Creative Writing Commons^™

Strange Bird, James L. Wilson

Masters Theses

Strange Bird is a deeply emotional, character-driven novel about loss, resilience, and the unexpected bonds that heal us. When Camille dies suddenly, her son Malik—an autistic boy navigating a world already challenging to him—is left in the care of those who loved her most but who struggle to fill the void she leaves behind. Margaret, Camille’s fiercely protective mother, and Marcus, Camille’s former partner, battle grief, strained loyalties, and an emerging threat from Malik’s estranged biological father, Daryl.

As Marcus fights to protect Malik's future, hidden truths unravel, testing friendships, family ties, and the meaning of true guardianship. The novel …

Surviving Olympus, Kendra Alexandria Grant

Masters Theses

Pandora has lived with her mother and grandfather always watching the world from a distance for her safety, as her mother told her. Their safety comes to end when Zeus takes them from their home and intends to put them to death, but the kindness of a stranger saves them with the plot of a fake marriage. Follow as Pandora learns to navigate her new world of Olympus in this dystopian society of clones and an impending war.

Vampyres Reimagined, Madison Marie Strand

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the intricate interplay between imagination and reality in fantasy literature, encapsulated within the first ninety pages of my novel, A Ruin of Memories. It is an explorative contribution to the genre, with themes of mental health, loss, and belonging in an environment that morphs reality with the supernatural.

The artist statement serves as a reflective insight into my creative process and personal journey as a writer. It outlines my motivations for crafting A Ruin of Memories, rooted in my desire to paint a picture of spiritual warfare through the lens of vampyres, werewolves, and witches. Through this …

Character Dialogue And How It Works In Cinema, Janet Best

Masters Theses

BEYOND THE DOOR is a psychological thriller screenplay about an abandoned house and two sixth-grade girls with a shared trauma.

The Influence Of Paint, Kaylyn Dunn

Masters Theses

This thesis is made up of multiple essays aimed at examining the relationship between identity, craft, and narrative development. It emphasizes how societal expectations affect self-worth, personal happiness, and identity development. It combines literary, sociological, and Christian viewpoints to highlight the significance of portraying complex and diverse individuals to reflect on the relational nature of identity. This thesis also provides a thorough analysis of theoretical frameworks and practical methodologies for creating compelling characters. By examining psychological models, sociocultural influences, conflict, voice, and genre-specific techniques, it demonstrates how complex character creation enhances narrative. The culmination of this thesis, a novel called …

Into The Shadows In Context: A Personal Writing Philosophy, The Fantasy Tradition, And A Novella, Genevieve Mumford

Masters Theses

It is important for the aspiring fantasy novelist to consider why he or she writes. Some personal motivations for writing include the desire to glorify God by mirroring His creativity, utilizing one’s talents, reflecting the Gospel of Christ, creating quality art, and providing clean entertainment. Christian authors should be free to pursue whatever type of writing they wish, knowing that when they focus on the story first, the message will flow into it naturally. In addition, fantasy novelists should study key works in this genre. Fantasy stories generally include otherworldly settings, magic, and the victory of good over evil. J. …

The Craft Of Christie: A Dissection Of Agatha Christie’S Creation Of Character, Rachel Grace Olds

Masters Theses

Agatha Christie’s writing is widely known, but not deeply known. She is a master of the genre of mystery, and many critics and scholars have lauded her genius. However, she is not often recognized for her mastery of the craft of character. In fact, several critics have misunderstood her characters as two-dimensional beings that exist only to advance the plot. This thesis aims to examine the way Agatha Christie crafts her characters, how her methods of the craft of character work to perfectly mislead her readers, and her ultimate purpose for creating and implementing manipulative elements for the reader. In …

"I'M Good," Ain't Nobody's Happy, Nikkole Stafford

Masters Theses

The composition of this thesis will comprise an artistic statement, critical paper, and the first 90 pages of a fiction-based manuscript created during the pursuit of my master’s degree in creative writing at Liberty University.

Beginning with the artist’s statement, I will present the creative mindset utilized in composing the chapters of the manuscript that best reflect my declaration to be entitled as an author. My critical paper will follow my artist’s statement, which will further discuss the fundamental themes that highlight this story, which are social acceptance, faith, and redemption. Using the platform of a fiction novel, I will …

Faith In Fiction As A Craft Element: A Great Way Off, Leah Matlock

Masters Theses

The following thesis includes an artist statement, critical paper, and the first ten chapters of my novel, A Great Way Off, that I began writing at the beginning of my academic career in 2019. This piece ultimately showcases all I have learned through my degree and how I have incorporated my faith into my writing.

My artist statement discusses why I am passionate about including the Gospel in everything I write along with the inspiration and story behind A Great Way Off. The critical paper discusses the importance of integrating faith into literature, as well as an examination of the …

Poetries Of Abandonment: A Study Of Plath And Glück, Yara Abdelmoneim

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the intersection between literature and trauma, which can be discerned in the key works of two poets, Sylvia Plath and Louise Glück. While offering readings of crucial poems, the thesis also examines the interrelations among trauma, memory and narrative as theorized by two contemporary psychiatrists, Bessel van der Kolk and Judith Herman. Both Plath and Glück wrote about personal and generational trauma after going through different experiences of abandonment. Absence, indirection and repetition provide the basis for literary techniques that allow their traumas to be better understood by authors and readers alike. The degree to which each …

A Crisis Of Craft: Creative Writing In The American University, Brenna E. Derbish

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this essay, I aim to analyze the changing nature of the Creative Writing MFA through the lens of the American culture that shaped it. In the 1930s, creative writing in American universities began to take shape, citing itself as a way to reform the philological study of literature into a more active field, a way for the common person to learn through creativity and self-expression. However, as the number of MFA programs in the nation continued to rise, admittance became increasingly selective, with many universities accepting only between 5 and 10% of their applicants. This increase in exclusivity, coupled …

Resurrection: Poems, Antonia Felix

MSU Authors Collection

Resurrection: Poems by Antonia Felix explores the inner and outer dimensions of place, nature, and personal ties.

