The Creative Writer : Do you like it?

[shukriyya]

Title says it all. I'm specifically looking for a creative writing curriculum that isn't too formulaic but also gives clear structure and direction to the student. I've looked at samples of TCW and while friends have raved about it I wasn't as impressed by it as I'd hoped to be.

 

I'd appreciate hearing some feedback from folks who are using/have used it. What do you like or dislike about it.

 

TIA :)

[....]

YES, we love The Creative Writer! My oldest daughter worked through TCW last summer and we loved it. I actually can't wait to use it with my son. He really likes creative writing and has been using Wordsmith Apprentice (where you pretend you're a newspaper reporter - Lol). When my daughter worked through the book, she and I both wrote and then we went over each other's work. Also, using a BIG dry erase board helps. I have one hanging up in our house and we had that thing covered with writing!

 

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this, but it's divided into two sections: fiction and poetry. Each section contains exercises in writing (obviously) and ends in a writing project (write your own short story/write your own poem). It covers things like plot, setting, etc.

 

I think my daughter's favorite section was where we listed plot points of a movie. Also, the most difficult part of the book was reading the excerpt from Tom Sawyer. My daughter struggled with that section (for some reason).

 

Another good thing about TCW - you could use it over the summer. It's pretty short. I think there are only 12 sections. If you weren't using anything else for writing, it wouldn't take long to work through the book. I hope they come out with a second book. Does anyone know if there's a CW2 in the works?

[Crimson Wife]

I used the poetry section and it was okay, but I didn't LOVE it, KWIM? Still haven't gotten around to the first section of the book.

[Melissa B]

We are still working through the short story section, but I like it a lot. Dd13 has always been a fiction/short story writer, so she is using the book to hone more than anything, She gives each assignment quite a bit of thought and turns out pages of work. I've only used it with the one child thus far. We do plan to move into book 2 next year.

[Melissa B]

Does anyone know if there's a CW2 in the works?

 

It is already available. (I just posted that question myself a couple of weeks ago. :) )

[Chrysalis Academy]

My dd started with it, but found it really dry - and she loves creative writing. She's 10, maybe she'll do better with it later. But we switched to Gail Carson Levine's book Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly, and she loves it! She does one chapter every Friday. I'm already trying to figure out what to do when she finishes the book (it's 30-ish chapters), but I don't think CW is it. The tone is so different, CW is not very inspiring to her. YMMV, of course.

[....]

 

It is already available. (I just posted that question myself a couple of weeks ago. :) )

 

Thanks!! Off to look. :auto:

[....]

But we switched to Gail Carson Levine's book Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly, and she loves it! She does one chapter every Friday.

 

I've never heard of this and I probably need to check this out, too. Two of my kids really enjoy creative writing. Ironically, the older one (she's 11) who did so well with TCW, did not do too well with Writing with Skill 1 (ironic, because I thought they were supposed to go together - WWS on Mon thru Thurs and then TCW on Fridays). She made it about halfway through the book and we had to stop. We might try to finish it up this summer.

[shukriyya]

Thanks , ladies, for all your responses!

 

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post this, but it's divided into two sections: fiction and poetry. Each section contains exercises in writing (obviously) and ends in a writing project (write your own short story/write your own poem). It covers things like plot, setting, etc.

 

Another good thing about TCW - you could use it over the summer. It's pretty short. I think there are only 12 sections. If you weren't using anything else for writing, it wouldn't take long to work through the book.

 

 

Thanks, Evanthe. That's very helpful.

 

I used the poetry section and it was okay, but I didn't LOVE it, KWIM?

 

 

CR, what didn't you love about it? The structure, the content? I had a similar reaction to the samples but samples only give a taste of the curric. so I'm wondering if the particular sample I saw was indicative of the curric. as a whole.

 

My dd started with it, but found it really dry - and she loves creative writing. She's 10, maybe she'll do better with it later. But we switched to Gail Carson Levine's book Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly, and she loves it! She does one chapter every Friday. I'm already trying to figure out what to do when she finishes the book (it's 30-ish chapters), but I don't think CW is it. The tone is so different, CW is not very inspiring to her. YMMV, of course.

