A Report on a Collaborative Creative Writing Endeavour: Spreading the Spirit of Creativity through Creative Writing Workshops in the Asia-Pacific Region

Tan Bee Tin

Tan Bee Tin is a lecturer at the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her main interests are materials development, studies of academic discourse and the 'affective' and 'aesthetic' aspect of language teaching and language teacher education; and she has published in those areas. Email: tb.tin@auckland.ac.nz

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Introduction
Background
Description
Conclusions
Acknowledgements
References
Appendix 1
Appendix 2

Introduction

The term 'creative writing' often puts people off - both teachers and students alike; it is often regarded as being reserved for gifted writers. This article reports on a collaborative endeavour initiated by a group of teachers of English and educators in order to nurture, spread and celebrate a spirit of creativity and creative writing among themselves and for young EFL/ESL readers and students in Asia.

The spirit started with the first creative writing workshop conducted in Bangkok in 2003. The workshop was sponsored by the ELTeCS (English Language Teaching Contacts Scheme) and Hornby Trust and was attended by a group of English language teachers from different Asia countries. Since then, the group have been meeting once a year in different countries in Asia: Melaka - Malaysia (2004), Fuzhou - China (2005), and Hanoi - Vietnam (2006). This article describes the series of creative writing workshops conducted: the phases and activities involved, outcomes achieved, and some crucial factors underlying the endeavour. The article is intended to awaken in other English language teachers and educators a similar spirit of collaborative creativity, and an awareness of the value of creative writing for teachers of English and their students alike.

Background to the endeavour

The endeavour started with a two-day seminar which involved 12 teachers and educators from different Asia countries. The aim of the seminar was to exchange expertise and ideas on the following issues:

- various existing types of creative writing activities and materials that teachers can produce and develop for EFL/ESL classrooms in the Asia context
- the development of new materials and activities for creative writing and the procedures and techniques involved in developing them
- planning future training sessions/workshops for other EFL/ESL teachers in the participants' home countries and institutions

Creative writing is often restricted to literature classes and many EFL/ESL teachers, in particular non-native English speaking teachers, often do not feel competent and confident enough to exploit creative writing in their classrooms. The seminar therefore aimed to boost teachers' and teacher educators' confidence in conducting creative writing activities in EFL/ESL classrooms and to help them see how they themselves could produce such materials and texts.

Since then, a series of workshops have been held once a year. Different core members of the group take turns in organising the workshops in collaboration with a local institution (e.g. their university) or an organisation (e.g. UBCHEA (The United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia), Pearson Education Malaysia, Open University Hanoi). New members and local teachers are also added to the group. The series of workshop are advised and led by the Chair of the group.

The following table summarises the workshops conducted so far:

Description of the creative writing workshop

The format of the workshop comprises four phases: locating the venue, pre-workshop writing activities, while-workshop activities and post-workshop follow-up activities.

Phase 1: Locating the venue

A challenging part of the whole endeavour is finding a suitable venue and some sponsorship for the workshop. The project is entirely voluntary. Various core team members actively look for and negotiate with relative institutions or organisations in their home countries to receive some sponsorship for the event. Sponsorship is mainly to cover expenses for the workshop venue and accommodation. Various team members write a proposal and send it to a relative organisation in their countries. Once a successful outcome is achieved by a member, an organising group (involving 3 or 4 members) is formed. Other group members are informed of the outcome and are invited to participate in the event. An outline of the event is drafted by the Chair and sent to the group via email. The members participate in the event on a voluntary basis and mostly fund themselves for the trip, although accommodation, conference fees and other expenses are funded by the sponsoring institution. As many overseas members are involved, this organising part is conducted several months before the actual event. An example of the list of activities sponsorship is sought for is as follows: workshop/conference venue and facilities, accommodation and hospitality expenses for the overseas participants, airport pick up and drop, administrative support for the events, possible publication of what the group produce.

