HuckleBerry
Center for Creative Learning
Andrew Holyfield
Hi everyone! My name is Andrew. I graduated Summa Cum Laude at UC Riverside in 2016, with a B.A. in Creative Writing. While there, I completed the Honors Program, published a thesis, was an editor for both the campus Research Journal and Honors Program literary journal, joined the Writing Program as a Teaching Assistant, and completed three MFA courses, all with a 4.0 GPA.
Tutoring started for me in the campus Writing Program, in which I tutored eighteen students per week. Around that same time, my younger brother, diagnosed with Aspergers, started college. I tutored him during his four-year journey to receive his Paraprofessional Certificate.
Nerdy as it sounds, I love Grammar and read often (in-between Netflix binges). Until my time at UC Riverside, I abhorred reading and preferred the trusty summaries from Spark Notes. I know English and writing can be both challenging and boring, but perhaps all a struggling student needs a little help and positive reinforcement. If that sounds like you or your kid, I'd love to help.
I’m a published songwriter with 20+ years experience in the music industry.
Creative Writing 101
Creative Writing is a story-centered course, intended to develop student understanding and use of the fundamentals in writing. Each class will unpack a tenet of writing, such as: Narration, Description, Conflict, Setting, Dialogue, POV vs Perspective etc. Class time is divided into three sections: lecture, in which a topic is taught with multiple examples; writing, done either individually or in small groups; and presenting, in which students share their work with the class. Each trimester will conclude with a pizza party and presenting Final Projects––an original story implementing every element of craft learned in class.
This course is intended to be fun and exciting for students, breaking the stigma that writing is boring and full of rules. As the idiom goes: Rules are meant to be broken. This class will allow students to break conventional rules of writing to explore creative freedom. The only rule is to
understand the rule being broken and how the student is breaking them. Examples of this can be experimental punctuation, multiple narrators, reality-breaking science fiction worlds. While grammar is not a focal point of this class, students will be able to ask any questions regarding spelling, grammar, or syntax, should they wish to write conventionally.
Students are encouraged to discover their voice and their interests through in-class free-write prompts and homework assignments. Homework assigned will reenforce class lessons, and homework assigned during the second half of each trimester will center around constructing Final Projects.
Each trimester will explore different approaches to the writing process.
Fall: We begin the process of writing with Character. We discuss what the character Desires, and then we place Obstacles in the way to test our character. C.O.D. is the foundation of stories, and we focus on character first in this trimester.
Winter:This time, we take Stephen King’s approach and begin with a simple question beginning with “What if…?” This process begins with conflict. We then develop a Character who is able to overcome that problem (Obstacle) and a reason why (Desire.)
Spring: In our final trimester, we begin with our personal interests. We ask ourselves, “What do I like and how can I incorporate it in my story?” This process often begins with Description and Setting and focuses on the author’s voice.