 

 

Rose, before I posted my Q I did a search and saw you had shared this in response to someone's question about writing for kids. I looked at it online but couldn't get a feel for how thorough it was. Do you feel it gives a good grounding in creative writing? Some of the titles for the chapters put me off.."Shut Up!" and "Suffer" were two that jumped out at me.

[Chrysalis Academy]

It definitely covers all the same stuff - plot, character, point of view, conflict, etc. but does it in a more, I guess, casual, engaging, chatty way, rather than a prescriptive, teachy way. So, instead of a chapter called "conflict" which defines conflict and gives you rules for creating a good conflict situation, you have the chapter called "Suffer" - described below.

 

Each chapter discusses some aspect of creative writing, and then has the kid do a writing exercise about that aspect.

 

The "Shut Up!" chapter is about silencing that little voice inside your head that tells you your writing isn't good enough, or your ideas are bad.

 

The "Suffer" chapter is about making your main character have bad things happen to them, so that the reader cares about them and is engaged in the story. Really, it's about creating conflict in your stories - happy, nice stories about happy, nice characters where nothing bad (interesting) happens are boring. So you create conflict to engage your reader. Your hero must be likeable, so the reader can identify with them and want them to overcome their troubles, but there must *be* troubles or your story will be boring.

 

HTH, I can answer any other questions, got the book in front of me now.

[shukriyya]

Yes, that's helpful, thanks. Do you feel this could be used as a stand-alone creative writing curric.? Do you think the difference between TCW and WM is primarily tone, i.e. one is dry and the other engaging? Aimed more at girls than boys?

[Chrysalis Academy]

WM is more girly, for sure, in that the examples she uses are from her books, like Ella Enchanted, which I think are more girly.

 

I actually should probably stop saying anything about creative writing curricula, LOL, and take back everything I've said about it in the past, given the conversation I just had with dd. I just looked at some of her recent output from her Friday WM chapters, and I thought they were pretty thin/weak. So I asked her how she's liking it and how it's going. She started by saying she really likes the book. When I probed, she said she wasn't always sure what to do - she thought the book described things, but didn't really tell her what to do to accomplish that particular thing. So she actually isn't sure if she's getting much out of it. :glare:

 

I'm not entirely sure if it's the book, or her. Creative writing is an independent thing for her, I only got her the book(s) because she said it's something she wants to do, she thinks she might want to be a writer. But it doesn't seem like she is actually willing to do any work to get herself there. I know, she's 10, I'm just feeling discouraged because I really want her to find something she does because *she* wants to learn about it, not because I'm standing over her giving her assignments. I had hoped this was it. Apparently not. Sigh.

 

The only thing she really wants to learn about/do is horses, horsebackriding, etc. So she does Equine Science on her own, and she takes a weekly riding lesson. She also reads a lot. I mean, a lot. And I know she learns from it. And has an incredibly creative, crafty, fascinating "play" life. Other than that, if it's not an assignment, she doesn't motivate to do it. She's perfectly happy to do whatever I assign, but doesn't have any intrinsic drive to learn anything on her own.

 

But I digress . . . sorry. :leaving:

[PeterPan]

Shukriyya, your library will have the Levine book, so you might just get it. It's a good read, because my dd gobbled it down when I brought it home. I didn't have her work through it, and I've been thinking lately we ought to make a bit of effort in that area. I like Chryssalis' idea for how to do that.

 

As far as Creative Writer, I don't know if people have noticed this, but level 1 is marked for grades 5-8, 2 for 6-8, and 3 for 7-9. If I could suggest, I think that accounts for the more mature (read dry) approach. It fits a slightly older student. Also, the description suggests letting an older student skip CW1. I like the *concept* but don't particularly need CW1 for my student. I went ahead and bought CW2 and 3 and we'll play around with them. I think with an older student who has done fine with WWS, the CW books will be fine.

[shukriyya]

WM is more girly, for sure, in that the examples she uses are from her books, like Ella Enchanted, which I think are more girly.