Phase 2: Pre-workshop writing activities

While the organising group collaborates with the host institution for the organisation of the event, all group members are required to prepare some written works in advance. One month before the event, every participating member is required to submit the following to the Chair:

- one original short story in English (anything from 500 to 2000 words in length). The target audience for the story will be Asian students of English at the secondary school level (junior or senior)
- one original poem in English (not less than 10 lines in length) for the same audience
- one fully worked-out idea for teaching an aspect of creative writing to a class of students. The framework for presenting the idea is set out in the letter the group receives from the Chair (see Appendix 1 for a sample activity in the agreed format).
- the abstract for a 45 minute paper or a workshop to be presented at the one day conference which precedes the workshop. This should be on some aspect of teaching creative writing to secondary or tertiary level students.

To help the group with their writing, they also receive extra information concerning tips and ideas and techniques for writing poetry and short stories. Each participating member is required to send electronic copies of the listed works above to the Chair and the organising group at least one month prior to the event. Group members also bring two or three copies of their works to the event for peer editing. The preparation of work is important as it enables the group to spend the majority of the time during the workshop on peer editing and discussion although there is also some time for presenting new ideas.

Phase 3: During-workshop activities

This phase consists of two major events: conducting conferences/workshops for local teachers (a large audience between 40 and 100) and conducting the main creative writing workshop with the core members (a small size between 12 and 20 participants).

Conducting conferences/workshops for local teachers

The organising group (about 3 or 4 members) arrive at the venue a few days before other members in order to conduct a one or two-day creative writing workshop for local teachers of English. They are then joined by other overseas core members (about 15) who participate as presenters in another one-day conference held for other local teachers. The aims of these pre-workshop events are: to further generate the spirit of creativity among local English language teachers, to demonstrate practical creative writing activities and ideas for language teaching, and to highlight the value of creative writing for teachers and students in EFL/ESL classrooms.

Conducting the main creative writing workshop with core members

The creative writing workshop (CWW) with the core members is the main event in which the core group share their creative energy, edit and produce creative work, establish and strengthen a spirit of learning community among themselves, and set the agenda and goals for the next event. The workshop has evolved into a two-day indoor workshop followed by one-day outdoor writing trip. The following table summarises the schedule of the workshop:

Phase 4: Post-workshop follow-up activities

The following activities are conducted after the workshop:

- the group submit revised works (short stories, poems, ideas for teaching writing, a paper based on their conference presentation) to the Chair and the organising group via email
- the Chair edits the works submitted
- the Chair and the organising group look for and negotiate with a possible publisher
- the publisher selects and publishes work
- other members look for possible sponsors for the next year and submit proposals

Works published so far are given in Appendix 2.

Conclusions: Behind the endeavour

There are three main factors which contribute to the success of the events and keep the momentum: the sponsorship factor, the leadership factor and the group factor (small size but big spirit).

First, concerning the sponsorship factor, the sustainability of the event relies on the successful negotiation between the group and the sponsoring institutions and a publisher. The series of workshops conducted is the outcome of a joint endeavour between the group and other institutions. Without the availability of some sponsorship, it would be hard to sustain the event. Success is thus dependent on the commitment and the skill of the organising group in seeking sponsorship and negotiating with the sponsors.

Second, the leadership factor plays a crucial role. It is important to have a leader(s) who inspires a passion for creative writing in the group, oversees the successful running of the event, and is capable of performing multiple roles (e.g. a slave driver, an inspirer, a planner, a manager, a writer and a doer). Our group is fortunate to have experienced such leadership.

Most important is the group factor. The endeavour started with a small group of teachers/educators committed to the value of creative writing and spreading this spirit in their work. The size also needs to be manageable (maximum 20) to maintain the quality and intensity of collaboration and interaction. The group need to share a great passion and commitment towards the success of the work. The reported endeavour is also sustained because of three underlying principles that the group believe in: belief in the importance of creative writing for EFL/ESL teachers and students; belief in the value of a learning community; and belief in the value of teacher-made language teaching materials.

Belief in the value of creative writing

As compared to the other language skills, writing has a more limited role for most people outside an educational setting. It is important to consider writing activities in EFL/ESL classrooms not only from the 'instrumental' perspective of what is useful for external purposes, but also in terms of their educational function. Apart from the communicative or social function, writing serves the educational purposes of developing students' cognitive and affective abilities (see Harris, 1993; Campbell, 1998). While the social and the cognitive roles of writing are reflected in many EFL/ESL teaching materials, the affective function of writing is often neglected. It is important to consider the affective role of writing, a neglected area in many EFL/ESL writing materials and programmes in Asia. In this view, writing is a tool for expressing oneself, personal feelings, and is associated with creative writing. Creative writing gives learners a chance to write about things that are important and interesting to them, and a chance to share personal aspects of their lives with other members of the class. It enables learners to 'become themselves' in their new language and to take control over their language by governing its product. In creative writing activities, students push past their current language abilities. When feelings are evoked, students write above their language abilities, so that writing becomes an enjoyable and pleasant task for both students and teachers.

