Creative Writing

Course Description

CRW2001 – Creative Writing is a 3-credit, lower-division workshop-style course providing students with foundational instruction in the craft of creative writing across multiple genres. The course addresses the elements of craft common across creative writing (voice, character, image, scene, structure, language); the distinct genres of creative writing (typically poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction; some institutions also include drama); the workshop method as the central pedagogical approach; reading published creative work as practitioners; substantial writing practice across the genres covered; and the development of a small portfolio of revised, finished creative work. Throughout, the emphasis is on craft development through practice and revision rather than on covering theoretical frameworks at the literature-survey level.

The course sits within the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) under Creative Writing > Foundational Coursework and is offered at approximately 27 Florida public institutions. CRW2001 is consistently a popular elective for AA-track students seeking humanities elective credit; for English majors building creative-writing concentrations; for AS and AAS students completing humanities distribution requirements; and for students from any major interested in developing their creative-writing skills. The course satisfies humanities distribution requirements at most Florida institutions and is widely accepted as a humanities elective in Florida AA degrees.

CRW2001 is the foundational creative-writing course in Florida public-college sequences. Subsequent creative-writing coursework typically includes genre-specific advanced courses (CRW2100 Creative Writing — Fiction; CRW2200 Creative Writing — Poetry; CRW2300 Creative Writing — Nonfiction; CRW2400 Creative Writing — Drama, where offered) and upper-division creative-writing concentrations at SUS institutions. Florida is home to substantial literary culture including major university creative-writing programs (UF MFA, FSU MFA, USF MFA, UCF MFA, UM MFA), substantial Florida-based literary publications and presses, and a substantial population of working writers; CRW2001 provides initial preparation for any of these directions.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of CRW2001, students will be able to:

• Apply foundational principles of creative writing craft across genres: voice and tone; character development; concrete and sensory imagery; scene-building; pacing; structure; the substantial role of language attention in successful creative writing; the distinction between creative writing and other writing modes (academic, technical, journalistic, business).
• Compose foundational poetry demonstrating attention to the elements of poetic craft: line and lineation; rhythm and meter at introductory level; sound (assonance, consonance, rhyme); imagery; figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, others); the distinction between free verse and metrical poetry; introductory awareness of major poetic forms (sonnet, villanelle, sestina, others); the development of personal poetic voice.
• Compose foundational short fiction demonstrating attention to the elements of fiction craft: character (interior and exterior); setting and world-building; scene; dialogue; point of view (first person, second person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient); plot and structure; theme; the substantial role of revision in successful fiction writing.
• Compose foundational creative nonfiction demonstrating attention to the elements of creative nonfiction craft: the truth-with-craft principle of creative nonfiction; the personal essay; memoir; literary journalism at introductory level; the relationship between factual accuracy and craft; the substantial contemporary growth of creative nonfiction as a genre.
• Apply principles of the workshop method: providing constructive critique on fellow writers' work; receiving critique on one's own work professionally; the substantial role of workshop in writer development; the etiquette and norms of literary workshop; the relationship between workshop critique and revision practice.
• Read published creative work as practitioners: reading poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from a course anthology or instructor-selected reading list; analyzing craft choices in published work; the substantial value of wide and varied reading in writer development; introduction to contemporary U.S. and international creative writers.
• Apply principles of revision: the distinction between revision and editing; substantial rewriting at draft level; the role of feedback (workshop, individual instructor consultation, self-critique) in revision; the substantial role of revision in producing finished creative work; introductory awareness of professional submission and publishing practices.
• Develop foundational personal writing practice: regular writing habits; reading practices that support writing; journal or notebook practice; the substantial role of consistent practice in writer development; the relationship between personal writing practice and submitted course work.
• Apply principles of responsible creative-writing practice: copyright and plagiarism awareness in creative-writing contexts (the unique considerations distinct from academic-writing plagiarism); the use of real people in creative writing; the responsible representation of cultural and personal experiences not the writer's own (cultural-appropriation considerations and the substantial contemporary conversation in creative writing); the contemporary conversation about generative AI and academic integrity in creative-writing contexts.
• Develop a portfolio of revised, finished creative work: typically 3-5 finished pieces across the genres covered; substantial revision of selected drafts; the relationship between portfolio quality and course success.
• Engage with contemporary issues in creative writing: the contemporary publishing landscape; literary magazines and journals; small presses; self-publishing; MFA programs; the substantial Florida creative-writing community.
• Apply foundational principles of professional creative-writing behaviors: meeting deadlines; offering and receiving feedback respectfully; appropriate citation of sources when used in creative work; the substantial role of professional behavior in any writing career.