 

I actually should probably stop saying anything about creative writing curricula, LOL, and take back everything I've said about it in the past, given the conversation I just had with dd. I just looked at some of her recent output from her Friday WM chapters, and I thought they were pretty thin/weak. So I asked her how she's liking it and how it's going. She started by saying she really likes the book. When I probed, she said she wasn't always sure what to do - she thought the book described things, but didn't really tell her what to do to accomplish that particular thing. So she actually isn't sure if she's getting much out of it. :glare:

 

I'm not entirely sure if it's the book, or her. Creative writing is an independent thing for her, I only got her the book(s) because she said it's something she wants to do, she thinks she might want to be a writer. But it doesn't seem like she is actually willing to do any work to get herself there. I know, she's 10, I'm just feeling discouraged because I really want her to find something she does because *she* wants to learn about it, not because I'm standing over her giving her assignments. I had hoped this was it. Apparently not. Sigh.

 

The only thing she really wants to learn about/do is horses, horsebackriding, etc. So she does Equine Science on her own, and she takes a weekly riding lesson. She also reads a lot. I mean, a lot. And I know she learns from it. And has an incredibly creative, crafty, fascinating "play" life. Other than that, if it's not an assignment, she doesn't motivate to do it. She's perfectly happy to do whatever I assign, but doesn't have any intrinsic drive to learn anything on her own.

 

But I digress . . . sorry. :leaving:

 

 

Digress away, Rose, lol, your post is great because it's, you know, real ;) and very helpful.

 

Shukriyya, your library will have the Levine book, so you might just get it. It's a good read, because my dd gobbled it down when I brought it home. I didn't have her work through it, and I've been thinking lately we ought to make a bit of effort in that area. I like Chryssalis' idea for how to do that.

 

As far as Creative Writer, I don't know if people have noticed this, but level 1 is marked for grades 5-8, 2 for 6-8, and 3 for 7-9. If I could suggest, I think that accounts for the more mature (read dry) approach. It fits a slightly older student. Also, the description suggests letter an older student skip CW1. I like the *concept* but don't particularly need CW1 for my student. I went ahead and bought CW2 and 3 and we'll play around with them. I think with an older student who has done fine with WWS, the CW books will be fine.

 

 

Thanks, OhE, for the library suggestion. Sometimes those easy solutions tend to fly under the radar :) When you say that you don't *need* CW1 for your student do you mean that you feel able to teach it on your own or that you introduce the subject at a later grade?

[PeterPan]

My dd is 13 and we've covered the things CW1 covers multiple times in multiple ways. She's been writing short stories avidly this year and using those skills on that basic level. If you look at the intro for CW2, it suggests you can jump in those situations. Looking at the samples online, I agree. When CW1 came out, I looked at it in person at the convention and pretty much felt the same way, that it wasn't quite right for us, even then. But looking at CW2, I'm pretty happy, happy enough that I hit buy.

 

The PHP site has the samples for CW3. That's actually what's driving my purchase, because I like where it's going. I can get a college text (like the Janet Burroway text Fishman cites), but that's not as convenient as having something already broken down and age-appropriate and easy to assign. But the grade level suggested on that is 7-9. To me grade level tells me stretch (for 7th), average (8th), and comfortable (9th). And there can be reasons why someone would chose to use it in those ranges. I DON'T think earlier is better on some things.

[shukriyya]

Okay, so you're saying that one could cover the things CW1 does in other, perhaps more 'organic' ways just through the natural course of our day to day writing?

[Spetzi]

My just turned 11 year old is working through the book at a brisk pace. She really likes it and has been writing a lot. Some of the exercises are a bit slow for someone who already enjoys storywriting. For example, they ask you to write plot points for a story you know then the next lesson is for one you might write. You describe characters in well-known stories before you try to create a character of your own. These aren't bad. My daughter might skip the simple exercise and go on to the one for her own story or characters. The book is easy to adapt if your child is ready for more, but also thoroughly explains the concepts so a student new to creative writing would be comfortable and able to complete the tasks.

 

We haven't gotten to the poetry section yet.

 

We give it :thumbup:

[shukriyya]

Thanks, Spetzi. That's helpful.

[tuesdayschild]

*Bump*

(appreciating the view points shared here - thanks!)