Writing and Communication Centre

Eco-Poetics: How to Write Productively During the Pandemic

Teresa Chung, Communications Associate — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 12:00:00 +0000

It’s a weird time. No one can deny it.

We’re stuck at home, sitting, lying down, and doing almost everything else virtually. Although it can be convenient, eating, sleeping, and working in the same place is mentally straining and doesn’t help our already unstable emotional states.

Reading the news doesn’t help either. There are always new cases of COVID-19, which adds more anxiety and worry to our already stressed-filled hermit lives.

To release some of the stress and anxiety, why not… write it all down?

Tags: ecopoetics, poetry, ecology, creative writing

Managing self-care through self-reflective journal writing

Erika Tan (she/her) — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Life is a balancing act and sometimes it can really test our perseverance. We are constantly juggling and multitasking a number of different things from work, assignments, plans with friends, personal downtime- you name it. There can be so much on your plate that it’s hard to prioritize your mental well-being. When this happens, it’s time to take a step back and practice some self-care strategies.

Tags: creative writing, journal, self-care, self-reflection, free writing

May flowers: some poems that survived the winter

Zoe Andres — Thu, 02 May 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Spring is here. The birds are singing, the snow has melted, and flowers are poking up through the dirt, both where they are expected and where they are not. At the beginning of winter term, I wrote a blog post on freewriting with a focus on my notebook as an agent of the writing process. I’d like to come back to this general topic, but from a slightly different perspective: spring.

Tags: change, communication, conclusions, creative writing, free writing, genre, inspiration, journal, poetry, reflection, spoken word, words, writing, writing process

The poetics of originality: how to be creative

Trenton Joseph McNulty — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Why is creativity so elusive? We see artists and poets and marvel agape at their powers of creation, but in truth creativity is a learned thing – a practice of insight and introspection. You too have the potential to produce art almost as good as the greats, if only you look in the right places. It doesn’t matter that no one’s listening.

Tags: advice, brainstorming, creative writing, fanfiction, fiction, free writing, genre, humour, inspiration, literature, narrative, poetry, procrastination, productivity, quotes, reading, satire, writer's block, writing, writing process, writing quotes, writing tools

The pantoum - a timeless poetic style

Zoe Andres — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 12:00:00 +0000

April is national poetry month! It’s that time of year when we celebrate a genre of writing that most people either love or hate. For those of you who do not know me personally, I fall firmly in the “love” category and spend a decent amount of my free time writing in this genre.

Tags: poetry, poetry month, creative writing, writing, genre, styles

Splendid poems for special people

Edna Bozhori — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Roses are red.
Violet's are blue.
This poem trope's old.
Let's try something new.

Valentine’s Day. A holiday known for being either charming or corny, depending on who you ask.

Tags: Valentine's Day, love, poetry, creative writing

NaNoWriMo: a writer's marathon

Taimoor Sajid Riar — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted to write a novel? If the answer is yes, this blog post is definitely for you. If the answer is no, like myself, then not to worry; you can still benefit from this information.

Writing a novel takes a lot of time and dedication, which can be a big deterrent for many people. However, National Novel Writing Month is a good opportunity to finally get that novel started or, if you don’t want to write a novel, improve your writing.

Tags: creative writing, fanfiction, fiction, free writing, narrative, writing, writing process

10 ways to recycle your old books

Magdalena Bentia — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Books are hard to get rid of because like a vacation or lecture, at some point they either took us on a journey or taught us something. As a result many people end up with a collection of books that they haven’t touched in years. If you do decide to renew your library here are a couple of ideas on how to transform your books into new things or how to pass them on to someone else.

Tags: creative writing, recycle, books, textbooks, DIY

Writing genre series: Poetry analysis

Ariel Alexandra Quehl Fullerton — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 12:00:00 +0000

In our last two writing genre series blog posts, I offered some tips on Graduate School Applications and Catharina discussed the conventions of Lab Report writing. Her upcoming genre topic will be Visual Arts Analysis and you can check it out on April 16th! In this writing genre instalment, on Poetry Analysis, I will provide pointers for poking and prying at poems to peruse and pick up on the poem’s pronouncements and purport.

Tags: poetry, literature, writing process, genre, writing, criticism, creative writing, essay

Some newfound freedom: the shift from high school to university writing

Abigail Tait — Fri, 26 May 2017 12:00:00 +0000

All throughout high school, you have learned countless techniques, rules and tricks for academic writing. In high school, there is predictability, reliability, and structure, which often carries over into the writing process. One of the biggest worries for students entering their first year of university is the transition from high school to university writing. Whether it’s assignments, papers, presentations, reports and the like, writing seems to change in university – or at least the expectations do.

Tags: high school, university, writing, writing process, creative writing, essay, transitions, thesis statement, WCC, Writing and Communication Centre