Jeff Derrickson

December 10, 2009

Teaching Creativity

            I may be going to University of Houston-Clear Lake to gain a Bachelor’s degree in Literature with teaching certification for grades 8-12, but my ultimate goal is to open an after school creativity center for young adults.  To this end, I have tried to pay attention to how a writing workshop is composed and conducted in order to further my own experience in providing one when the time comes.  The experience has been invaluable to me, as I have been able to gain experience as both a participant and a conductor of a literary workshop.

            I came into the class knowing a good bit about creative writing.  Admittedly, most of my knowledge was self-taught, however.  I did take a creative writing class at Lee College, but the experience there was quite different.  The first major difference was the use of discussion leaders in our class.  I appreciated this distinction because the teacher at LC would often dominate a discussion.  The discussion would also erupt among speakers, and would occasionally stray from the topic.  A discussion leader can combat this, and be an objective presence that keeps the discussion about the author and his or her story.  I also appreciated your “Silent Bob” approach to teaching.  You did not say much, but when you did, it was poignant and worth writing down. 

The second difference was the fact that the workshop participants were exposed to the work the same day as the workshop as opposed to the week prior.  I was not sure that this would be best, but as the workshops went by I could feel a freshness that could not really be achieved if the work was studied and dissected.  This way, the workshop participants are on equal ground.  If someone neglected their “homework” and did not read the work, it would be difficult to conduct a proper workshop.  Reading it together puts everyone on equal ground, aside from the discussion leader, who is the only one who has advance access.  This way, the discussion leader can provide a different perspective alongside the author, and not have to worry about twenty other perspectives flying around the room.

Difference number three was the use of an outside text.  The Lee College class was a workshop only.  There was no aspect of a true class environment; hence, it was not the best environment in which to learn.  I can honestly say that I do not remember a specific thing I learned from the class, though I did learn much.  I personally am a visual learner, so it helps to have a hard document in front of me to reinforce what we talked about in class.  Getting a good hold of creativity and teaching it as if it were, say, math can be like trying to pour smoke through a keyhole.  Three Genres was particularly helpful, and I was happy that we got to workshop the reading assignments as well.  The readings were way to “get into” the writer’s mind, and provided a way to phrase the process of creativity, which I think can be difficult.  This was reinforced by the discussions we had on the readings.  Everyone in the class was able to weigh in on the texts, and the discussions really allowed us all to bond as creators.  One of my favorite discussions was on chapter 13, “Where Stories Come From.”  Everyone has their own origin processes, and it was nice to hear of a few.  Chapter 12, “Fact and Fiction,” was also great to read and discuss.  I liked the reinforcement of drawing upon your own personal experiences, because we were urged not to use these experiences as an ironclad source (i.e. “That’s how it really happened!” is not a valid excuse for bad writing).  A balance between fact and fiction is the way to go, and you do not want to break the rules that you yourself have established within your created world.

One of the class objectives was to unlearn the popular image of a writer as an isolated genius that produces masterpieces overnight.  I think one of the only ways to combat that image is to meet with other creators in the workshop environment.  I think we all have that moment when we get stuck while writing.  The insecurities creep in like a late-night fog.  “I’ll never be like (insert literary hero here, for me it’s Tolkien, who thoroughly created another world complete with maps and languages).”  So I’m happy that I was able to participate in this class.  I will use much of what I learned here in my own writing, as well as my endeavors with the creativity center I mentioned earlier.  Our creations should be always viewed as works in progress, but I think that is a good way to look at ourselves and the world, as well.