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Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief
Third Edition| ©2017 David Starkey
How can students with widely varied levels of literary experience learn to write poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama — over the course of only one semester? In Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief, David Starkey offers some solutions to the challenges of teaching the introductor...
How can students with widely varied levels of literary experience learn to write poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama — over the course of only one semester? In Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief, David Starkey offers some solutions to the challenges of teaching the introductory creative writing course: (1) concise, accessible instruction in the basics of writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama; (2) short models of literature to analyze, admire and emulate; (3) inventive and imaginative assignments that inspire and motivate.
In the third edition, in response to reviewer requests, the literature and writing prompts have been significantly refreshed and expanded, while new treatment of getting published and the growing trend of hybrid creative writing have been added.
Read more
In the third edition, in response to reviewer requests, the literature and writing prompts have been significantly refreshed and expanded, while new treatment of getting published and the growing trend of hybrid creative writing have been added.
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A lively and practical approach to writing in four creative genres
How can students with widely varied levels of literary experience learn to write poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama — over the course of only one semester? In Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief, David Starkey offers some solutions to the challenges of teaching the introductory creative writing course: (1) concise, accessible instruction in the basics of writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama; (2) short models of literature to analyze, admire and emulate; (3) inventive and imaginative assignments that inspire and motivate.
In the third edition, in response to reviewer requests, the literature and writing prompts have been significantly refreshed and expanded, while new treatment of getting published and the growing trend of hybrid creative writing have been added.
Features
Concise but thorough instruction on writing in four genres. In a notably lively style, and in only one chapter per genre, students are instructed in the elements of literature, and are shown how the elements work together in model poems, short-short stories, short essays, and ten-minute plays. Throughout, checklists remind students of important points to keep in mind as they write. A glossary of literary terms at the back of the book serves as a handy reference for review.
Diverse contemporary literature provides short, imitable models of creative writing. Each chapter features an anthology of contemporary writing in its genre, and each anthology presents a stimulating mix of established authors (for instance Billy Collins, Jamaica Kincaid, Joan Didion, and David Ives) and emerging writers (including Bonnie Jo Wheeler, Joan Naviyuk Kane, and Hoa Nguyen). The models are all short, providing not only imitable examples but also time for students to revise and improve the short works they write.
Inventive creative writing assignments. Each chapter concludes with numerous highly praised "Kick-Starts," multiple writing prompts that inspire students to try their hands at writing in the genre.
Diverse contemporary literature provides short, imitable models of creative writing. Each chapter features an anthology of contemporary writing in its genre, and each anthology presents a stimulating mix of established authors (for instance Billy Collins, Jamaica Kincaid, Joan Didion, and David Ives) and emerging writers (including Bonnie Jo Wheeler, Joan Naviyuk Kane, and Hoa Nguyen). The models are all short, providing not only imitable examples but also time for students to revise and improve the short works they write.
Inventive creative writing assignments. Each chapter concludes with numerous highly praised "Kick-Starts," multiple writing prompts that inspire students to try their hands at writing in the genre.
New to This Edition
Almost a third of the literature is new, with 21 fresh poems (including examples by Juan Felipe Herrera, Joy Harjo , and Kevin Young), short-short stories (models by Lydia Davis and Lorrie Moore), short creative non-fiction (Barry Lopez, Gary Soto), and ten-minute plays (A. Rey Pamatmat, Tracey Scott Wilson).
A new section on hybrid writing: “A Few Words About Hybrid Creative Writing “ surveys cross-genre writing, introducing a range of works for further exploration and closing with a hybrid work by Sabrina Orah Mark for analysis and discussion.
More advice on getting published. "A Few Words About Getting Your Work Published” now features a fuller treatment of online and digital publishing, advice on promoting one's work through social media, and discussion of the dangers and potential payoffs of self-publication.
Almost a third more of the popular “Kick-start” writing prompts provide even more fuel for students’ imaginative writing.
