Creative Writing Certificate Program | Northwestern SPS - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

Intended for students with little or no formal training in the elements of writing poetry, this course combines both seminar and workshop methods and includes extensive reading of poetry. Students use analytical skills presented in the course to critique each others' drafts of poems written during the quarter. May not be audited or taken P/N. Advanced composition course or equivalent writing experience strongly recommended.

Intended for students with little or no formal training in the elements of writing fiction, this course emphasizes the processes and assumptions unique to fiction writing and the development of a personal voice. Students analyze technique and form in works of various authors. Writing assignments include at least two stories developed and revised in a workshop format. Lectures, workshops, and individual conferences. May not be audited or taken P/N. Advanced composition course or equivalent writing experience strongly recommended.

This course is for students who want to improve their writing skills and explore the fundamentals of creative nonfiction. Creative nonfiction borrows techniques from fiction—strong characters, captivating narration, and compelling scenes—and bears a certain allegiance to journalistic practices—a faithfulness to “the facts,” sharp descriptions, and dialogue that rings true. By learning the craft of creative nonfiction, you’ll discover how to interest, amuse, entertain, move, persuade, and instruct your readers.

In this course, you’ll take your writing to a new level. The focus will be on three forms of creative nonfiction: the personal essay, think pieces (which is most of the nonfiction you encounter on the internet), and the lyric essay. You’ll discover how to read as writers, learning from the old masters and new voices. Each week, you’ll experiment with a new form and submit a written assignment. All classes will be conducted in seminar and workshop formats.

May not be audited or taken P/N. Advanced composition class and strong basic writing skills highly recommended.

For students who have taken courses in poetry writing or who have been writing poetry on their own, this course offers further practice and study in the development of poems. Students create and refine poems; student writing is discussed in a workshop format and individual conferences. Readings of published poems and writing exercises are also part of the course. The course will be comprised of three major components: in-class writing exercises; discussion of contemporary poetry/poets and of our own works; and a collaborative group performance at the end of the course. Assignments will include: participation (lab, homework, workshop discussion, impromptu readings, oral presentation, attendance), collaborative group performance, final portfolio "book," and assigned texts. May not be audited or taken P/N. Prerequisite: ENGLISH 206 or permission of instructor. Students should have previous poetry writing experience in an academic setting. Instructor's consent and confirmation of the prerequisite course or appropriate writing experience is required for enrollment in this course.

Some stories run uninterrupted from start to finish, like the exhalation of a single breath or—as George Saunders likes to say—a toy car zipping under the couch. Other stories seek to delay, linger, or meander using various devices, one of which is breaking the narrative into sections or parts. This class will explore some of the different ways that authors have used this strategy, why they did so, and how the strategy affects a story’s structure, pace, and ambition. Students will draft two new stories using one method or another for dividing the narrative into parts. Other writing will include exercises and feedback for workshop stories. Published short stories and brief craft lessons will supplement our focus on student work.

There will be synchronous sessions (shorter than the scheduled three hours), and  students will meet separately in pairs or groups for discussions or small workshops, scheduled as they prefer. Note that all stories should be either literary realism or magical realism; no fantasy or sci-fi.

Must attend the first class. May not be audited for taken P/N. 

Prerequisite: ENGLISH 207, previous introductory level fiction writing course, or similar writing experience. Students who have not completed ENGLISH 207 should obtain instructor's consent and confirmation of appropriate writing experience. Please send an email to the professor with your writing background to request a permission number once registration for winter quarter has opened.

For students who have completed at least one course in fiction writing, this course will provide further study of matters of technique and structure, with an emphasis on the exploration of character and discovery of plot through the process of revising. Short stories by contemporary authors will be read as models. The course builds on the premises, assignments, and goals of English 307-A, but students may enroll without having completed that course. May not be audited for taken P/N.

Prerequisite: ENGLISH 207 or 307-A or comparable courses in creative writing with permission of instructor. Students who have not completed ENGLISH 207 or 307-A should obtain instructor's consent and confirmation of appropriate writing experience. Please send an email to the professor with your writing background to request a permission number once registration for spring quarter has opened.

This workshop course is for students who have taken courses in creative nonfiction or who have been writing creative nonfiction on their own. Students apply their developing command of creative writing techniques and forms to frequent short writing exercises and essays. Class discussion of published essays and excerpts from longer works and student drafts may address such topics as voice, style, structure, the uses of research, and truth.

May not be audited or taken P/N. Prerequisite: ENGLISH 208 or permission of instructor. Students should have previous creative writing experience in an academic setting. Students who have not completed ENGLISH 208 should obtain instructor's consent and confirmation of appropriate writing experience. Please send an email to the professor with your writing background to request a permission number once registration for winter quarter has opened.

The goal of this Advanced Creative Nonfiction course is to help you embark on a new level of professionalism in your writing. The emphasis will be on structure, technique, and style. It will also be on getting your work out there, i.e., published. We'll revisit the macro elements of writing creative nonfiction via close readings and discussions of published works. Readings will include short forms—personal essays, narrative essays, food writing, reviews, longform journalism, and interviews and profiles. We'll also examine the potential that book-length forms offer, e.g., memoirs. You'll complete weekly assignments, continue or embark on a work-in-progress, and submit a final piece of writing that's been revised, edited, and proofread. We'll discuss publishing opportunities and go over the submission process, including how to choose websites and journals to submit to, write email queries and cover letters, and pitch reviews and features. May not be audited or taken P/N.

Prerequisite: ENGLISH 208 or 308-A, or comparable courses in creative writing with permission of instructor. Students who have not completed ENGLISH 208 or 308-A should obtain instructor's consent and confirmation of appropriate writing experience. Please send an email to the professor with your writing background to request a permission number once registration for spring quarter has opened.