English: Creative Writing

A thesis is an extended creative project usually completed in close study with a core faculty member in the creative writing program. For a thesis in fiction, professors typically expect the student to write and revise between 30-50 pages of prose, and in poetry, professors typically expect the student to write and revise 14-21 pages of poetry. The culminating event for honors thesis students is the Defense: all students present an excerpt of their work in a formal reading, approximately 6-8 poems or 5-10 pages of fiction; that presentation is followed by a discussion with the committee that raises questions about specific aspects of the thesis (related both to subject matters and to technique/formal choices...).

Group projects: Writers band together—this has been true forever!—to start publishing ventures, to collaborate (with each other, with visual artists, with composers, with engineers), or to reach out into the larger community (in service of the art, in service of the community itself...). ASU CW welcomes projects in which this kind of collegial and/or interdisciplinary vision brings students together and enlarges our experience of the literary arts.

When a creative project is complete, the student will have a body of work large enough to serve as a work sample in a graduate school application.

Thesis students test their commitment to writing outside the classroom, which is different from the workshop environment (and more closely resembles the general experience of a writer’s life...). The creative writing thesis both cultivates a student’s independence and also enables a close working relationship with the faculty mentor. Creative writing theses abide by BHC's requirements for who can serve on committees, contact the lead FHA for advice about forming your committee (you can do this before or after you have secured a director).