Creative writing is often restricted to literature classes and many EFL/ESL teachers, in particular non-native English speaking teachers, often do not feel competent and confident enough to exploit creative writing in their classrooms. The term 'creative writing' often appears daunting for EFL/ESL teachers and students alike. In the reported endeavour, the group explore the various features of 'creativity' and 'creative writing' and share their experiences of promoting creative writing. At any proficiency level, there may be places in an EFL/ESL curriculum where writing creatively can provide breadth and interest to the programme. Creative writing gives learners a chance to write about things that are important and interesting to them, and a chance to share personal aspects of their lives with other members of the class. Creative writing activities can change students' perceptions not only about writing but also about themselves and the world they live in. It can lower their anxiety. It can develop their writing proficiency, cognitive fluency, personalities and abilities of noticing the familiar in an unfamiliar way or vice versa.

Belief in the learning community

The importance of creating a learning community in teaching and learning has been noted by many educators (e.g. Lenning and Ebbers 1999). A learning community is an intentionally developed community that promotes, stimulates and maximizes the group's and group members' learning. It is a place where members learn from and with others, incorporate and value diversity, share a culture, encourage participation and sharing of leadership, and engage in product-oriented activities, i.e. activities which are related to their immediate surroundings, real needs and issues (see Lenning and Ebbers 1999). The reported endeavour encourages the group to become a learning community. They have an opportunity to practise shared leadership and responsibility. They are responsible for participating in multiple tasks - producing creative work, peer editing, presenting ideas, writing for publication, disseminating ideas and networking. The endeavour also enables them to learn from each other, discover and value the expertise of their peers.

Belief in teacher-made language teaching materials

In recent years, issues such as localisation, humanisation and appropriateness of language teaching materials and curriculum have received increasing attention as opposed to earlier emphases on globalisation, standardisation, and authenticity. Many scholars have recently begun to highlight the need to bring language teaching materials closer to local cultures and local values (e.g. Dat, 2003). Day (2003) emphasises the importance of appropriateness rather than authenticity of texts used in language teaching. Day and Bamford (1998) use the term 'language learner literature' to refer to material (both fiction and non-fiction) specifically written for language learners. They claim that 'language learner literature' is a genuine genre like other genres such as science fiction, children's literature, mysteries, etc. It is written for an identifiable audience (language learners) and its primary purpose is to communicate a message and not to teach language.

The objective of the group, which is not sponsored by any single institution but operates on an entirely voluntary basis, is to produce original stories and poems in English which can be used in the teaching of English in Asian countries. Because the writers are from the region, our group believe that we have a better intuitive grasp of what will appeal to young readers in that region. So far the group have been most fortunate in obtaining sponsorship from Pearson Education (Malaysia) who have also published 5 volumes of stories and poems produced by the group.

Acknowledgments:

I would like to express my special gratitude to Prof Alan Maley (the Chair of the events and the Editor of the books published as a result of the events) and Jayakaran Mukundan (the joint-editor and the joint-chair). I would also like to thank all the members and the various sponsoring institutions who have shown their belief in the significance of our creative endeavour.

References:

Campbell, C. (1998). Teaching Second-language Writing: Interacting with Text. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
Dat, B. (2003). Localising ELT materials in Vietnam: A case study. In W. A. Renandya (ed.) Methodology and Materials Design in Language Teaching: Current Perceptions and Practices and their Implications. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre. (pp. 170-191).
Day, R. R. (2003). Authenticity in the design and development of materials. In W. A. Renandya (ed.) (pp. 1-11). .
Day, R. R. and Bamford, J. (1998). Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. .
Harris, T. (1993). Introducing Writing. London: Penguin English. .
Lenning, O. T. and L. H. Ebbers. (1999). The powerful potential of learning communities: improving education for the future. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports 26/6: 1-137.

