Creative Writing Commons^™

Reflections On Building A Popular Writing Course, Emily Howson, Chris Massenburg, Cecilia Shelton

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Composition pedagogy has typically employed traditional academic texts in the instruction of first-year writing courses. In this article, three first-year writing instructors reflect on their experiences employing popular culture artifacts in lieu of more traditional academic texts in writing classrooms at a small, private, historically black institution (HBCU). By retrospectively analyzing the intersections between theory and practice, the instructors’ autoethnographic reflections explore the utility of popular culture artifacts as tools for teaching and learning writing, with an emphasis on rhetorical knowledge and transfer. Though preliminary, their conclusions point to the potential of popular culture for integration into traditional best practices …

The Need For Accurate [And Respectful] Depictions Of Mental Illness In Fiction, Jacequlyn L. Mills

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to address the ongoing misrepresentation of mental illness in popular media, specifically within film, television, and literature. The power of the media is instrumental in public perception, and the ongoing negative misinformation and inaccuracy of mental illness those who are affected by it in media is instrumental in spreading harmful stereotypes and stigma. This affects not only the way that the general public views mental illness but also the way those with mental illness view themselves as well as their desire to seek help. I use these forms of media to showcase both the negative and positive …

English 101 Assignment: 9-Panel Comic Strip, Katherine Rubin

Open Educational Resources

A creative Composition 101 assignment that prompts students to draw a 9-panel comic strip reflecting on the chapter "How I Learned to Read and Write" from Frederick Douglass's autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave.

The Persuasiveness Of Point Of View, John Brandon Keever

Masters Theses

An obsession with the point of view, POV, as a craft element, drove the impetus of this research. The artist's statement highlights a love affair with escapism through the written word in fiction. The critical paper reviews evidence of the persuasiveness of point of view, POV, as a critical craft element as seen in the nuances of POV in The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and A Time to Dance by Karen Kingsbury and in first-person testimony in journalism. While some research into POV exists for literary classics, like Pride and Prejudice, this …

My Daily Grounds: A Journal Of Creative Alchemy, Kathleen A. Donovan

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

My Daily Grounds: A Journal of Creative Alchemy is a project intended to renew artistic confidence and prepare a mindset for a writing retreat in Ireland in June 2024 by revisiting childhood memories and exploring the impact of early domestic abuse through a visual journaling process. This endeavor aims to stir up the creative voice and find authenticity in creation by gathering and clarifying personal data visually, following the Creative (CPS) approach to unlock new insights and ideas for writing. The resulting essays will illuminate the unseen effects of trauma and are intended for publication, reflecting a co-creative process between …

A Writer In Writing, Stephanie Lamas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As a writer and individual, I speak between many roles, presenting myself as “I” but also “her”. Inevitably, there is a gap between “who I am” and “who I am made out to be” that I am not always in control of. Similarly, there is a disparity in intention versus interpretation in writing. Since we don’t exist in a vacuum, I must account for these gaps, acknowledging my individuality while adapting to changing circumstances and needs. As an individual with several disadvantages and particularities, however, my sense of self is unstable and uncertain, reflecting the instability and uncertainty in my …

The World Of Marubia: A Writer’S Perspective Into Building Worlds Using Transmedia Aesthetics, Diego Lucca Espinosa

Whittier Scholars Program

This Senior Project is a Generative and Research Thesis based around the techniques and aesthetics of Transmedia storytelling that are used when dabbling in World Building. It includes three interconnected creative pieces: 2 flash fiction stories and a short screenplay, all revolving and connected to the story world of my creation, Marubia. These stories exist in a world going through a technopoaclypse; Robotic creatures wield magic against their Human brothers in arms, slaved to the command of a Dark God. The Transmedia Aesthetics coined by Professor Geoffrey Long, specifically Resonant Simple-Story Myths, Fractal Storytelling, and World-Centric Narrative Design were pivotal …

Haunted: Writing Poems As A Shadowy Intellectual, Atreyee Majumder

Articles

An academic and writer reflects on the circumstances and stimuli—in the form of poetry—that led her to find a voice that was as intimately her own as it was public.

Finding Your Mathematical Roots: Inclusion And Identity Development In Mathematics, Linda Mcguire

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper details a semester-long course project that has been successfully adapted for use in mathematics courses ranging from introductory level, general-education classes to advanced courses in the mathematics major. Through creating aspirational mathematical family trees and writing mathematical autobiographies, this assignment is designed to help battle belonging uncertainty, to challenge students to self-situate in relation to the history of mathematical and scientific knowledge, and to make visible a student’s developing identity in mathematics and, more broadly, in STEM.

