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Articles on Creative writing

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Man Out of Time is an affecting portrait of a family rocked by the patriarchal figure’s long-term depression. shutterstock

Inside the story: Man Out of Time and the inheritance of suffering

Stephanie Bishop’s latest novel demonstrates a sophisticated approach to the relationship between time and narrative: novelists and aspiring writers would do well to look closely at her achievement.
Should we be upset that some of our favourite authors don’t actually exist? Mark Nye

Ghostwriters haunt our illusions about solitary authors

Modernism – and western culture generally since the late 18th century – taught us that books were written in solitary creative frenzies. But ghostwriters are increasingly challenging that assumption.
Will a computer algorithm understand the creativity, flair, irony, wit and unconventional approaches used in kids’ writing? from www.shutterstock.com.au

Who needs teachers when computers can mark exams?

NAPLAN is going to be marked by computers from 2017. Can an algorithm understand the complex and emotional writing techniques we want our children to be learning?
Former US Poet Laureate Philip Levine (1928-2015) was down to earth and humble. But he spared no rage towards those he deemed selfish and narcissistic. Brooklyn Book Festival/Flickr

Remembering former poet laureate Philip Levine

Kate Daniels, the director of Vanderbilt’s creative writing program, recalls the life and work of her mentor, a man “devoted…to creating gritty and empathetic portraits of American blue collar workers.”
If you’re not born with creativity, do you have to struggle to acquire it? Robin Taylor/Flickr

Teaching creativity: born that way or waiting for the muse?

Recently one of my Masters students, a filmmaker from the Czech Republic, told me his friends back at home were completely baffled that he was in Australia studying creative writing. You were either creative…
What happens when a Surrealist parlour game turns into a writing exercise that’s pubilshed? Can we truly call it a collaborative process? Wikimedia Commons

Exquisite Cadaver: useful writing experiment or just a good game?

Recently, The Conversation published what was described as “an experiment in collaborative writing” (featuring, among others, Dallas J Baker and Nike Sulway of this present article). The question behind…
Many hands have helped author The Conversation’s first collaborative writing experiment.

An experiment in collaborative writing: day ten

We’re starting 2015 with an experiment in collaborative creative writing. What happens when you ask ten academics to write a story together? Taking our cue from the Exquisite Cadaver game played by Surrealist…
Literary awards can have a profound impact on sales – and, in the future, which books get published and promoted. QQ Li/Flickr

How this year’s National Book Awards could change the face of children’s literature

There’s a lot of attention right now on diversity in children’s books – or, more accurately, the lack of it. It’s not a new problem. White people have been talking about this issue since Nancy Larrick…
Writing programs don’t just produce strong writers, they produce critical thinkers with strong skills for the workplace. mpclemens/Flickr

University writing programs deliver, so let’s turn the page

Whether creative writing can be taught is a question that has been debated on and off for decades. Are writers born, is the question, or can they be made? Neither side of the debate has offered incontrovertible…

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