LaunchPad Solo for Literature
The Customizable Online Course Space for Creative Writing and Literature Classes
To get the most out of Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief, assign it with LaunchPad Solo for Literature, which can be packaged at a significant discount. In this course space, you can build interactive, collaborative assignments around your favorite reading selections and video content – and draw on the content we offer there, too.

Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief
Third Edition| ©2017
David Starkey
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Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief
Third Edition| 2017
David Starkey
Table of Contents
Preface: A Few Words to Instructors
A Few Things You Should Know About Creative Writing
A Few Words About Revision
1 Writing Poetry
A Few Things You Should Know about Poetry
The Elements of Poetry
The Short Poem: Three Models
Gail White, “My Personal Recollections of Not Being Asked to the Prom”
Ruth Stone, “Winter”
Rae Armantrout, “Duration”
Lines and Stanzas
Meter and Rhythm
The Music of Poetry
Images, Symbols and Figurative Language
Diction, Syntax and the Language of Poetry
Poetic Forms
Sonnet / Villanelle / Rondeau/ Rodelet/ Triolet/ Sestina/ Cinquain/ Haiku / Pantoum / Cento/ Ghazal
Prose Poetry
Getting Started Writing Poetry
>Kick-Starts: Beginning Your Poems
An Anthology of Short Poems
Elizabeth Alexander, “House Party Sonnet:‘66”
Sherman Alexie, “Basketball”
Agha Shahid Ali, “Postcard from Kashmir”
New Lucie Brock-Broido, “Posthumous Seduction”
Lorna Dee Cervantes, “Poem for the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person, Could Believe in the War between Races”
Wanda Coleman, “Brute Strength”
Billy Collins, “Nostalgia”
Elaine Equi, “A Quiet Poem”
New Joy Harjo, “It’s Raining in Honolulu”
Brenda Hillman, “Shadows in Snow”
New Juan Felipe Herrera, “K’s Mother Speaks of Her Years in Kuwait”
Allison Joseph, “On Being Told I Don’t Speak like a Black Person”
New Joan Naviyuk Kane, “Akkumin Qanituq/Swift Descent”
Jane Kenyon, “The Blue Bowl”
New Ted Kooser, “Barn Swallows”
New Sarah Lindsay, “Origin”
New Teresa Leo, “My Friend Asks What I’ve Been Doing Lately, and by This She
Means Men”
New Jane Munro, “Sonoma”
New Hoa Nguyen, “They Sell You What Disappears”
Naomi Shihab Nye, “I Feel Sorry for Jesus”
Mary Oliver, “Crossing the Swamp”
Deborah Paredez, “Bustillo Drive Grocery”
Molly Peacock, “Instead of Her Own”
Patricia Smith, “Listening at the Door”
Gary Snyder, “I Went into the Maverick Bar”
New Charles Simic, “My guardian angel…”
James Tate, “Teaching the Ape to Write Poems”
Gloria Vando, “new shoes and an old flame”
David Wojahn, “The Assassination of John Lennon as Depicted by the Madame
Tussaud Wax Museum, Niagara Falls, Ontario, 1987”
New Kevin Young, “Rosetta”
2 Writing the Short-Short Story
A Few Things You Should Know about the Short-Short Story
The Elements of Fiction
The Short-Short Story: Three Models
Isaac Babel, “Crossing the River Zbrucz”
Donald Barthelme, “The Baby”
New Bonnie Jo Campbell, “Rhyme Game”
Structure and Design
Creating Characters
Writing Dialogue
Setting the Scene
Deciding on Point of View, Developing Tone and Style
First-Person Point of View / Second-Person Point of View / Third-Person Limited Point of View / Third-Person Omniscient Point of View / Tense / Tone and Style
Getting Started Writing the Short-Short Story
>Kick-Starts: Beginning Your Story
An Anthology of Short-Short Stories
Margaret Atwood, “An Angel”
Aimee Bender, “Loser”
T. Coraghessan Boyle, “The Hit Man”
