Class Title: “CREATIVE NON-FICTION: RE-IMAGINING YOUR LIFE”

Objectives: Students understand how to explore meaningful personal experiences, learning how to embellish facts to create fiction, and gain concrete experience with creative non-fiction writing styles. 

Learning Outcomes: Understand how to draw inspiration from life experiences, understand how to create a balance between “fact” and “fiction,” and apply to creative non-fiction outcomes. 

Class Timeline: 45 mins. per lesson (20 mins. for instruction, 20 mins. for discussion & debate, 5 mins. for homework review & Q/A).

Detailed Lesson Plan:   

Part 1: Memoir 
Week 1a: Memoir—What is it?
Week 1b: Read and Reflect—James McBride, Patti Smith, Joan Didion
Week 2a: Narrative—How to establish your voice
Week 2b: Reflection—Learn how to analyze and evaluate life events
Week 3a: Themes—Develop key themes in writing
Week 3b: Honesty—How to approach writing with honesty
Week 4a: Capstone Project—Create your own memoir excerpt from scratch
Week 4b: Evaluation and Feedback

Part 2: Personal Essay
Week 5a: Personal Essay—What is it?
Week 5b: Read and Reflect—Nora Ephron, Virginia Woolf, Cathy Park Hong
Week 6a: Hook—How to grab your readers’ attention
Week 6b: Metaphor—Incorporate creative metaphors into your essay
Week 7a: Perspective—Establish a unique point of view
Week 7b: Realization—How to introduce a creative realization
Week 8a: Capstone Project—Create your own personal essay from scratch
Week 8b: Evaluation and Feedback

Part 3: Creative Non-Fiction Essay
Week 9a: Creative Non-Fiction—What is it?
Week 9b: Read and Reflect—David Foster Wallace, Malcolm Gladwell, Eua Biss
Week 10a: Entertain your Audience—How to captivate an audience Week 10b: Literary Devices—How to use them
Week 11a: Surprise Your Readers—How to create a “twist”
Week 11b: Embellish the Truth—Learn how to embellish facts
Week 12a: Capstone Project—Create your own creative non-fiction essay from scratch
Week 12b: Evaluation and Feedback