art education. The curriculum module under investigation has been designed to correlate my 5^th grade fine arts curriculum with the homeroom teacher’s 5^th grade language arts curriculum.

During this study I worked with 56 fifth grade students and incorporated four writing projects into their fine arts curriculum: a Character Exploration project, a Black-out poetry project, a surrealistic textured paper collage …