The construction and scaffolding of the project, assignments, examples of student work, foundational readings, assessment and outcomes, and adaptation strategies for …

Looking For The Exit Door, Nicole Kowalewski

Honors Senior Capstones and Theses

No abstract provided.

Lemons And Other Grand Delusions, Jake A. Yarnold

Master's Theses

Lemons and Other Grand Delusions explores a host of characters as they come face to face with their greatest fears, as they get exactly what they think they want. From magic dimension-bending lemons, to automatons powered by the Philosopher’s Stone, as the powers from beyond become in-hand realities, the characters find their greatest desires are not as simple and powerful in their hands as they first thought. Exploring the limits of greed and desire within ourselves and in the society we live in, the collection asks who are we, if not a collection of our own desires, and the impulses …

On Foot, Dee Hobsbawn-Smith

The Goose

“On Foot” is an interdisciplinary examination of the importance of walking and running to the creative life. It is primarily a personal essay braided together with free verse poetry and a small proportion of inquiry into a few famous thinkers and writers who walked regularly. The essay traces a serious foot injury and the effects of that trauma, coupled with the threat of loss of sight, on a writer with a long history of walking and running as part of their creative process. The five poems unspool the sights and sounds of the natural rural world where they walk daily, …

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.

Discourse Community Analysis, Norah Langford

Cardinal Compositions

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Scientific Writing: Wild Dog Populations Of South Africa, Kaden Stumpf

Cardinal Compositions

No abstract provided.

The Historical, Cultural, And Anecdotal Importance Of Iberian Ham, Zach Hisle

Cardinal Compositions

No abstract provided.

The Meal Of Summertime: The Pasty, Greta Laffin

Cardinal Compositions

No abstract provided.

Infographic, Ayana Fairweather

Cardinal Compositions

No abstract provided.

Engl 102 Assignment Sheet, Michael Benjamin

Cardinal Compositions

No abstract provided.

Engl 102 Assignment Sheet, Ayaat W Ismail

Cardinal Compositions

No abstract provided.

Engl 101 Assignment Sheet, Ayaat W Ismail

Cardinal Compositions

No abstract provided.

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 …

Legends Of Light: Crafting Middle Grade Fantasy In The Tradition Of Catholic Philosophy And Medieval Visual Culture, Bernadette Lamb

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay promotes the writing and illustrating of middle grade literature that mirrors the wonder-inducing experiences of leafing through an illuminated manuscript and stepping into a Gothic cathedral. An examination of Catholic medieval visual culture moves into a discussion on its underlying philosophy and theology, which are profoundly centered on relational healing and the dignity of the human person. Christian writers including St. Pope John Paul II, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Josef Pieper, Madeline L’Engle, Dr. Bob Schuchts, Makoto Fujimura, and Andrew Peterson inform an exploration of mercy, forgiveness, and love as self-gift in the context of illustration and storytelling …

Reviving Local Journalism And Storytelling: Reporting On The "Oc Weekly", Lauren E. Montoya

Whittier Scholars Program

In an effort to reflect the importance of local journalism, the following project is a narrative piece reporting on the closure of the OC Weekly, an alternative news source that ended in 2019, which was hardly reported on. This project aims to change that by further demonstrating the severe impact on communities in which these meaningful sources of news disappear, and why they matter. It calls on people to advocate for and change transform journalism into more than corporate-centered news that too often disregards the critical aspect of storytelling. Storytelling brings communities together and is the life of journalism, …

At Least Eight Poems, Stone Mcdonald

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This reflective essay displays the super thematic theme that's clearly present on this project. It is at least eight poems, and you cannot dispute that claim. This project clearly was made to satisfy those college requirements, but I will admit that its theme is merely the theme of Stone. It is a sample of my perception, a slippery path that directs readers into my creative process and brisk way of thinking. If you ever get confused about what you’re reading, just remember, it all falls under the theme of stone; the rock without surface, clearly with depth. It’s a theme …

The Cross And The Crime Scene: The Convergence Of Writing As A Christian And The Mystery Genre, Ellie Talalight

Senior Honors Theses

This creative thesis begins with a discussion of the different approaches to writing as a Christian. It describes the evangelistic approach, the integrative approach, and the thematic approach, which vary in the degree to which the author’s faith is explicitly or implicitly included. The thesis then focuses on the way Dorothy Sayers and G. K. Chesterton incorporated their faith into their mystery stories. It then includes excerpts from an original mystery novel. Finally, it considers the value and purpose of this project.

General Review Of Elements Quiz For "Write Or Left" Textbook, Kylee C. Pastore

Open Educational Resources

General Review of Elements Quiz for Write or Left: An OER Textbook for Creative Writing Courses. This quiz assesses students' knowledge of the key terms employed in the textbook and is intended for the opening weeks of the semester. Includes quiz questions and answer key.