This is an archive. See the current website at www.ssp.harvard.edu.

Creative Writing

Not all courses are available to SSP students. For example, some courses are offered only for graduate credit. Note especially any listed prerequisites.

CREA S-25 Beginning Fiction
(4 credits: UN) Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

Section 1 (31671) (Print version)
Julie Anne McNary, M,W 3:30-6 pm, Sever Hall, Room 304.

Section 2 (31640) (Print version)
Deborah Drnec Wilkes, M,W 6-8:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 111.

Section 3 (31766) (Syllabus) (Print version)
Eliezra H. Schaffzin, T,Th 9-11:30 am, Robinson Hall, Room 105.

Section 4 (31658) (Syllabus) (Print version)
Eliezra H. Schaffzin, T,Th 12:30-3 pm, Robinson Hall, Room 105.

Section 5 (31670) (Syllabus) (Print version)
Salvatore Scibona, T,Th 3:30-6 pm, Center for Government and International Studies, Knafel Building, Room N108.

Students learn and practice the fundamentals of writing fiction—description, dialogue, tone, plotting, and so on—in a workshop setting. By discussing and analyzing published short fiction, students learn the narrative techniques and strategies of creative writers. This course is intended for those who write regularly and wish to broaden their skills and talents.

CREA S-30 Beginning Poetry (30884)
(Syllabus) (Print version)
Suzanne T. Lane
(4 credits: UN) T,Th 12:30-3 pm, Barker Center for the Humanities, Room 211. Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

Students learn the fundamentals of writing poetry—including such elements as rhythm, imagery, diction, tone, and form—by studying major works from a range of cultures and periods, and by writing their own poems. Classes are designed for students who read and write regularly and who are eager to present their own poetry in workshop for critical review.

CREA S-45a Beginning Screenwriting (32078)
(Print version)
Susan Steinberg
(4 credits: UN) M,W 3:30-6 pm, Sever Hall, Room 110. Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

This course is an introduction to the craft of screenwriting with an emphasis on story structure, character development, and the language of film. Students study the films and screenplays of professional writers and are expected to make significant progress on screenplays of their own.

CREA S-45b Beginning Playwriting (32130)
(Print version)
Ken Urban
(4 credits: UN) T,Th 9:30 am-noon, Robinson Hall, Room 107. Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

In this course, students learn the fundamentals of dramatic structure and develop their skills in creating compelling characters, dialogue, and plot. We read a selection of plays to learn the elements of drama. Students also complete a number of in-class writing exercises and then move toward completing a short play at the end of the term. This course is designed for students who read and write regularly, and who have an interest in writing for the theater.

CREA S-105r Advanced Fiction: The Novel (31360)
(Print version)
Stratis Haviaras
(4 credits: UN, GR) T,Th 6-8:30 pm, Robinson Hall, Room 105. Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

This course is intended for writers with advanced writing skills and broad familiarity with the work of American and European masters of the genre. Individuals enrolled in this course are given reading and writing assignments according to their needs in structure, narrative voice, character development, and style. The class is run mainly as a workshop: students read each other's work and respond to it. Students must submit a writing sample to the instructor in advance by e-mail at haviaras@hudce.harvard.edu; admission to the course is based on this submission. Prerequisite: Students should have completed other fiction writing courses, and a novel should be underway when the semester begins.

CREA S-106r Advanced Fiction: Short Stories (31449)
(Print version)
Paul L. Harding
(4 credits: UN, GR) M,W 12:30-3 pm, Sever Hall, Room 212. Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

This course is intended for students who have completed several stories or made significant headway on a novel, have read widely among the masters of fiction, and are working toward the goal of publication. The course includes discussion of published writing but largely follows the workshop format. Students are expected to produce two new stories or approximately 30 pages of a novel by summer's end. Students should bring approximately 15 pages of their fiction to the first class or submit it to the instructor c/o Harvard Summer School Writing Program, 8 Prescott Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, before the class begins; admission is based on this submission.

CREA S-165 Writing Grant Proposals
(4 credits: UN, GR) Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

Section 1 (31993) (Syllabus) (Print version)
Lori Friedman, M,W 6-8:30 pm, Robinson Hall, Room 107.

Section 2 (31865) (Syllabus) (Print version)
Margaret McNamara, T,Th 6-8:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 105.

This course provides a thorough introduction to the planning and writing of grant proposals. Topics include identifying and approaching a sponsor; planning, drafting, and revising the proposal document; and maintaining contacts with the sponsor after a proposal has been submitted. Students become familiar with the process of identifying potential sponsors and practice the range of writing skills needed to make an effective case for their projects. Prerequisites: Solid writing skills, an idea for a suitable project, and familiarity with nonprofit sector/management highly recommended.

CREA S-170 Principles of Editing (31641)
(Print version)
Brin Stevens
(4 credits: UN, GR) M,W 9:30 am-noon, Robinson Hall, Room 107. Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the roles of magazine and book editors. By using an editor's actual working materials—queries, manuscripts, contracts—we consider editors' myriad responsibilities to author, publisher, and reader. Students learn the production process, from acquisitions to line editing and copyediting, design, marketing, and publicity. Guest speakers—literary agents, authors, designers—visit the class to share their various areas of expertise.

CREA S-175 Legal Writing
(4 credits: UN, GR) Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

Section 1 (30140) (Syllabus) (Print version)
Gilbert Whittemore, M,W 3:30-6 pm, Sever Hall, Room 104.

Section 2 (30138) (Print version)
Rosemary Daly, T,Th 6-8:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 104.

This course is designed for law students, students considering law school, or writers who wish to improve their analytical writing. It is based on the assumption that good legal writing communicates well-considered ideas clearly, concisely, and accurately. Students use the elements of good writing to construct legal arguments, to argue from precedent and principle, and to use facts effectively. They draft a variety of basic legal documents that may include a case brief, a complaint, an answer, an opinion letter, a legal memorandum, and a statute. Course materials may be based on contemporary social issues drawing on the areas of constitutional due process, criminal law, domestic relations law, and the right to privacy.

CREA S-180 Effective Business Communication
(4 credits: UN, GR) Eight-week session. Tuition $2,275. Limited enrollment.
Harvard College students see additional information.

Section 1 (30890) (Website) (Print version)
Kalo Clarke, T,Th 3:30-6 pm, Robinson Hall, Room 106.

Section 2 (30141) (Website) (Print version)
Kalo Clarke, T,Th 6-8:30 pm, Robinson Hall, Room 106.

This course offers a practical approach to written and oral business communications. It emphasizes effective content, structure, tone, and visual format in letters, memos, and reports and stresses organization, persuasiveness, and technique in short oral presentations. Each student is responsible for developing a written project upon which an oral presentation is based.

 



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