College Composition and Communication Jun 2009

Voice of Authority: Theorizing Creative Writing Pedagogy

Rosalie Morales Kearns

Abstract

Creative writing workshops typically feature a gag rule and emphasize purported flaws. This structure limits students’ meaningful engagement with each other’s work; positions the author as inherently flawed; and positions other participants as authority figures, passing judgment without articulating their aesthetic standards. I propose an alternative structure in which authors lead discussion; the work is treated not as inherently flawed but as “in process”; and discussants articulate their expectations about “good” writing rather than allowing them to function as unspoken norms.

Journal
College Composition and Communication
Published
2009-06-01
DOI
10.58680/ccc20097197
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
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Citation context

Cited by in this index (6)

  1. González et al. (2025)
    Refusing Assimilation, Respecting Agency: A Consent-Based Theory and Practice o…
    College English
  2. Meekings (2024)
    Knowing where to start
    Writing and Pedagogy
  3. Luckert (2024)
    “A Story We're Telling”
    Pedagogy
  4. Naga et al. (2018)
    Negotiating Cultural Difference in Creative Writing Workshops
    Pedagogy
  5. Hedengren (2016)
    The Writing Teacher Who Writes
    Pedagogy
Show all 6 →
  1. Bunn (2016)
    Reimagining Workshop
    Pedagogy

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