Creative writing in ELT - Organically grown stories - Method for scaffolded story production

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra

The article argues that most EFL/ESL learners miss key advantages of English creative writing, including broader literary knowledge, active use of language skills, and acquisition of new grammar and vocabulary. It presents a classroom approach that guides students through scaffolded stages—moving from concept to words, then to lines, and finally to full stories. Learners report the process as engaging and non-threatening, gain confidence through sharing stories, and show improved natural language use and voice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Benefits of creative writing in ELT

Research trends and classroom rationale

Creative writing as a non-threatening practice

A step-by-step scaffolded method

Creative writing in ELT: Organically grown stories Clarence Ray Bussinger Tokiwa University Many EFL/ESL students do not experience the benefits of practicing creative writing in English, which include expanding knowledge of literature, and using classroom language skills, learning new language structures and vocabulary. Students are motivated to learn English by engaging in creative writing exercises in English language teaching classes. Despite not having the luxury of a creative writing course, it is possible to include such a component in various ESL classes. Following a short discussion of the nature of creative writing and an overview of the relevant research, this article outlines one method of having students produce stories that grow in scaffolded stages, from concept, to words, to lines, then to story. Students report the process to be interesting and non-threatening, and report gains of confidence through sharing their stories. 多くのEFL/ESLの学生は英語による物語作りの便益を経験していない。その便益とは、文学の知識が広がること、言語スキルを活用すること、新たな言語の構造や語彙を学習することである。本論文では、概念から始まり、言葉、数行、物語へと段階的に発展する物語を学生がつくる方法の一つについての概要を示す。学生はこのプロセスを興味深く、無理のないものであると思い、物語りを共有する楽しみをもつことになる。 Keywords: creative writing, ESL, EFL, literature, process, scaffolding, stories Introduction In his article,“Creative Writing for Students and Teachers” Maley (2012) asks a question many of us have been asking for years, “Why is it that most institutional systems of education develop such narrow and unadventurous teaching procedures?”(para.1) . It is rare to find creative writing (CW) in ELT, even in small doses. He goes on to state that a lack of imaginative language teaching often leads students to “develop a lifelong aversion to the language”(para. 1) . Like Maley, more and more ELT educators are calling for an increased use of CW in ELT. Having students write stories in English gives them more insight into the art of fiction, gives them an opportunity to use the language skills they possess, and encourages them to explore vocabulary and grammar that they might not consider otherwise. As Smith (2013) points out in his experience of teaching CW in ELT, “I have found that the vocabulary use in fiction writing appears to be more varied and of higher quality than academic writing produced by the same students,”(p.15) . In addition, students writing stories to be shared tend to use natural language forms and to develop a more natural, albeit EFL, voice. Having students produce writing that has come from their feelings and ideas gives them self-confidence, allowing them to mature as writers and English speakers: “Self esteem along with confidence in the language, grows as students are encouraged to break out of the text-book style of learning by repetition” (Rowlands, 2012, para. 6). Students are very happy to take a break from textbooks and formal writing, and explore personal reflection and creative endeavor. Thus the benefits of creative writing are many, including vocabulary building (Ying, 2008), and engaging in language 12 The Journal of Literature in Language Teaching-December 2013 play to “express uniquely personal meanings”(Maley, 2009, para. 3) . In her review of Writing Poems and Writing Stories (Maley & Mukundan, 2011), Lima (2013) outlines the recent trend to include CW in ELT (see also Frank & Rinvolucri, 2007; Wright and Hill, 2008) . Indeed, creative writing is taking a more prominent position in ELT, with schools offering full semester EFL/ESL courses in creative writing.1 CW is also shown to transfer learned skills to academic writing, increasing writers’ competence and confidence. In an ESL CW program at a large midwestern university in the U.S.,“all of the students felt that their academic writing had improved” (Ostrow and Chang, 2012, p.48) . Different from the academic prose English language students usually write in their university classes, creative writing more overtly attempts to aesthetically engage both the reader, as well as the writer. Although some

FAQs

Why is creative writing important in ELT for EFL/ESL students?

Creative writing helps students expand literature knowledge, use existing language skills more actively, and learn new language structures and vocabulary while developing a more natural voice.

What scaffolded stages does the article recommend for producing stories?

The method proceeds from concept to words, then to lines, and finally to story, with students producing material in gradually built steps.

How do students respond to the scaffolded creative writing process?

Students report the process as interesting and non-threatening and report increased confidence through sharing their stories.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra