Why study creative writing?

Why do you teach creative writing to students? Don’t students need to focus on academic or formal writing styles? I am asked these questions from time to time, and my answer always remains the same: creative writing strengthens academic writing skills and introduces students to a variety of creative options when approaching an assignment.  

So, why study creative writing? Because:

• Students learn about the keys to creative writing (imagination, observation, language). They can then apply these skills to school assignments or personal writing objectives.
• Students learn about creative nonfiction (memoir and essay) the creative forms of journalism (feature articles and profiles). These writing forms give insight on how to compose a great college application essay, write professionally or create a family history book.
• Students learn how to brainstorm writing ideas and critique their own writing.
• Today’s students are tomorrow's website writers, poets, playwrights, novelists, business writers, and short story, nonfiction, screen and song writers. All genres of writing need creativity infused throughout the work to strengthen the piece, engage the intended audience and take something ordinary and make it extraordinary.

Homeschool Creative Writing Course

Homeschool Creative Writing Course

Greetings! Let me introduce myself to you and tell you about an online course I am offering this upcoming school year. My name is Chris Pepple. I am an author and a homeschooling Mom of two daughters. Here’s my official bio:

Chris Pepple is a freelance writer with three TCPRA awards for outstanding feature articles. Her articles have appeared in The New Social Worker, Tennessee Conservationist and other state and national publications. She has two published books: Look to See Me: A Collection of Reflections (2006) and Reflections on Suffering: Defining Our Crosses and Letting Go of Pain (2012). For more than four years, she served as the writer on staff at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. Along with teaching and speaking in churches and homeschooling her daughters, Chris also  continues to work on her next books and writes for Southern Writers Magazine. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Emory University.

Course info:

This school year, I will be offering a creative writing course online for homeschool middle school and high school students. Each Monday, beginning September 10, I will e-mail assignments to enrolled students and post them on my website. Each student will see one creative writing assignment for high school students and one for middle school students (all information will be provided online--no textbooks needed). The writing assignment will be due back to me via e-mail by that Friday. I will personally read each assignment and return personalized comments by the following Friday. I will occasionally post samples of the work with only the student’s first name and no other personal information given. You can opt out of allowing students’ works to be posted. This will not be a grammar course, as such. This course is intended to strengthen the creative writing style and creative thinking process of the student. This should supplement other language arts material you are using.

Cost: $10 per student per month with a guaranteed three lessons per month (though most months will have four). Each semester will be limited to 20 students. 

You are under no obligation to continue from month to month. You may begin at any point and drop the course as needed. However, you must be paid for the month before receiving assignments or feedback. You can mail a check to my home or pay by PayPal. For more information contact me via e-mail at chrisp1616@gmail.com.