Ron Carlson, “A Kind of Flying”
Raymond Carver, “Popular Mechanics”
John Cheever, “Reunion”
New Lydia Davis, “The Strangers”
New Dagoberto Gilb, “His Birthday”
Jamaica Kincaid, “Girl”
New Lorrie Moore, “Referential”
Joyce Carol Oates, “Wolf’s Head Lake”
New Jayne Anne Phillips, “Solo Dance”
New Ron Rash, “The Harvest”
3 Writing Creative Nonfiction
A Few Things You Should Know about Short Creative Nonfiction
The Elements of Creative Nonfiction
Short Creative Nonfiction: Three Models
Rebecca McClanahan, “Liferower”
Brian Doyle, “Joyas Voladoras”
David Sedaris, “Jesus Shaves”
Organizing Creative Nonfiction
Telling the Truth
Creative Nonfiction as Narrative
Character / Dialogue / Scene-Setting
The Poetry of Creative Nonfiction
Imagery and Figurative Language / Diction / Sound and Rhythm
Writing Yourself into Creative Nonfiction
Ethics and Edicts
Getting Started Writing Short Creative Nonfiction
>Kick-Starts: Beginning Your Creative Nonfiction
An Anthology of Short Creative Nonfiction
Diane Ackerman, “The Mute Sense”
James Brown, “My Papa’s Waltz”
Edwidge Danticat, “Westbury Court”
Joan Didion, “In Bed”
New Barry Lopez, “The Raven”
Dinty W. Moore, “El Toro Rojo”
Aimee Nezhukumatathil, “The Witching Hour”
New John T. Price, “The Burnt Plane”
New Gary Soto, “First Love”
Alice Walker, “Dreads”
4 Writing the Ten-Minute Play
A Few Things You Should Know about the Ten-Minute Play
The Elements of Playwriting
The Ten-Minute Play: Three Models
David Ives, “Sure Thing”
Tina Howe, “The Divine Fallacy”
New A. Rey Pamatmat, “Some Other Kid”
Structuring the Ten-Minute Play
Creating Believable Characters
Writing Convincing Dialogue
Crafting a Theme
On Stage: The Elements of Production
Stage / Sets / Props, Costumes, and Effects / Lights / Sounds / Actors /Audience
Getting Started Writing the Ten-Minute Play
>Kick-Starts: Beginning Your Play
Playscript Format: A Model
An Anthology of Ten-Minute Plays
Dan Dietz, “Trash Anthem”
Kristina Halvorson, “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere”
Adam Kraar, “Love on the B-Line”
K. Alexa Mavromatis, “Bone China”
New Tracy Scott Wilson, “Fairy Tale”
A Few Words About Getting Your Work Published and Produced
New A Few Words about Hybrid Creative Writing
New Sabrina Orah Mark, It’s Dark in There: Confessions of a Prose Poem
A Few Words of Farewell
Glossary
Index
Authors

David Starkey
David Starkey is Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Santa Barbara City College. He is the editor of two collections of creative writing pedagogy, Teaching Writing Creatively (1998) and Genre by Example: Writing What We Teach (2001), and he has been active in all four genres. His poetry collections include Adventures of the Minor Poet (2007); Ways of Being Dead: New and Selected Poems (2006); and Fear of Everything (2000). Several poems from his most recent collection, A Few Things You Should Know about the Weasel (2010) were featured on Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac. His fiction has appeared in American Literary Review, Rio Grande Review, Sou’wester, and in the anthology Blue Cathedral: Contemporary Fiction for the New Millennium. His creative nonfiction has been published in Cimarron Review, Gulf Stream Magazine, Tampa Review, and in the book Living Blue in the Red States (2007), which he edited. His plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, Toronto, and elsewhere.
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Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief
Third Edition| 2017
David Starkey
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