Good writing begins with reading. Stephen King once said, “If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write.” In other words, creative writers need to cultivate their own skills and talents, but they can be prepared to do this if they are initiated into an active appreciation and understanding of the skills and talents of some of the best writers in the English Language. When writers read, they read to “steal” the strengths of the writer and add them to their skills set.

Writers need an audience. Because good writing is essentially creative self-expression, writers can learn much from the immediate responses of their teachers and classmates. We can learn our own strengths and weaknesses, and we can learn to measure the effectiveness of our communication skills. Every writer can be encouraged to be a better writer who takes pride in his or her work.

In this course, students will:

§  Read works by outstanding, published authors.

§  Compile a toolbox full of writing skills.

§  Construct written responses to writers studied.

§  Produce a journal including first drafts of creative writing.

§  Employ the writing process to improve on original writing.

§  Develop the craft of writing through patterned writing exercises.

§  Participate in class workshops designed to generate honest responses and helpful criticism.

§  Publish their writing in school publications.

§  Package and submit their writing for publication outside of school.

This Web page contains only basic information about the course. I write a much more detailed blog of what we do in class that you can access by following this link. On my blog, students and parents can review what we did in class, download assignment handouts and worksheets, and check assignment due dates. If students are absent from class, they should visit the blog to find out what they missed and what they should be working on.

If the above link does not work, please access my blog typing in the following address in the URL field of your internet browser: http://westcw.wordpress.com