Introduction to Creative Writing—Honors

Do you have the beginning lines of a poem, a short story idea, or a personal experience you’ve been drawn to writing about? Are you excited to read new creative work and develop a growing vocabulary for discussing it? This introductory course aims to provide you with the knowledge of essential craft elements in three genres of creative writing: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Students will read and engage with diverse published works in each genre alongside craft readings to better understand course texts and to inform their own creative choices. In addition to learning the basics of each genre, students will explore topics such as hybridity and experimentation, with encouragement to take risks in their own play and practices. Students will complete a variety of independent and collaborative writing exercises, reading responses, reflective activities, and engagements with literary communities within and/or beyond Mizzou’s campus. Students will submit two poems, one short story, and one creative nonfiction essay to workshop, compose workshop feedback for a group of peers, and curate a final portfolio that showcases revised work in at least one genre at the end of the semester.