Creative writing nonfiction was the most enjoyable English class I have ever taken. Why? Before this class, I could count on one hand the papers that really made me enjoy the writing process. However, I loved just about every prompt I encountered in creative writing nonfiction. Every week there would be a short writing assignment that would uncover hidden memories, and there would be a chance to take the mundane beats of everyday life and turn them into extraordinary snapshots of writing.
Simple experiences like working a summer job or taking a stroll can become transcendent through the lens of creative writing, as learned through the many excerpts that were provided as supplementary material for the class. The exercises every week also helped me understand how personal writing can get. One week the class had to find a photo and write about it. With the help of my mom, we rummaged through her collection of decades-old pictures, where I found a photo of the trip to Salt Lake City I took with my dad when I was around 8 or 9. I already had some hazy memories of the trip that I still thought of from time to time, but during the writing exercise, more memories became unearthed and as a result, I hold the experience much more fondly in my heart. However, not only does learning about creative writing nonfiction broaden a writer’s scope of what writing can be, but it also helps sharpen writing skills.
Creative writing nonfiction is a genre of writing that not only helps you as a writer learn about yourself but generally just helps you become a better writer. The class taught me to leap in and face conflict in my writing, to not be afraid to start over if what I’m writing isn’t working, and how to weave a theme throughout a narrative.
This might sound shocking coming from a tutor, but before I took English 15 E I hated writing. The thought of even trying to write something left me weak in the knees and left me wondering what I was going to do. I would sit slack-jawed at my computer completely stumped at what I would write, and while outlines helped me get a start on my paper, I would still have trouble with the body and especially the conclusion. However, my passion for writing blossomed while I was taking English 15 E. Writing just started to make sense, the process seemed way more interesting to me as I looked forward to the next assignment. For probably the first time in my life as a student, I felt like a proficient writer.
My enthusiasm and skill as a writer improved so much that I was referred to the RC Reading/Writing Center to become a tutor. So please, if you can, take English 15 E. You’ll be glad that you did, and hey! You might learn something about yourself.