{"id":273,"date":"2020-10-12T14:23:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T14:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=273"},"modified":"2021-11-17T17:51:24","modified_gmt":"2021-11-17T17:51:24","slug":"creative-writing-tips-from-professionals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/tutortips\/?page_id=273","title":{"rendered":"Creative Writing – Tips from Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Overview<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Poetry<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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General tips<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

FIRE STARTERS<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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non-fiction<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

TIPS FROM PROFESSIONALS<\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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fiction<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

oPPORTUNITIES @ uvm<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Tips from UVM Professors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What is one thing that students must never forget about when doing creative writing?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
  • Well, to be clear and to have a purpose, to have what you’re doing in mind. \u2014Professor Greg Bottoms<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    What makes you go \u201cWow\u201d when reading papers? \u2013In a good way?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    • Sophisticated prose, vivid description, an understanding of structure and how drama works. When I see that in what students are doing, I’m always impressed. \u2014Professor Greg Bottoms<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      What makes you go \u201cWow\u201d when reading papers? \u2013In a bad way?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      • Imprecise, vague language; common mistakes in grammar usage, punctuation and syntactical construction. I don’t run into it that often, but when I do I definitely go, “Wow, this student needs to quickly correct this.” You pay for having those problems. \u2014Professor Greg Bottoms<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        What can turn a good paper into a great paper?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
        • I would say specificity in all kinds of modes, whether that’s in reflection, in anchoring the argument in better examples, in going back through narrative or descriptive parts of writing and really rendering the world in a much clearer fashion. You know, I think the words “specificity” and “precision” apply to persuasive papers, to academic writing, to creative prose. I think the opposite of that is being vague or overly general in your thinking, in your attempt to render a scene or a character. \u2014Professor Greg Bottoms<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          What is your favorite database for online research?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
          • I don’t know if I really have a favorite, but I do see that I end up at JSTOR a lot. \u2014Professor Greg Bottoms<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Any last advice for writing creative writing, whether for the intro courses or upper levels?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
            • I think that it’s good for students to do some pre-writing: to clarify what they think they are going to try to do in their paper before they actually write the paper, to write a summary in one paragraph of their basic argument that’s going be in a 10-page paper. Or even with stories – I think you should write a simple 150-word or 200-word paragraph that states in summary the basic makeup of what your story will become. I think students sometimes will sit down and start writing and they get to page five and go, “You know, I don’t know what the end is supposed to be.” I think that writing a summary paragraph first can really help. \u2014Professor Greg Bottoms<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Tips from other Creative Writing Professionals<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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