Roberta Said:

OCHSA students.. Would Creative Writing be a good subject for me to study?

We Answered:

Curriculum:
Biography
Children's Literature
Comedy Sketch Writing
Creative Essay
Experimental Fiction
Feminine Perspective
Flash Fiction
Ghosts and the Spirit World
Literary Magazine
Major Author Study
Novel Writing About Food
Playwriting
Poetry
Screenwriting
Short Story
Song Writing
Submissions and Publications
Superheroes: From Hercules to Superman
Writing with Myth

I guess those are the topics they teach.

Glen Said:

What are some creative writing games to use for junior high students?

We Answered:

One of the few classes I enjoyed in school was creative writing. I had a great teacher in the 9th & 10th grade who taught us creative writing.

One of my favorite games we did was in the computer lab. This was in like 1991 or so. ; ) So I am not sure if classes today have computers in the room or not.

Anyway, we each sat down at the computer and started a story. We had a time limit. I can't remember but it was maybe 5min. After that a timer went off & we all moved to the next computer. So if I was sitting at one computer and say John was the computer on my left I was now sitting in Johns seat & reading what he wrote. Next I was to continue John's story while all the other kids continued the one on the computer in front of them. (I hope I explained that correctly).

This went on until we all had worked on each others stories at least one. By the time you were in the chair next to your orginal seat you would finish the story that was on the screen. Meaning you would write the ending.

After that all the stories were printed and we each read them out loud.

It was pretty cool to see how each person brought their own creative writing into the story. We learned that everyone writes with a different style. One guy in class wrote with such an amazing style it was like reading a radio announcer. His words were so strong they just flew off the page. We could tell each time he wrote in someones story. He had a unique twist on things too.

We were able to guess other peoples writing styles too which was fun.

I still have my copy some where and I'll always remember that unique game.

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Another thing this teacher did was have a basket with different words in it. Each day when we started class we were to write in our journal or writing tablet. But we had to use the word we drew from the basket as the main topic. So say I drew the word "Pencil" I would have write something creative about a pencil.

A lot of us thought that was hard and boring. Yet it really got our minds going. I have used the same thing with my own kids while homeschooling.

She also did the same thing later in the year with paintings. But using the word a day was my fav.

Georgia Said:

Would you recommend a BA or a BFA in creative writing for a student wanting to teach?

We Answered:

Depending on what state you're in, you'll probably need to also need to get a BA in Education. Any degree at all is not good enough- most states have requirements for teaching in excess of what you're talking about, here. If you get either a BA or a BFA in creative writing- you won't be able to teach anywhere but the most hard up of impoverished school districts. With an MFA, they won't be able to afford you.

I would suggest going for a BA in creative writing, as well as a BA in secondary English education. If you can pull it off, a minor in journalism might not hurt. This way, you'll be a very tempting candidate as a secondary english teacher. When you get your MFA, you can move on to teaching at the lower college levels, as well, in order to supplement your writing and get you out of the house.

Miriam Said:

UCI's literary journalism or UCR's creative writing? Which one is better for an aspiring writer?

We Answered:

I would go with the school your heart tells you to go to. If it was my I would go to UCI for literary journalism. I think it will help you get into a good masters program. It is a great school, and think either one would give you a good education. UCI is stronger than UCR for what you want to do. It may also come down to location, money, climate, and etc. Good Luck!