Appendix 1: One sample activity in the agreed format

.Answers for a question

Level: Intermediate +
Time: 30-45 minutes
Aims: writing a poem using a series of answers for a question
Preparation: An example poem, some questions and example answers

1. The teacher prepares a question related to any aspect of life (e.g. aging, succeeding) or a mood or feeling (e.g. pleasure, irritation, seriousness).
For example, What are the signs of getting old? How do you know someone's getting old?

2. Ask the students to give as many answers as possible for the question. This can be done as the whole class or in small groups. Students may suggest some answers which are normally expected for the question.
For example, gray hair, forget names, get easily irritated

3. Ask students to think of some peculiar and eccentric answers for the question to give the reader a sense of surprise and individuality. Ask them to think of their own peculiarity or some peculiar observations they experience in their life.
For example, someone who feels a bit outdated/old when his/her favourite TV stars have fallen out of fashion, when he/she watches favourite tennis players play their farewell match.

4. Students go through the list of answers they have brainstormed. Ask them to add concrete and interesting details to each answer.
For example, forgetting names ' doesn't remember her grandchildren's names

5. Ask them to group their answers into appropriate groups.
For example,
physical change, the way other people treat the person, the way the person treats others, the way the person behaves, etc.

6. Finally, use the lines, order them, edit them and write a poem about old age. Ask the students to think of just one unique individual (e.g. a real/ imagined person - a grandmother). In the poem, the poet is talking directly to that person who is getting old or reminding that person that he/she is getting old. Each group of ideas in step 5 can form a stanza.

For example, students may come up with a draft as follows:

When do you know you're growing old?

When you quickly pluck your white hair in front of the lift mirror
While you are the only rider to your office floor
When you don't bother remembering your students' names
But remember them by what they do to irritate you when you teach
And you are already tired before you retire
That is when you know you're growing old.

When people start giving up their seats to you in the bus
When the driver does not seem much irritated
While you look for the exact change in all your purses for the fare
When people don't talk back directly to you in your face
But would rather whisper and giggle as your head turns
That is when you know you're growing old.

When you easily fall asleep in the couch in front of the TV
But struggle to fall asleep once you lie in bed
When you don't care much about what you say or how you look
Or what others would think of you and would talk about you
When you have more loved ones dead than alive
And when you start reading poems like that

That is when, my granny, you know you are very old.

Variation:

The teacher can try this activity with other questions. Or the teacher can ask students to think of a question and brainstorm a series of answers for the question. (e.g. What are the things that please/irritate you? What are the things that make you laugh/cry? Etc)

The following poem can be used as an example at the beginning.

Pleasures (By Bertholt Brecht)

The first look out of the window in the morning
The old book found again
Enthusiastic faces
Snow, the change of the seasons
The newspaper
The dog
Dialectics
Taking showers, swimming
Old music
Comfortable shoes
Taking things in
New music
Writing, planting
Travelling
Singing
Being friendly.

Appendix 2: List of books published as a result of all CWW workshops

Maley, A. (ed.). (2007). Asian Poems for Young Readers (Volume 5). Selangor Darul Ehsan: Pearson Malaysia (76 pages).

Maley, A. (ed.). (2007). Asian Short Stories for Young Readers (Volume 4). Selangor Darul Ehsan: Pearson Malaysia (92 pages).

Maley, A. and Mukundan, J. (eds.). (2005). Asian Poems for Young Readers (Volume 3). Selangor Darul Ehsan: Pearson Malaysia (68 pages).

Maley, A. and Mukundan, J. (eds.). (2005). Asian Stories for Young Readers (Volume 2). Selangor Darul Ehsan: Pearson Malaysia (90 pages).

Maley, A. and Mukundan, J. (eds.). (2005). Asian Stories for Young Readers (Volume 1). Selangor Darul Ehsan: Pearson Malaysia (74 pages).

Tan Bee Tin. (ed.). (2004). Creative Writing in EFL/ESL Classrooms. Serdang: Universiti Putura Malaysia Press (110 pages).

For more information about these books, please visit http://www.micelt.com.my/html/public.htm
For more information about the CWW workshops, please visit http://www.creative-writing.net/index.htm

Please check the Creative Writing course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.