The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students / Edition 2

by Heather Sellers

Overview

Harness your imagination to create stories. Practice of Creative Writing walks through the habits and strategies that produce good writing to better your skills in any genre.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312676025
Publisher:	Bedford/St. Martin's
Publication date:	08/10/2012
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	528
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

HEATHER SELLERS (Ph.D., Florida State University) is professor of English at Hope College in Michigan, where she teaches fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Fiction and a Barnes and Noble New Discovery Writers Award, she has published widely in a variety of genres. Her books include Georgia Under Water, a collection of linked stories; Drinking Girls and Their Dresses: Poems; Page After Page, a memoir of the writing life; and Spike and Cubby's Ice Cream Island Adventure, a children's book.

Table of Contents

*indicates new selection (please add this on the page)

Preface
Introduction
How The Practice of Creative Writing Works
Asking Generative Questions

Part One
FOUNDATIONS

1 Finding Focus
The Mind’s Eye
Subject as Focus
Developing Focus
Lack of Focus
*Neil Gaiman’s “8 Rules for Writing”
Writing Projects
Readings
*Jarod Rosello, Robot Camp
*Writers on Writing (Jarod Rosello)
*John Brehm, The Poems I Have Not Written
*Writers on Writing (John Brehm)
*Och Gonzalez, What I Do on My Terrace Is None of Your Business
Writers on Writing (Och Gonzalez)

2 Reading as a Writer
Tips for Reading as a Writer
To Read Is To Travel
Strategies for Close Reading
Genres: An Overview
Closely Reading Your Own Work
Reading Work By Peers
Reading to Write
WRITING PROJECTS
READINGS
Van Jordan, af•ter•glow
Sebastian Matthews, Buying Wine
*Lee Herrick, My California
*Writers on Writing (Lee Herrick)
*Ira Sukrungruang, Chop Suey
*Nancy Stolham, I Found Your Voodoo Doll on the Dance Floor After Last Call
Vincent Scarpa, I Go Back to Berryman’s
*Writers on Writing (Vincent Scarpa)
* Ted Chiang, The Great Silence
Marco Ramirez, I am not Batman

3 Creating from Components
Core Components of Creative Writing
Genre-Specific Components
Components of Narrative: Memoir, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction
Components of Poetry
Gwendolyn Brooks, We Real Cool
Components of Plays
WRITING PROJECTS
COMPONENTS WORKSHOP
READINGS
Kim Addonizio, First Poem for You
Terrance Hayes, Liner Notes for an Imaginary Playlist
Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
Brenda Miller, Swerve
Writers on Writing (Brenda Miller)
Raymond Carver, Cathedral

Part Two
STRATEGIES

4 Images
The Principles of Images
Creating with Images
A Word on Ideas
WRITING PROJECTS
IMAGES WORKSHOP
READINGS
*Ross Gay, Ode to Sleeping in My Clothes
Natalie Diaz, My Brother at 3 a.m.
Dylan Landis, In My Father’s Study upon His Death
Writers on Writing (Dylan Landis)
*Thao Thai, Counting Bats
Mary Robison, Pretty Ice
Akhil Sharma, Surrounded by Sleep

5 Energy
The Principles of Energy
Manipulating Energy
TROUBLESHOOTING ENERGY
WRITING PROJECTS
ENERGY WORKSHOP
READINGS
Betsy Sholl, Genealogy
Brian Turner, What Every Soldier Should Know
*Jamila Osman, Fluency
*Beth Ann Fennelly, One Doesn’t Always Wish to Converse on Airplanes
*Beth Ann Fennelly, Small Talk at Evanston General
*Beth Ann Fennelly, Why I’m Switching Salons
*Beth Ann Fennelly, Two Phone Conversations
Writers on Writing (Beth Ann Fennelly)
Brian Arundel, The Things I’ve Lost
Rick Moody, Boys
*Brenda Peynado, What We Lost
*Rebecca Roanhorse, Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™
*Kristina Halvorson, Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere

6 Tension
The Principles of Tension
Maintaining Tension
Manipulating Tension
WRITING PROJECTS
TENSION WORKSHOP
READINGS
*Natalie Diaz, Abecedarian Requiring Further Examination of Anglikan Seraphym Subjugation of a Wild Indian Rezervation
Jenifer Hixson, Where There’s Smoke
Rod Kessler, How to Touch a Bleeding Dog
Marisa Silver, What I Saw from Where I Stood
Jessica Shattuck, Bodies
Peter Morris, Pancakes

7 Pattern
Pattern by Ear
E. E. Cummings, (Me up at does)
Pattern by Eye
WRITING PROJECTS
PATTERN WORKSHOP
READINGS
Gregory Orr, The River
Randall Mann, Pantoum
*Edna St. Vincent Millay, What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why
*Julie Azzam, How to Erase an Arab
*Writers on Writing (Julie Azzam)
*Ken Liu, Paper Menagerie

8 Insight
Reading for Insight
Principles of Insight
PRACTICING INSIGHT
Three Pitfalls
WRITING PROJECTS
INSIGHT WORKSHOP
READINGS
*Julia Koets, Boys
*Writers on Writing (Julia Koets)
* Pablo Neruda, Ode to My Suit
*Joy Harjo, She Had Some Horses (part one)
*Dana Spiotta, Control
Brian Doyle, Two Hearts
Michael Cunningham, White Angel

9 Shape
Principles of Shape
Additional Techniques for Shaping Your Work
Pitfalls
Shaping a Story: A Writer at Work
EDITING AND PROOFREADING
WRITING PROJECTS
SHAPE WORKSHOP

Part Three
FORMS

10 Finding Form
Forms: Recipes for Writers
Creating a Portfolio of Forms
Abecedarius
Anaphora
Braid
Comics and Graphic Narratives
Flash
Ghazal
Journey
List
Monologue
Pantoum
Play/Screenplay
Sestina
Sonnet
Villanelle

Part Four
THE WRITING LIFE

11 Reaching Readers
Preparing to Publish
Live Readings
Literary Magazines: Print and Digital
Portfolios and Chapbooks
QUESTIONS TO ASK: Writing an Artist’s Statement

12 Writing Resources
Smart Searching
Social Media
Resources
Instruction in Specific Genres

Editorial Reviews

"[This text] is engaging, idiosyncratic, smartly-written, amusing, informative and dead-on."

— John Walser, Marian College of Fond du Lac

"The tone and energy are fantastic, as is the continual implication that creative writing and student writing are important and vital. I also like the implication that students CAN do this. It's difficult and they must practice — but they can do it if they work hard . . . ."

—Barbara Griest Devora, Northwest Vista College

From the Publisher