As rewarding as being a Peer Writing Tutor can be, the constant influx of research essays, rhetorical analyses, and other typical academic papers can get a bit monotonous at times. On the rare occasion that a creative writing piece finds its way to me, I tend to first find myself excited at the change of pace. Sometimes, though, I find myself at a bit of a loss for how to approach these pieces. Creative writing can be seen as an entirely different beast compared to academic writing, and while most of us have experience writing it ourselves, teaching it to others can be a bit daunting. It makes sense that our training is more focused on academic writing—it is what makes up the majority of our appointments, after all. However, I would like to share some of my own tips and strategies for tutoring creative writing to use in those few creative appointments that do find us. Based on creative writing appointments I have had in the past, as well as my own experience writing creatively, here are some of my recommendations for agenda points, activities, and resources to use.
Agenda Points
In the same way that we have many “go-to” agenda points in academic written feedbacks, there are a few points that are usually reliable for creative works. These can, of course, be good things to look for and bring up in face-to-face or Online Realtime appointments as well. There are also plenty of other points that can be addressed—these are just some broadly applicable ones that you can fall back on when needed.
Character: Characters are the basis of any creative story! When reading through, see if the characters feel authentic and believable. If they are supposed to come across as relatable, do they? Are their motivations clearly defined? If not, suggest to the writer that they develop their characters a bit more fully.
Plot: You can’t have a story without a story! As simple as it sounds, make sure that the events in the story make sense. See if the structure flows logically and you can tell what’s happening the whole time. If anything is unclear or doesn’t make sense, point it out. Writers always appreciate a second set of eyes to catch plot holes!
Setting: Similar to character, take note of the setting of the story. Is it clearly developed and described? Do you know where the characters are, or is it left a little too ambiguous? Recommending the use of sensory details is often a good thing to do here.
Overlapping Agenda Points
There are a few agenda points that apply to creative writing that might look familiar from academic writing. These are things that should be found in any good piece of writing, no matter the style.
Flow: The same way we look for flow in academic writing, creative writing should still feel and sound natural rather than choppy and stilted. (An exception to this rule could be if choppy writing is used stylistically to heighten something in the story, such as being used to show a character having a panic attack or breakdown.)
Clarity: Just like with the plot, make sure everything described in the story makes sense. When a character’s action is described, is it clear what they are doing? Are interactions between characters and layouts of scenes clear? If not, point out places where you are confused and suggest revisions to make things more clear.
Organization: While creative writing may not follow the same structure as academic essays, there should still be a coherent organization of the story’s events. There should be a clear beginning, middle, and end. The story should start by introducing the world and characters as well as a problem. Tension should ramp up to a climax before things settle down and get resolved. This structure is flexible, of course, depending on the nature of the story, but it’s a good basis to go off of. Make sure all the parts are there and flow in a logical way.
Activities
In synchronous appointments, it’s always a good idea to have a few activities in your back pocket to pull out to help writers get ideas flowing. Especially with creative pieces, writers will face writer’s block, but there are plenty of ways to get unstuck!
Brainstorming: Similar to academic writing, some creative writers may come in with nothing, and that’s perfectly okay! Suggest brainstorming some ideas, whether they relate to the plot, characters, setting, or another element. If they have a base idea for a story, ask them some questions about the events or where they want things to go next. Ask them about the rules of their world. Have them tell you about their ideas and take notes as they talk, then work together to sort out what’s been said. Often, they have more ideas than they realize!
Worldbuilding: Creating a world can be one of the most exciting parts of a story! If writers are having trouble with the setting, walk through some of the most important elements with them. Again, ask questions about different things. What is the social hierarchy of this world? Is it similar to our world or different? What is the geography like? Who are the leaders? Is there any kind of magic present? Questions like these can often get the ball rolling and help spark new ideas too.
Event Map: If the writer wants to focus on the plot, an event map is one of my favorite techniques to use. Create a bulleted list of every major event that happens in the story. It’s best to summarize the events in one or two quick sentences—they can even be fragments if the writer prefers. If there are places they aren’t sure about, leave them blank for the moment and come back later. Seeing things written out in succession can help locate possible plot holes and help writers figure out how to fill them. It’s also a good way to figure out where each section of the plot—exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution—begins and ends.
Character Development: Similar to worldbuilding, sometimes writers may need help developing their characters. Once again, you can help with this by posing questions to them. Come up with different scenarios and ask them how their character would react. Have them explore their characters’ beliefs and relationships with one another. In my writing, I typically like to jot down quick overviews of characters, including a physical description, personality traits, and motivation in order to help me stay organized and keep my ideas straight.
Resources
While we may not need to link citation guides or grammar rules in these appointment letters, there is still an array of creative resources that we can send writers off with to help them on the rest of their writing journey. Here are a few of my favorites!
Writers Guild: I might be a little biased, but referring creative writers to our weekly Writers Guild meetings is a great way to help them improve their writing and get involved in the creative writing community here at DePaul! Writers Guild meets on Thursdays from 6:15-7:45 in the Writing Center each week. It’s a very laid-back and welcoming environment where people can receive feedback on their own work and hear others’ work as well. They don’t have to submit anything to join us—they’re welcome to just come and listen! They can join the mailing list and get more information here.
Purdue OWL: It’s not just great for citations! The Purdue OWL also has lots of information on creative writing, from poetry, to characterization, to information on publishing. This is a great place to send them if they have further questions about any of these topics. The page can be found here.
Reverse dictionary: One of the most frustrating moments in writing is when you’re looking for a specific term and suddenly seem to forget every word in the English language. This site can help with that! Simply type in the general idea of what you’re looking for, and it will pretty reliably give you a bunch of different possible options for the word you’re searching for. It’s not perfect, but it has saved me many a time! The site can be found here.
Other Creative Works: Referring writers to other creative works is always a great idea! Whether it’s to help them find inspiration or just for fun, we can always improve our writing by reading the works of other people. Recommendations of books, short stories, poetry, memoirs, and more are great resources to share.
Embrace Creativity!
Creative writing isn’t anything to be intimidated by. Many of us already have experience writing it. That, combined with resources and techniques like these are more than enough to equip us to tutor all forms of writing we come across! Next time you find yourself facing a creative appointment, embrace the change of pace and enjoy hearing from our incredible community of creative writers at DePaul!