Creative Writing (H)(DE):

CREATIVE WRITING

Honors / Dual Enrollment through Fairleigh Dickinson University

Ms. Southwood  |  Room 104  |  dsouthwoodsmith@dover-nj.org

Course Description

Creative Writing is a workshop-based course for students who want to explore ideas, develop an individual voice, and strengthen their command of language. Students will read mentor texts, experiment with form and style, draft original work, exchange thoughtful feedback, revise substantially, and prepare selected pieces for publication and presentation.

Course Objectives

Generate and develop ideas through observation, memory, research, freewriting, reading, and imaginative play.

Apply the craft of writing including voice, imagery, structure, scene, character, dialogue, rhythm, and purposeful language.

Participate in a writing community by sharing work, listening carefully, and offering specific, constructive peer feedback.

Revise with intention by reconsidering meaning, structure, style, and audience—not merely correcting surface errors.

Reflect and publish through readings, presentations, anthologies, writer's statements, and a yearlong portfolio.

Course Sequence

Introduction to the Writing Studio: digital portfolio setup, Google tools, the writing process, course resources, peer editing, and workshop practice.

Personal Essay: memory, voice, scene, reflection, style, larger meaning, revision, and publication.

Poetry: imagery, sound, rhythm and meter, poetic form, identity and letter poems, spoken word, art, anthology production, and performance.

Fiction Capstone: character, setting, point of view, conflict, dialogue, scene, structure, genre, sustained drafting, creative risk, and publication.

Assessment and Grading

40%  Polished Writing and Final Portfolio — major finished pieces demonstrating craft, voice, growth, and command of language.

25%  Writing Process and Revision — planning, drafting, conferencing, feedback use, and substantive revision.

15%  Workshop and Peer Feedback — prepared, specific, and constructive contributions to the writing community.

10%  Notebook and Craft Practice — freewrites, exercises, mentor-text work, experimentation, and idea generation.

10%  Reflection, Publication, and Presentation — writer's statements, self-assessment, readings, anthologies, and sharing work.

Materials

A notebook (provided), writing utensil, computer, imagination, and willingness to try, share, listen, rethink, and begin again.

Dual Enrollment

This course offers dual-enrollment credit through Fairleigh Dickinson University and carries weight equal to an Honors course.

The Writing Portfolio

Throughout the year, students will preserve drafts, feedback, revision evidence, polished work, and reflection. The final portfolio will document both the student's strongest writing and the development of the writer who created it.