Monday 4 July 2011

Tips, exercises & ideas

This is the 112th entry in the teaching creative writing blog and I'm going to take a break.

But do not despair if you have just found your way here, or indeed if you are a regular. At the bottom of this blog you will see Labels, lots of them, so you can find all sorts of tips, exercises and ideas -- three and a half years' worth!

It's a very long list, so here is a shorter list of the likeliest Labels to find Really Useful Goodies.

Assessment, Assessment Criteria
Creative Process, Creative Writing
Critic Within
Difficult Students
End of Year, Endings
Energy
Exercises (24 entries!)
Feedback
First Class (3)
Homework
How to Critique
Lesson Planning (6)
Pitching a Course (3 -- this is pitching it to an institution, not to students)
Questionnaires
Start of Term, Starting Term, Teacher as Host
Travel Writing
Warming the Class
Workshopping
Writing Residentials

Meanwhile, there's the book, Creative Writing: the Matrix, Exercises & Ideas for Creative Writing Teachers, now in its 2nd printing. Click here to go to my website to explore and order direct from me. Each term there's an exercise and teaching tip. The book's on Amazon too (click here), but costs you more.

So what will I be doing? Getting on with Testing the Gods, the story of my great-grandfather's life, now 60,000 words in. And I want to write a companion to the Matrix, exercises and ideas for teaching creative non-fiction (travel writing, articles, memoire...) -- interested?

Emails will still come through to me; if anything exciting or extra-creativewritingteaching-puzzling arises for you, talk to me!

3 comments:

Helen Yendall said...

Enjoy your 'rest', Susan - and I'll be looking out for the new book!
Helen

Anonymous said...

Susan - Hi - how are you? I hope you don't mind me contacting you for a short quote?

I'm writing an article for Writing Magazine, on 'Making the Most of Your Creative Writing Class', which will be in the October issue (so, just in time for the classes starting in the Autumn term).

I wondered if you'd mind giving me a quote for it? Is there one thing that you'd say to people joining your class for the first time (or even to 'returners'), to make sure they get the most from the sessions?

Thanks very much!
Helen

Susan Lee said...

Helen, How about something like this...

'Suspend your fears and worries, tell your inner critic to get lost for a while, enjoy the in-class exercises -- let go and write! Write between classes too, hand in your writing and take advantage of the chance to get helpful feedback from the tutor.'
Also: 'Enjoy the camaraderie of fellow writers.'
Quote-unquote & cheers, Susan.