Sandra Said:

What are some great ideas on teaching creative writing to kids?

We Answered:

You may not find what you want in the preschool section of questions . . .oddly enough I used to teach middle school writing. I found just getting the old black and white compositon books are perfect for creative writing. Write rules on the first page: no tearing out pages, no erasing, work front to back, put the date in the margin every day. To get started with ideas, check out this website. Good luck!

Rene Said:

Any suggestions for teaching creative writing in high schools?

We Answered:

There are some great suggestions here. Adding on from my teaching experience, I'd add...

It's always good to model the writing process by looking at a good example from a particular genre, then all work on that genre together.

Write yourself and share with your class.

Use visual stimuli, sounds, smells, objects (photos cut from newspapers, things taped off the telly, sound-effects, aromatherapy oils, an old boot, a torn umbrella....) as starting points.

Borrow a line of poetry or a sentence from a story as a starter, or get the kids to 'treasure hunt' good examples for themselves.

Get kids to edit each other's work. Find opportunities to publish their work - competitions, online, class magazine.... They will want to do well if it's for a REAL audience.

Go to a location or event together - a field, a bus station, a sports game, a river... Divide them into pairs or groups and have them work on different foci (characters, setting etc) and have them share. Use this as a springboard for a writing project.

Structure is often one of the most difficult things for students to grasp - sometimes writing less is more. Have them chart visually the stages a good writer incorporates.

And overall, make your students feel that you ENJOY reading their work! Read aloud the best part of everyone's work (don't leave anyone out) and be encouraging!!

Maurice Said:

How much to charge for teaching a creative writing class?

We Answered:

If you have decent credentials and will actually give students the tools and opportunity within that ten weeks to become better writers, I would go between £150-£200 per person for a ten-week, two-hours-a-throw course.

Good luck!

Glenda Said:

How do you earn money teaching creative writing?

We Answered:

I would suggest continuing education courses offered either through night school through your local school board or through your local community college.

The pay for that in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada was about $25.00.hour 2 years ago.

Rachel Said:

What is a good college for creative writing and teaching?

We Answered:

well where are you? if it's NYC, then DEFINITLY Brooklyn College, CUNY

it's the best for education and english majors (c.w. is part of eng)

Lorraine Said:

Question about teaching Creative Writing?

We Answered:

An MFA in creative writing is your best bet. You won't need to earn a second undergraduate degree; you'll only need to have a decent creative writing portfolio (focused in your genre) and some rec letters from (ideally) English or CW professors. (You'll also need a little luck in finding a program whose atmosphere fits w/ your personality, writing style, etc.)

It's a great class to teach, but you will almost definitely be expected to teach introductory college composition classes as well. Then the risk is realizing that those classes (EN101/102) are actually a lot more interesting and satisfying than CW. (This is what happened to me. The risk isn't really very risky, though, since once you have an MFA, you're qualified to teach composition classes anywhere...)

If you love writing, you will love teaching it - experiences in the classroom will give you new ways of thinking about your own writing, new approaches to subject matter & language, and fresh creative impulses.

Helen Said:

Teaching Creative Writing?

We Answered:

Definitely that is what I majored in! For secondary you will need an additional teaching subject as they require thaat you have two (I have English and Family Studies for instance) then you apply for teacher education at a university or college (teachers college is what its called in Canada however I went to Buffalo for mine as it was closer to me and it was a Teacher Certification Program at D'Youville) anyways that is only an 8 month program then you will be certified to teach! Good luck