COURSE TITLE:
UNBLOCKING CREATIVE WRITING:
THE WHIDBEY ISLAND WRITERS' CONFERENCE
NO OF CREDITS:
2 QUARTER CREDITS
[semester equivalent = 1.33 credits]
WA CLOCK HRS:
CEU/PDU HRS:
INSTRUCTOR:
WAYNE UDE, M.A.
360/331-0307
18
18**
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The Whidbey Island Writers' Conference is an internationally recognized annual gathering of
writers in a professional development opportunity for you to better understand writing and publishing
today. Because the conference provides writing advice for people at all levels, it also offers an excellent
opportunity for all K-12 teachers to discover how creative writing is discussed, taught, and practiced by
professional writers, teachers, and students. Participants vary in age from high school to retirees;
examples of writing from children of all ages are displayed as part of a community contest.
Creative Writing allows students to explore ideas in their own personal ways and to learn about
understanding and interpreting literature that explores ideas –aspects of our culture, our history, our future
-- through fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. For many, the act of writing remains mysterious, complicated,
even threatening. This course is designed to help you enter the world of writing in a manner that will
enhance your own writing abilities and your efforts to pass on these skills to your students.
Because the range of workshops, genres, and sessions are diverse at the Whidbey Island
Writers' Conference and because you will be designing your own approach, this course is appropriate for
teachers of all grades and of all writing experience.
You may consult with your instructor about this course either before the conference (see above
contact information) or during the conference. See page 5 for conference information.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Through planning and attending the Whidbey Island Writer's Conference you will learn:
 How writers approach the writing process
 What techniques suit which genres
 How you can develop your own creative writing skills
 How to plan a writing retreat or festival at your school
 How writers pursue their craft
 How to guide students in responding to literature
 To plan a creative writing course incorporating other skills (read, evaluate, respond, edit)
 The range of materials and resources available for creative writing
 How you can inspire, guide, and respond to others' writing
 How to use/create classroom exercises and lectures on writing
 What career opportunities exist within professional writing
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Following are general course requirements for granting university quarter credit. Antioch University
Seattle requires 75% or better to issue credit at the 400 level and 85% or better for 500 level.
1. Attendance and active participation in all class sessions
40%
2. Reading of articles, handouts, books or texts
30%
3. Satisfactory completion of all outside assignments
30%
** 18 CEU Hours equals 1.8 CEUs.
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400 LEVEL OUTSIDE ASSIGNMENT:
Do the following:
1. Plan your attendance at the Whidbey Island Writer's Conference:
• evaluate your focus based on both your own skills and the needs of your students
• study the conference schedule and bios of presenters and select those classes and instructors
that best meet your needs according to your evaluation (this will involve studying the conference
website – www.whidbey.com/writers – and the backgrounds of instructors, including reading
some of their work – at least 2 books, if possible).
• write your expectations of what you want to accomplish at the conference
• try to read a little about conferences – short articles on the web (see bibliography) have
suggestions about conferences, and a book is listed in the bibliography
2. Attend the conference
• Write a brief one paragraph summary of each event/workshop/seminar you attend, including an
evaluation of the presenter and overall results of the class as far as
• being useful to you as a teacher (did you gain information about how to teach creative writing or
how to structure a writing exercise?)
• meeting your expectations. Attach this to the teaching unit you design (see "c" below).
• At the end of each day, write a summary of the day, taking into account how tone and subjects
inter-relate between events/seminars. Is there a sense of process that is applicable to the overall
conference experience and to the process of teaching writing? Can this aspect of "immersion" be
applied to teaching creative writing at your grade level? Attach this to the teaching unit you design
(see "c" below).
• Prepare a comprehensive teaching unit (class or young authors' conference) applying your
experiences at the conference. Include a description of the teaching situation, a timetable, a
statement of student outcomes, materials to be used, class activities and any other information
you feel may be valuable.
500 LEVEL OUTSIDE ASSIGNMENT
In addition to the 400 level assignment complete the following:
3. Make sure that you attend a presentation by at least one author who has some connection to literature
appropriate to the age group you teach. If possible – if this is a class situation – ask questions about
how the author uses his/her knowledge of writing for this age group to teach writing to that age group;
include this information in the written summary of the events/classes that you attach to your
"comprehensive teaching unit" for the 400 level assignment.