Maxim Gorky’S Illusionary Reformation Of Human Nature And The Rise Of The Soviet Citizen: Socialist Realism As A Constructive Force In Mother, Alysia Gayle Meyer

Honors Projects

This paper examines the origins and evolution of the Socialist Realism movement headed by Maxim Gorky, as a defining ideological and artistic framework of the Stalin era. Emerging in response to the experimental avant-garde movements of Revolutionary Russia, Socialist Realism sought to construct the ideal Soviet Reality, reimaging society and its citizens through the lens of collectivism, labor, and ideological purity. Central to this exploration is Gorky’s first major Socialist Realist novel, Mother, which serves as a blueprint for depicting the ideal Soviet citizen. By analyzing the motivations behind this movement and its portrayal of utopian ideals, this study reveals …

Write The Way: A Healing-Centered Model For Moving Toward Liberatory And Transformative Experience, Ioanna P. Opidee

Educational Studies Dissertations

Writing can be a source of affirmation, empowerment, liberation, healing, and joy, but it can also be a source of dread, oppression, and identity-based harm, particularly for people who have been marginalized or minoritized. Write the Way is a theoretical model for writing and pedagogy, intended to help writers and teachers of writing clear out and tread safely along various pathways toward healing ourselves and our relationships—with writing, with others, and with ourselves—as we move together in the direction of a healing world. The purpose of this study was to identify the ways in which the Write the Way model …

A Study Into The Psychology Of Emotions, Dark Comedy, And Theatre Of The Absurd: Ghosted An Original Script, Courtney Bronson

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Imagine a world without emotions. Ghosted is an eleven-part dark comedy script inspired by The Giver, Clue, Knives Out: Glass Onion, and Inside Out. The script explores the consequences of a dystopian, government-controlled society that has eradicated emotions in the name of order. The script blends dark comedy with elements of Theatre of the Absurd to highlight the farcical nature and danger of emotional suppression. Drawing on research in emotional psychology and emotional dysregulation, Ghosted presents emotions as incorporeal “Emotion Ghosts” that possess five volunteers and unleash unpredictable chaos. When one volunteer ends up dead, the remaining members begin to …

Shifting Sands: Moving From Reality To Unreality, Aaron Waterson

Theses and Dissertations

This is a series of stories that shifts from literary fiction to science fiction, each with their own inspiration and message. Inspirations include The Twilight Zone, Benjamin Percy, Da-Lin, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Sandman, and Endymion. Each of these stories is conversant with norms and traditions of storytelling and the connections between these and their inspirations are elaborated on in the Introduction that accompanies the collection as a whole.

The Craft Store, David W. Jardine

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This poetic expression focuses on beingness, attention, and our creations and perceptions of beingness and the implications that flow from those perceptions, some of them having to do with how we relate to one another.

Dr. David W. Jardine is a retired University of Calgary Professor who spent years thinking, reading, teaching and writing about the kinships between ecological thinking, pedagogy and hermeneutics. His latest book is "Why Study for A Future We Won't Have?" Commiserations and Encouragement for Ecologically Sorrowful Times, and the forthcoming “[This Ain’t] No Nature Poetry: On Education, Scholarship, and Ecological Mirth.”

Body Image Poem: The Shape Of Me, Joanne Detore

Publications

No abstract provided.

Conversations And Educating People About Traumatic Experiences, Cynthia Ortega

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

This Capstone project focused on writing a book for young adults about the different traumas people experience, including generational trauma, domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental health struggles. These difficult topics were often discussed, yet the goal was to encourage open conversations that helped individuals recognize trauma and learn about available resources. My mother, Theresa Preciado, experienced all these challenges, and sharing her story aimed to inspire others to speak up. Her journey reflected the struggles of many, offering relatability, education, and understanding. Readers were made aware that the book included emotionally heavy content. At its core, this project sought …

Collisions: The Enlivened Entanglements Of The Object-Self, Grace P. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This piece is a performance collage centered around objects and our entanglements with them. Through unpacking five objects in my life and their histories and interrogating three interwoven levels of narrative (the historical, the personal, and the aesthetic), I playfully displace the subject/object hierarchy to contribute to broader theoretical discussions regarding the agency of objects, resulting in novel insights through the collisions produced from the performance collage.

Ztc Eng 151 Syllabus: College Writing, Nicolette Guida

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus provides a curriculum for an introduction to research writing. In this course, students develop introductory skills for academic research writing, work on critical thinking and analysis skills, and build an awareness of the rhetorical situation both in texts read in class and in their own writing. This course focuses on the impact that culture has in shaping behavior and life experiences. Included course texts are centered on the exploration of the different cultural groups that people occupy and the specific cultural norms, values and beliefs for each of these groups. This is zero textbook cost (ZTC) course, so …

The Vastness Of The Canyon, Opal Weber

The Echo

No abstract provided.

World-Inspired Patterns 2, Hai Tran Nguyen

The Echo

No abstract provided.

Blue-Footed Boobies, Anna Timbes

The Echo

No abstract provided.

A Dream, Kathryn Wilson

The Echo

No abstract provided.

Quiet, Philip Temple

The Echo

No abstract provided.

What Bubbles Up In Yellowstone, Opal Weber

The Echo

No abstract provided.

Transition One, Tate Denham

The Echo

No abstract provided.

Ferry At Dusk, Natalie Davis

The Echo

No abstract provided.

Melina Iii, Anna Timbes

The Echo

No abstract provided.