Dear College Instructors:

This Open Education Resource (OER) is written for college instructors and their students for an introductory creative writing course.

The online text is designed for writers–some who may aspire to be published authors and others who just want to write because they simply like to write.

This online text provides instruction in the writing process–prewriting, drafting, revising, publishing–writer’s block, short stories–including flash fiction–poetry, peer reviews, and portfolios.

The text will also introduce students to creative works by writers whose work has stood the test of time. Each piece of literature was selected as a model for student writing.

The online text incorporates links to TED Talks. These TED Talks give students an opportunity to listen to contemporary writers discuss their creative process and their work.

This online text is not meant to be a comprehensive text on creative writing. In other words, the lessons are not full chapters. They are mini-lessons on writing.  Much more content could have been written and many more samples of literature could have been included. This online text was designed for a sixteen-week semester course that explores how to write short stories and poetry.

Linda Frances Lein, M.F.A.