4. Write a 3 – 5 page paper on the conference experience that analyzes your perception of the writing
process for yourself and for your students. Explain how your perception of the writing process for you
and your students has been altered by the conference experience and why (or, if it has NOT been
altered, why not)? Include at least three (3) of the following topics within your paper:
• description of your schedule and why you designed it as you did
• how you feel your creative writing development has been influenced by the conference (what
you've learned – or failed to learn) and how you feel your work as a teacher of creative writing has
been influenced
• consider whether your attendance at the conference as a participant gave you any insight into
how your students might feel about their approach to creative writing
• how you used resources other than classes and required events at the conference (book store,
consulting opportunities, writers' resource table, networking opportunities, etc.); how does this
relate to the type of resources your students should have available?
• evaluate the importance of community to your writing students and the value/success of peer
evaluation in the success of your writing students
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ASSIGNMENT FORMAT & DUE DATE:
Papers should be typed, double-spaced and sent to instructor as directed.
All assignments are due within two weeks after last class session.
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION & FEE:
• Participants must take the responsibility to register and pay the conference
• Fees for university quarter credit or hours are paid separately. Contact the instructor for more
information regarding how to proceed.
• It is wise to register early as classes often fill, lessening the likelihood of attending your preferred
sessions.
INSTRUCTOR EVALUATION OF WORK:
Please indicate so in your email message if you would like to receive the instructor's comments on your
assignments.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING:
Wayne Ude, M.F.A. is the Program Director for the Master of Fine Arts program of the Northwest Institute
of Literary Arts located on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle in Washington state. He received his M.F.A.
from the University of Massachusetts in 1974 and his BA in 1969 from the University of Montana.
Wayne Ude's books include Becoming Coyote, a novel; Buffalo and other stories; and Maybe I Will Do
Something: Seven Tales of Coyote, for ages ten and up. His stories have appeared in North American
Review and Ploughshares, among others.
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UNBLOCKING CREATIVE WRITING
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Chicago Manual of Style, The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers, The University of
Chicago Press, 1993 Every writer, teacher of writing, and editor should be familiar with this writing
industry standard. This also includes some useful information about how books are put together (the parts
of a book); this can be an interesting class project, using the students' original work for content.
Elbow, Peter. Writing Without Teachers, Oxford University Press, 1998.
This writing process book has been around for more than twenty years, but concepts in it remain useful
for guiding students into writing, which is why the second edition has recently been released.
Leslie, Clare Walker, and Roth, Charles E. Keeping a Nature Journal, Storey Books, 1998. This book
offers some excellent ideas for combining scientific observation, writing, and art in a journal that students
can personalize and keep.
Malone, Eileen. The Complete Guide to Writers Groups, Conferences, and Workshops, John Wiley and
Sons, 1996 Some of the lists in this book are out of date, but the concepts behind giving and receiving
criticism and what to expect in these typical environments for writers can be very useful before attending
a conference and before introducing workshop and conference methods to your students.
Spratt, Steven D, and Spratt, Lee G. Networking at Writer's Conferences: From Contacts to Contracts,
John Wiley and Sons, 1995.
Some common-sense advice about attending conferences.
Struckel-Brogan, Kathryn, and Brewer, Robert Lee. Writer's Market, Writer's Digest Books, 2003.
Most libraries carry this writers' marketing book, along with a number of related marketing books that
specialize – poetry, fiction, literary agents, etc. – that provide a wealth of detailed information about where
writers market their work, how they put together a manuscript, and the terms they use in their careers.
This information should be a part of every writing teacher's repertoire.
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UNBLOCKING CREATIVE WRITING
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
About Writerʼs Conferences:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/writers_conferences.htm Absolute Write. A thorough article about
writer's conferences.
http://www.fictionwriters.com/tips-conferences.html Fiction Writers Connection. Some "do's and don'ts"
of attending a writer's conference, along with some resources about writing.
www.whidbey.com/writers. Presenters. This will provide you with information about presenters,
including their work, so you can choose the three books you will read before attending presentations
(classes, panels, workshops) at the conference.
