ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author identifies two major elements of creative writing’s signature pedagogy: the lessons they teach about the writing process, including how to “read as a writer” and hone perception; and the most enduring method of critique, the writer’s workshop. Given the unsettled nature of creative writing’s pedagogical scholarship, it’s no surprise that a recent anthology on creative writing pedagogy still asks, as its title, Can it really be taught? Despite, or perhaps because of, the lack of teacher training, the practices of the discipline are remarkably uniform. The anxieties of workshop, then, offering intriguing possibilities to future pedagogical scholarship, and it would be fascinating to examine these practices through a lens of Cognitive-Affective Learning. Perhaps one solution is to incorporate more student self-reflection, more regularly, into creative writing classes—and to forefront own ways of interpreting, working with, and being productive with the various obstacles writers encounter.
