Students are required to develop a 500 - 700 word 'Proposal'. The 'Proposal' will include an outline describing the basic themes, plot/story line or concept of the writing project to be undertaken over the Term.

The type of detail included in the proposal depends on the type of artefact intended. For instance, perhaps you would like to write a short story, or perhaps some poems for a book of poetry, or a one-act dramatic script for a theatre production, writing a suite of flash fiction pieces, etc. In each case, given your work for this unit will be geared toward writing your short story/poems/script, your proposal will need to focus specific attention on what you actually plan to achieve within this unit proper.

The aim of the Proposal is twofold: a) to show how the student has investigated and thought carefully about a chosen topic; and b) to ensure the writing piece will be developed and written in a suitable, achievable, and appropriate way.

The Proposal is therefore in-part a negotiation of the creative writing topic with your supervisor (Dr Nicole Anae).

The Proposal is worth 20% of your overall graded and it is a condition of the unit that the item must be submitted, approved and passed.

NOTE: Late assignments submitted without an approved extension will receive a grade (with late penalty applied) but no feedback.

The project proposal will be assessed according to the extent to which:

1. the proposal evidences that it will carry-out a clearly articulated set of outcomes in reference to the genre and form of the writing project (e.g., writing a series of ten poems, writing a dramatic script, writing a short story, writing a suite of flash fiction pieces, etc.);
2. the proposal identifies the specific point-of-view (e.g., first person, third person omnipotent, etc.), and style in which the content of the creative artefact will be written (e.g., epic, ode [specify poetry form is completing a suite of poems], fantasy, magic realism, horror, Gothic, paranormal, realism, historical, sci-fi, etc.);
3. the proposal of the creative artefact represents an original piece of writing according to the chosen genre, and is of an achievable standard shown via a week-by-week timeline indicating what is to be undertaken and when in the writing process (including milestones, e.g., benchmarks achieved leading up to your Final Draft);
4. the proposal is presented in a flawless literary presentation, formatting and referencing (Harvard Author-Date system);
5. includes at least 5 references identified as important in ensuring that your creative artefact is informed by the literary and stylistic conventions of your chosen genre and specified style in which the content will be written.
6. the proposal defines key concepts (e.g., third person point-of-view, epic, ode, fantasy, magic realism, horror, Gothic, paranormal, realism, historical, sci-fi, etc.), using scholarly sources.

Please refer to the unit moodle site for detailed information.

Critical Reflection Journal: Students are required to reflect weekly on their writing progress with specific reference to their experiences throughout the creative writing process. The reflective journal must discuss in a critical way how the final written piece (the creative artefact) is being/has been shaped by the various factors effecting the process of literary creation.

Students can complete their reflective journal as a blog if desired (using the weekly topic forums on the unit moodle site) or submit as a word document.

Students weekly reflections must account for the period Week 2 until Week 11 (10 weeks in total).

Each weekly reflection response is worth 3.5 marks.

Word limit: Each response should be between 200-275 words in total (references are not included in the word count).

This assessment will be evaluated on the extent to which it demonstrates:

1. Critical reflection regarding the ways in which the work in progress aligns with the creative intentions set out in the proposal;
2. Critical reflection regarding the ways in which the work in progress is a demonstration of the critical engagement with the writing techniques identified in the proposal;
3. A deliberate and concerted enterprise in seriously considering the factors which have shaped and determined the process of literary creation including; a justification of literary techniques used, a justification of chosen genre and form, a justification of how each step of the writing process as gone beyond simply sitting and writing, but offers insight into how you have critically examined your creative product in the light of contemporary theory and practice (insights each supported by critical/scholarly readings and material);
4. Each critical reflection reflects flawless presentation, clarity of expression - including spelling and grammatical correctness
5. Appropriate acknowledgment of sources and in-text citation using the Harvard (author-date) referencing style.

The final piece must be completed according to the topic proposed in Assessment One (The Proposal), as negotiated with the supervisor. The word count is between 2500–3000 words in total.

While it is acceptable in this unit to allow of a 10% variation (either above or below) the word count, students are strongly advised to accord with word count (taking into account variation limits, e.g., +/-10%).

Weighting: This assessment item is worth 45% of the overall grade.

Note: A copy of the Proposal (Assessment Item 1) must be included with this assessment item (placed either at the very beginning, or on the final page/s of the Creative Artefact). The Proposal will not be included in the final word count.

NOTE: Late assignments submitted without an approved extension will receive a grade (with late penalty applied) but no feedback.

This assessment will be evaluated to the extent to which the work:

1. Evidences a carrying-out of the points referred to in the project pitch/proposal with experimentation and innovation;
2. Demonstrates an original piece of writing of the chosen genre and is of a standard clearly showing indicators for the chosen genre and publication;
3. Showcases a work of a flawless, polished, and finished piece of writing at a publishable standard;
4. Utilises overall clarity of expression including spelling and grammatical correctness as well as appropriate acknowledgment of sources using the Harvard( author-date) referencing style where this may be relevant.