Not sure where to place your class? Here are a couple
aspects to consider when choosing your level:
- What is the genre-specific level of your target
writer? If someone is a master prose writer but has never written a poem before,
their level may be “introductory” for all poetry-related classes.
- What levels are you comfortable teaching? Some
teachers may not feel comfortable coaching newbies and vice versa, and that’s
OK!
Introductory: These are your shiny-eyed writers who
have never taken a writing and/or workshop class before. The aim of these
classes is to give the students a solid foundation in creative writing
fundamentals and encourage their love of writing. Because this is their first
foray into the writing workshop, these writers may not know the “conventions”
of the writing workshop and may require some concrete classroom guidelines and/or
modeling in order to succeed.
Intermediate: These writers have a strong
understanding of the writing fundamentals AND some workshop experience. Intermediate
writers know the lay of the writing land and are now learning to push craft
boundaries and forming their writerly identity through independent projects.
Many of our intermediate writers benefit from workshops about highly specific
craft elements (specific forms, subgenres, etc.) and workshops in which they
can receive feedback about their WIPs.
Advanced: These writers have an established writing
and reading practice and are eager to make writing a career. They are getting
ready to publish or are in the early stages of publishing and are looking to
hone skills that will take them to the next level in the literary industry. Advanced
writers are willing to put a lot of work into the class and expect their
classmates and teachers to do the same. They gravitate toward discussion-driven
workshops that are tailored to student needs more so than generative or
lecture-based classes.
All Levels: Select this option if you are comfortable
wrangling students from all three levels. Historically, this label is most
effective for generative classes and least effective for craft-specific
classes.