Optional Outcomes

Depending on instructor selection:

• Engage with specific genres in greater depth — for instructors who allocate substantial time to one genre rather than equally distributing across genres.
• Engage with introductory drama writing: scene; dialogue at greater depth; the distinction between page and stage; one-act forms; the substantial Florida theatrical scene.
• Engage with genre-fiction considerations: science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, mystery; the relationship between literary fiction and genre fiction; the contemporary growth and recognition of genre fiction.
• Engage with introductory submission and publishing: identifying appropriate literary magazines and journals; the submission process; cover letters; the substantial digital landscape of contemporary creative-writing publishing.
• Engage with visiting writers and field opportunities: Florida-based author readings; writer-in-residence programs; the substantial Florida literary calendar.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Creative Writing Craft Across Genres: Voice and tone; character development; concrete and sensory imagery; scene-building; pacing; structure; language attention; creative writing/other writing modes distinction.
• Poetry: Line and lineation; rhythm and meter at introductory level; sound (assonance, consonance, rhyme); imagery; figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification); free verse and metrical poetry distinction; major poetic forms (sonnet, villanelle, sestina) introduction; personal poetic voice development.
• Short Fiction: Character (interior and exterior); setting and world-building; scene; dialogue; point of view (first person, second person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient); plot and structure; theme; revision's role in fiction writing.
• Creative Nonfiction: Truth-with-craft principle; personal essay; memoir; literary journalism at introductory level; factual accuracy/craft relationship; contemporary growth of creative nonfiction.
• Workshop Method: Providing constructive critique; receiving critique professionally; workshop's role in writer development; literary workshop etiquette and norms; workshop critique/revision practice relationship.
• Reading as Practitioners: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction from anthology or instructor-selected reading list; craft choices analysis; wide and varied reading's value in writer development; contemporary U.S. and international writers introduction.
• Revision: Revision/editing distinction; substantial rewriting at draft level; feedback role (workshop, instructor consultation, self-critique) in revision; revision's role in producing finished work; introductory submission and publishing practices.
• Personal Writing Practice: Regular writing habits; reading practices supporting writing; journal or notebook practice; consistent practice's role in writer development; personal practice/submitted course work relationship.
• Responsible Creative-Writing Practice: Copyright and plagiarism awareness in creative-writing contexts; use of real people in creative writing; responsible representation of cultural and personal experiences (cultural-appropriation considerations); generative AI and academic integrity in creative-writing contexts.
• Portfolio Development: 3-5 finished pieces across genres covered; substantial revision; portfolio quality/course success relationship.
• Contemporary Issues in Creative Writing: Contemporary publishing landscape; literary magazines and journals; small presses; self-publishing; MFA programs; Florida creative-writing community.
• Professional Creative-Writing Behaviors: Meeting deadlines; offering and receiving feedback respectfully; appropriate citation; professional behavior's role in any writing career.

Optional Topics

• Genre Deep-Dive: Substantial allocation to one genre rather than equal distribution across genres.
• Drama Writing (Introductory): Scene; dialogue at greater depth; page/stage distinction; one-act forms; Florida theatrical scene.
• Genre-Fiction Considerations: Science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, mystery; literary fiction/genre fiction relationship; contemporary growth and recognition of genre fiction.
• Submission and Publishing (Introductory): Identifying appropriate literary magazines and journals; submission process; cover letters; digital landscape of contemporary creative-writing publishing.
• Visiting Writers and Field Opportunities: Florida-based author readings; writer-in-residence programs; Florida literary calendar.

Resources & Tools

• Most-adopted textbooks at Florida institutions: Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft by Burroway (Pearson) — among the most widely-adopted creative-writing textbooks; The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction (Norton); The Practice of Creative Writing by Sellers (Bedford/St. Martin's); Writing Fiction by Burroway, Stuckey-French, Stuckey-French (Pearson — for fiction-emphasis sections); The Triggering Town by Hugo (Norton — for poetry-emphasis sections).
• Reference resources for creative writing craft: Bird by Bird by Lamott; On Writing by Stephen King; The Art of Fiction by Gardner; Reading Like a Writer by Prose; The Anatomy of Story by Truby. These are widely-used craft books frequently recommended as supplementary reading.
• Online learning platforms: Pearson MyLab Creative Writing (paired with Burroway); Norton Online Resources; Bedford/St. Martin's Online Resources.
• Open-access alternatives: The Creative Writing section of OpenStax materials (free, openstax.org); LibreTexts creative-writing materials.
• Professional resources: Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) at awpwriter.org — substantial professional society; Poets & Writers magazine and online resources at pw.org; Literary Hub (lithub.com); literary-magazine and journal landscape (Submittable.com hosts substantial creative-writing journals).
• Florida-specific resources: Florida Center for the Book; Florida State Poet Laureate (currently — verify with current Florida Department of State data); Florida Heritage Month and related literary activities; Florida-based literary magazines and presses; major Florida MFA programs (UF, FSU, USF, UCF, UM); Florida Writers Association (floridawriters.net).
• Online supplementary resources: Poets.org (Academy of American Poets); Poetry Foundation (poetryfoundation.org — extensive free resources); Electric Literature (electricliterature.com); The Rumpus; literary-magazine websites; the substantial digital creative-writing landscape.
• Tutoring and support: Institution writing centers; faculty office hours; institutional creative-writing student organizations and literary magazines (most Florida institutions publish student literary magazines); creative-writing reading series and events.