About Writing and/or Teaching:
Arana, M. ed. The Writing Life: Writers on How They Think and Work. Public Affairs. 2003
Fifty contemporary authors divulge professional secrets such as how they first discovered they were
writers..
Atwell, N. In the Middle: New Understanding About Writng, Reading and Learning. Boynton/Cook. 1998.
If you have dreams of changing the way literacy is taught and creating not only engaged students, but
people who love to read and write, start here.
Freeman, M. Building A Writing Community: A Practical Guide. Maupin House. 1995. Practical
information about how to teach every genre of writing in a kid-friendly way.
Glatthorn, A. Publish or Perish-TheEducatorʼs Imperative: Strategies for Writing Effectively for Your
Profession and Your School. Corwin Press. 2002. Itʼs a “how to” and “what to expect” writing and
publishing guide for educational professionals. Great resource for converting ideas into the printed word
in order to achieve professional goals through the process of writing and being published.
Miller, C. 50 Writing Lessons That Work (Grades 4-8). Scholastic Professional. 1999. Sometimes even
the most creative of us have difficulty getting started or getting others started. Straussner,J. and Denise
Gilgannon. Painless Writing. Barronʼs Educational Series. 2001. Part of the “Painless” series, the
authors take a light approach to writing -- for middle and high school students.
UNBLOCKING CREATIVE WRITING
SPECIAL COMMENTS
Conference location:
South Whidbey High School, Langley, Washington (about 1 hour north of Seattle, Washington). A variety
of shuttles and taxies are available to the ferry that departs from Mukilteo to Clinton on Whidbey Island
every thirty minutes. Various schedules and information about how to plan your arrival are available on
the Whidbey Island Writers Association webpage: www.whidbey.com/writers
Accommodations:
Whidbey Island includes many inns, motels, and bed and breakfast options. Some private
accommodations are also available. See the Whidbey Island Writers Association web page for additional
information.
Weather:
Although the first of March can be sunny and in the 60s, it can be (on the same day) snowing and in the
30s or 40s. Bring layers, including a raincoat.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
DAY ONE:
9 am – 10:25 am
Opening activities. Conference advice. Writing advice
This initial conference contact often sets the tone for the event. You will also be advised of any changes
in schedule or activities. You'll also receive an overview of what the conference itself can do for you, how
to approach writers/agents/editors at such a conference, and also hear an address from a publishing
writer about writing, publishing, or the writing life.
12:30 pm– 4:55 pm
Skill building sessions at "chat houses"
You must register for these sessions in advance; you'll find that the theme of each session is clearly
indicated (such as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children's, etc.). You and your group will stay in one place
and different instructors will present to that group.
5:30 pm– 6:30 pm
Evening address
This presentation by a professional writer will address a variety of aspects concerning writing.
8:00 pm-9:30 pm
Readings and poetry slams will give you an opportunity to practice your public reading/writing skills and
to see others doing the same.
DAY TWO
8 am – 8:50 am
These early morning skill-building sessions are optional
9:00 am-10:00 am
Morning address, by a professional writer, will delve into aspects of the writing life
10:15 am-noon
Skill-building sessions; you will choose according to your own interests/needs based on your planning.
Should you change your schedule, be sure to note in your paper why you decided to change your plan.
1:45 pm – 5:00 pm
Skill-building sessions continue throughout the afternoon
Saturday evening events are optional
DAY THREE
8:00 am-8:50 am
OPTIONAL skill-building sessions
9:00 am – 12:30 am
Skill building sessions/panels/workshops
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Closing address
1:40 pm – 2:40 pm
Skill-building sessions
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NOTES:
• The conference schedule is subject to change during the coming months. Check the website to verify
these times.
• The optional sessions each morning can be used to substitute for one skill-building session during the
latter part of the day.
• Consultations with publishers and editors are optional.
• You can rearrange your schedule in individual ways that will still meet your requirements, but if you
want to deviate much from the above schedule, please consult with your instructor first.
• Through planning your own conference strategy, attending the program you've created, and then
developing your own classroom exercises from techniques you've acquired, you will immerse yourself
in the techniques that most interest you and that develop the needs you have in your classroom. For
instance, if you are interested in incorporating more writing into science projects, you may want to
focus on some of the nature writing or nonfiction writing classes to understand the connections
between creativity and scientific objectivity.
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