Moxley, Joseph, Ed. Preface. Creative Writing in America: Theory and Pedagogy. Urbana, Ill: National Council of Teachers of English, 1989.

note: I don't know if I have the title in proper MLA format. Will need to check on that when I get back from Vermont.

The preface of this book points out what I have long suspected about creative writing pedagogy: that it seems "no debate rages in professional journals as to whether creative writing programs are providing students with the necessary writing skills, knowledge of the composing process, or background in literature needed to write well. Although professional writers frequently have criticized the workshop method, few have recommended viable alternatives" (xi).

As both a student of creative writing and rhetoric and composition, I have noticed that much theory and debate has been written about composition, but little exists on creative writing. I see areas where the composition theory could cross over into the creative, i.e. expressivist theory, or compositionist's nod to understanding that style is a part of the writing process, but when it comes to craft, there are more exercises, or prompts on what a teacher could do in order to start the creative writing process, but little talk on what the creative process is.

Why are composition and creative writing kept separate from each other in academia? Perhaps it is the nature of calling expressive writing "creative." It is difficult to discern what is creative, much as it is difficult to determine what is "art," -- it's generally in the eye of the beholder. To pull apart "creativity" might be to take the heart out of the creative process -- and perhaps creativity is just that, the heart of writing, an intangible. It is hard to theorize what initiates the creative process, as it is stated in this preface, "some students take our courses because they are possessed by a need to write, a need to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Motivated by a love for language, an active imagination, or a powerful feeling of dissonance, some of our students are prepared to shape their lives around their writing goals" (xii). Even the words used to discuss creative writing here -- possessed, need, express, imagination, feeling, love -- are all intangibles.

Workshopping has become the norm for facilitating the creative writing process. Here Dr. Moxley writes he believes that this pedagogical approach has not evolved since the workshop became popular at the Iowa Writers Workshop in 1936 (xii). The workshopping, or studio, method is described as follows: "The writer-teacher asks two or three students to distribute copies of their manuscripts a week before the works are to be criticized in class so their peers can write comments on them and be prepared for discussion. Then, with varying degrees of authority, the writer-teacher guides the group's discussion by asking questions relevant to the manuscript's strengths and weaknesses. Instruction regarding the writing craft -- such as choosing a point of view, setting the scene, writing dialogue, and developing a satisfying plot -- typically emerges from these discussions. The copies of the manuscripts -- now marked with the peers' comments -- are returned to the authors at the end of the discussion" (xiii).

As the preface points out, the workshopping method can be quite effective. I have been through numerous workshops as both an undergraduate and graduate student of creative writing, and some comments do seem to hone in on, or affirm, what needs to be revised in the work to make it better. Yet the preface also points out that this method of teaching can backfire on some of the elements of what can make writing successful, such as "prewriting," or the time considering ideas and alternatives for the work (xiv). Also, workshopping might encourage students to write for the approval of the other students, rather than for craft or expression itself, with attention to audience later. I find this true enough; there have been numerous times when a well-meaning student (or even instructor) has offered advice that just didn't pertain to what I was trying to do. I was once warned by one of my creative writing professors, Sterling Watson, that eventually I would find myself wanting to wean off the workshopping process; I have to admit that this year I am finding that to be true. I still find feedback valuable, but now I tend to seek it from writers who understand what messages I am trying to put out there. I'm not trying to write for mass approval.

Moxley touches on some of the similarities between composition and creative writing processes that a teacher should be aware of and emphasize when it comes to his pedagogical approach. Again, prewriting techniques are emphasized, but also touched on are revision, understanding "inner speech" or writing from personal experience, the unconscious or "right brain," and images, literatures, and research that might generate creative writing (xvii). Also, Moxley believes that creative writing pedagogy should include researching material, good when developing credible detail and also analyzing appropriate markets for finished materials.

So far, the intersections I find most interesting for possible research in the intersections between creative and composition theories and pedagogy are:

Prewriting;
Research;
Expressivism;
Workshopping; and
Style.