Modules

Core Module Information
Module title: Creative Writing: Finding Your Voice
SCQF level: 08:
SCQF credit value: 20.00
ECTS credit value: 10
Module code: CLP08120
Module leader: Elizabeth Dearnley
School School of Arts and Creative Industries
Subject area group: Media and Humanities
Prerequisites

There are no pre-requisites for this module to be added
Description of module content:

If you love to write creatively but haven't had the opportunity to hone your skills and learn the craft, this module is for you. Throughout the semester, you'll work towards creating an original, artistically ambitious, technically skilled and professionally polished short story. You'll practice the techniques professional writers use to create compelling narratives and avoid common pitfalls like tropes, stereotypes, and writers block.You'll underpin this with analytical reading and research into genre, form, stylistics, and craft. Through this module you will discover the nuances of plot, character development, narration, structure, and feedback to help you build your professional writing practice. Furthermore, you will learn to identify reader expectations over genres, movements, and age-ranges, allowing you to target your writing to where it will make the most impact, politically and commercially.Throughout this module you will work with fellow students to problem-solve and collaborate on original pieces of writing. You will debate the intersections of an author's time, place, and political message to discover if the author truly has a ‘voice'. Finally, you'll hone your skills in self-reflection and editing to take you from the first draft to submission.
Learning Outcomes for module:

Upon completion of this module you will be able to

LO1: Consider your purpose as a writer and develop insight into its relationship with your own ‘voice’.

LO2: Illustrate an understanding of the diversity of techniques and practices used in the creative process.

LO3: Utilise a problem-solving approach to reviewing your own writing and indicate how different creative techniques can make this more effective.

LO4: Explore the relationship of creative literature to the period it is written in, the target audience and reception, for a fuller understanding of an author’s intention and how this relates to your own writing.

LO5: Select specific literary theory and criticism to clarify your use of particular creative techniques.

LO6: Discuss and examine specific approaches to creative writing through participating in class discussions and in-class writing sessions.
Full Details of Teaching and Assessment
2024/5, Trimester 1, In Person, Edinburgh Napier University
VIEW FULL DETAILS
Occurrence: 001
Primary mode of delivery: In Person
Location of delivery: MERCHISTON
Partner: Edinburgh Napier University
Member of staff responsible for delivering module: Elizabeth Dearnley
Module Organiser:


Student Activity (Notional Equivalent Study Hours (NESH))
Mode of activityLearning & Teaching ActivityNESH (Study Hours)NESH Description
Face To Face Tutorial 10 The weekly tutorials in this module will cement learning from lectures through group discussions of critical and creative texts explored in lectures, as well as more hands-on writing activities, allowing you to apply techniques learned to your own writing. You will be encouraged to ask questions about the intended audience for your work, taking into account notions of class, gender, race, and market for effective writing, and to reflect on your own creative process and purpose as a writer.
Face To Face Guided independent study 170 Over the course of the trimester you will write an original short story alongside a Critical Self-Reflection. The module is structured so that you will be given guidance to develop each aspect of your story week-by-week; however, you will be expected to write and research your story independently. There will also be assigned class reading. Regular attendance and participation in class will also help you to progress to independent research, reading and writing assignments.
Face To Face Lecture 20 The weekly lectures in this module will explore the building blocks of writing craft – character, plot and structure, narrative position, devices, worldbuilding, register and dialogue, and more – interspersed with practical exercises and activities allowing you to test these out. These lectures will also provide an opportunity to understand the role writers play in being the 'voice' of their society. Such an awareness will help you to establish your own 'voice'.
Total Study Hours200
Expected Total Study Hours for Module200


Assessment
Type of Assessment Weighting % LOs covered Week due Length in Hours/Words Description
Portfolio 100 1~2~3~4~5~6 Week 13 , WORDS= 3500 words The summative assessment consists of a 2500-word original short story and 1000-word Critical Self-Reflection, plus 100-word Statement of Purpose. This will enable you to illustrate narrative techniques and understanding of their application, as well as hone your overall purpose as a writer. This will form 100% of the module grade (50% story & 50% CSR; the Statement of Purpose is not assessed directly but will help inform both components). Both the formative and summative assessments require evidence of research and wider reading, demonstrating how your story is in conversation with other work.
Component 1 subtotal: 100
Component 2 subtotal: 0
Module subtotal: 100

Indicative References and Reading List - URL:
CLP08120 Creative writing
 

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