Career Pathways

CRW2001 is foundational for any career involving substantial creative writing. Specific career pathways include:

• Writer / Author — direct creative-writing careers as poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, dramatists; typically combined with day-job employment given the substantial financial uncertainty in writing careers; the substantial Florida writer community.
• Journalist / Reporter — creative-writing skills support strong journalism careers; major Florida journalism employers (Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Florida Times-Union, others); broadcast journalism opportunities.
• Marketing and Communications Professional — creative-writing skills support marketing copywriting, content marketing, brand storytelling, public relations careers; substantial Florida demand at agencies and in-house departments.
• Educator — K-12 teaching (with appropriate Florida certification — see EDF1005 in corpus); college-level teaching (with appropriate graduate education); private tutoring and writing instruction.
• Editor / Publishing Professional — publishing house roles; literary magazine roles; freelance editing; the substantial book-publishing industry though concentrated in New York City.
• Library and Information Sciences — public library work; academic library work; archival work; many library careers value creative-writing background.
• Content Creator / Digital Writer — emerging creative-writing-adjacent careers in digital content (substack newsletters, blog writing, social media, podcasting, video content writing); the substantial growth of digital creative-content careers.
• Theme-Park and Entertainment Industry Writing — Florida's substantial theme-park and entertainment industry employs writers in attraction development, show writing, narrative design, copywriting (Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, others). Theme-park narrative work offers a Florida-distinct creative-writing career path.
• Communications and Writing Roles in Business and Government — substantial demand for strong writers across sectors; technical writing and business writing both benefit from creative-writing foundations.
• Articulation to Bachelor's Programs — CRW2001 satisfies humanities elective requirements at most Florida institutions and counts toward English-major creative-writing concentrations at SUS institutions.

Special Information

Articulation and Transfer

CRW2001 articulates broadly within the Florida public-college system per SCNS conventions. The course satisfies humanities elective requirements at most Florida institutions and counts toward English-major creative-writing concentrations. Transfer with a grade of C or higher to upper-division institutions; specific articulation should be verified with the receiving institution.

Workshop Pedagogy

CRW2001 is delivered using the workshop method as the central pedagogy. The workshop method involves:

• Students writing original creative work to share with the class
• The class reading shared work in advance
• Class discussion of the shared work focused on craft (what is working, what could be developed, what craft principles are operative or could be employed)
• The author of shared work typically remains silent during class discussion (the "gag rule") while peers discuss the work, then has opportunity for response and questions at the end
• Substantial revision based on workshop feedback

The workshop method requires substantial trust-building and respect among students. Workshop participation requires showing up regularly and consistently engaging with peers' work — students who miss workshop sessions or who fail to read peers' work in advance substantially undermine the learning experience for the entire class.

Prerequisites

Standard prerequisites typically include:

• ENC1101 (College Composition I) with grade of C or higher — non-negotiable; CRW2001 builds on the foundational writing competencies established in ENC1101

Some institutions also require ENC1102 (College Composition II) or substantial high-school writing background for entry. Specific prerequisites vary by institution.

Course Format and Workload

CRW2001 is a 3-credit lecture/workshop course meeting 3 hours per week for 15-16 weeks (45 contact hours total). The course is widely offered in face-to-face format because of the workshop component requiring real-time discussion; some institutions offer hybrid or online formats with synchronous workshop sessions or asynchronous workshop alternatives. Expect: substantial weekly reading from anthology and assigned individual works; weekly creative-writing assignments; 2-3 substantial workshop sessions per genre covered (one workshop per student per genre is typical); a final portfolio of revised, finished work; potentially a substantial final reflection or process essay. Out-of-class workload typically runs 6-9 hours per week — creative writing requires substantial time to draft, revise, and read peers' work in preparation for workshop.

Course Code Variations

Florida institutions consistently use CRW2001 for this course. Course titles include "Creative Writing," "Introduction to Creative Writing," and "Foundations of Creative Writing." All formats cover similar content with variation in genre emphasis depending on instructor expertise and institutional curriculum. The course is consistently 3 credits with no laboratory.