Steve May is Head of
Department, Creative
Studies, at Bath Spa
University. Doing
Creative Writing, his
book for Creative
Writing students,
was published by
Routledge in 2007
(see this issue for
David Bausor’s review).
He is currently working
on his 45th drama
commission for BBC
radio.
Project archive
Student responses to Creative Writing: Coherence, Progression and Purpose
This set of pages forms the major project output of the research into student expectations of doing Creative Writing at the undergraduate level conducted during 2007-8 by Dr Steve May, Head of Department, Bath Spa University.
A full description of the project and methodology is available on this website and you can read an overview of the project and its findings in Issue 14 of the English Subject Centre Newsletter.
Student Narratives
Student responses to a series of questions about their expectations of doing Creative Writing have been edited into a series of overlapping themed narratives. They have also been arranged by year (Level 1, 2, and 3) to show progression and change in students' understanding and expectation of themselves and their courses. Some responses appear under more than one heading. By clicking on the links, you can go straight to the theme and level that most interests you.
Level One
Key features of student responses at Level One are the acknowledgement that regular writing is an essential and beneficial aspect of taking the course. Many students see this as more important than exercises or lessons. A large proportion of students have no idea what to expect, and are not confident about sharing work, or giving and taking feedback.
- Expectations: moving on from school/college
- Why do Creative Writing? A career in mind? Self development?
- English, Creative Writing, and other subjects
- Workshopping and sharing work: confidence - or lack of it
- Creative Writing - an easy option? Working alone outside workshop
- Teaching writing: does it work?
Level Two
At Level Two there's still some residual discomfort and reluctance about workshops, coupled with a growing sense in some students that workshop exercises are somehow trivial and irrelevant. Students recognise that the playful, experimental activities of Level One are now being replaced by more demanding, self-directed work. Some also express disappointment that the fun they had as "amateur" writers has been superseded by a sense of forcing out work for a purely academic purpose. Few if any students have any illusions about how hard it would be to get published, let alone earn a living from writing.
- Progression
- Confidence/Challenge/Workshop
- Does it work?
- Creative writing, English and other subjects
(a) English (b) Drama, Film and Media (c) Psychology (d) History (e) Art - Creative Writing - an easy option?
- Why do Creative Writing? A career in mind? Self development?
Level Three
A sense of realism persists into Level Three, with some polarisation among students: some are confirmed or convinced in their determination to publish in full knowledge of the difficulties, while others have realised that writing is not for them - though they may well have identified other, possibly related directions for a career. Many students refer to the growing (and sometimes scary) freedom of the final undergraduate year, where self-direction is essential. It is perhaps significant that the topical division of responses is most artificial at this level: students seem able to write quickly and comprehensively, covering a range of issues, showing increasing eloquence and grasp of the course, and how it relates to them and their aspirations.
- Progression / Why do Creative Writing?/ A career in mind?
- Confidence/Is it working?
- Tutors
- Creative Writing-an easy option?
- Relation to other subjects
- Competition
- Assessment
More Information
- Read a full description of the project and methodology here.
- Read an overview of the project and its findings in Issue 14 of the English Subject Centre Newsletter.
Acknowledgements
Dr Steve May thanks all the participating institutions and staff, particularly Celia Brayfield at Brunel, Randy Albers and his team at Columbia College, Chicago, Alison Findlay and George Green at Lancaster, Richard Stockwell at Northumbria, David Swann at Chichester, and Nick Joseph and Neil McCaw at Winchester. He also thanks Nicole King of the English Subject Centre for her advice and enouragement, and Sandra Heward who typed up most of the contributions. To the students who particpated in this research project, Steve writes, 'My debt to the students is obvious: their contributions, written in haste, spontaneously, without warning, planning, or the opportunity to edit, are overwhelmingly articulate, clear and persuasive. I hope that their voices will be heard and heeded by all of us planning or developing Creative Writing courses.'
