Domina, Lynn. "The Body of My Work Is Not Just a Metaphor." Colors of a Different Horse.

Domina says that students of creative writing, even if their writing is structured through a creative genre like poetry or fiction, still struggle with the truths of their messages when they are exposed in a workshop: "Whether through malicious or inadvertent means, each student in these situations discovers herself in a situation which erodes the foundation of authentic writing -- the ncecessity of revealing one's own perception of truth. In each case, it is the student's person which has been dismissed and/or censored, and the content of any subsequent writing will be virtually irrelevant, since the student has been judged a prior incapable of portraying truth" (28).

I don't see this as too different from teaching persuasive writing in the composition class. As instructors, we are supposed to put aside our own predilections when considering the writing, deciding whether the student made a good case for their argument, not whether or not we agree. However, I have to admit that some of these papers can be more difficult than others, especially if it's something that I find cruel or shallow. I try to tell my students ahead of time what kind of papers are difficult for me to grade, such as arguing that one religion or race is better than another.

Perhaps it's trickier in creative witing because the "argument" or truth of the writing isn't (or shouldn't be) clearly stated, but implied through the story. We have to be careful during critical analysis of a creative work to look at the craft of it, rather than the message -- and perhaps that's another reason why creative and composition writing classes are separated.