Critical Essay: Guidelines
Brief:
You are required to submit a critical essay reflecting on your writing and the research methodology you employed on the assessment piece for Fiction Workshop I. You should include a bibliography of all works cited and consulted (and, where appropriate, an appendix of any original findings you might have generated—such as transcripts of interviews or rare documents).
This essay (3,000 words) should be submitted along with the Fiction Workshop I piece.
Guidelines:
In your critical essay you should attempt to address most / all of the following questions.
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What was your initial rationale for writing this piece?
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What is the background of your work?
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How did you decide on the final structure of your creative piece?
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What research method(s) did you use?
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Provide a brief description of the methodology
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Ponder its strengths / reflect on possible drawbacks
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Discuss the challenges you faced while conducting your research
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Think of ways in which the research might have shaped your creative piece?
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Are there ways in which research might have hindered your creative output?
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What were your most significant findings?
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How much poetic licence did you use in incorporating your findings?
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What are the best aspects of this creative piece?
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What areas of the creative piece would you like to improve?
Additional reading
Bulman, Colin. Creative Writing: A Guide and Glossary to Fiction Writing. Cambridge: Polity. 2007.
Griffin, Gabriele, ed. Research Methods for English Students. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP. 2005.
Swales, John and Christine B Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students. 2nd edn. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P.2004.
Hemingway's writing studio