ENGL 335Creative Writing 1
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- English
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Designed to assist students with an interest in developing their creative writing skills in various genres, this course consists of supervised practice, discussions of craft, and peer critiques.
Prerequisites
- Students must be in level 3A or higher
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| WSP 001 | 3227 | 23 / 25 | T 18:30–21:20 |
| WSP 002 | 3383 | 23 / 25 | MW 10:00–11:20 |
| WSP 003 | 4242 | 23 / 25 | Online or by arrangement |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| WSP 001 | 3659 | 0 / 25 | T 18:30–21:20 |
| WSP 002 | 4235 | 0 / 25 | MW 10:00–11:20 |
| WSP 003 | 3926 | 0 / 25 | Online or by arrangement |
| WSP 701 | 1392 | 10 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| WSP 702 | 1293 | 15 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| WSP 703 | 1700 | 28 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
96% liked it76% easy79% useful
From 28 ratings and 9 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
The course is entirely what you put into it. If you've taken a workshop course before, that's probably not news to you, but I hadn't taken one before! There's no real lecture component, so the only learning that happens comes from the readings or the experience that we gain from being in class and engaging in the activities we do. Being in class is VERY important for this course.
We spent the entire semester on one project, either a short story or a collection of poems. I really enjoyed the creative freedom we had. You could truly write about anything, and the professor was really good at picking out the good in your work and helping you build on it.
I'd recommend it if you've got any…Dec 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This class was very useful. I really appreciated learning the editing techniques, and how to be critical of my writing. This should prove useful when I pursue a career in research, since I will be writing papers for most of it.
This class was also very useful for giving me a good outlet for my emotions. It taught me a lot about my own writing and I have definitely tried to keep writing because of this class.
This class is not exactly easy. The grading scheme is easy to understand and it is fairly easy to get good grades if you understand the point of the course. The point of the course is to be critical of your work and make bold changes (if needed) to make it better, no matter how…Dec 2014 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
The class consisted of a 3-hour workshop lecture time, where we wrote poetry, analyzed examples, and learned to write descriptively. There were weekly writing tasks and readings; however, the two main assignments were the poem and the short story, both of which we were graded on how much we revised and improved the original draft from the workshop feedback. I came into the class excited for the short story unit, but left loving poetry just as much. This is not a bird course. I would advise you to brainstorm short story ideas during the first half of the course so you can finish the first draft of the story assignment in time. Additionally, finish your feedback sheets for your classmates as…
Apr 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Very Easy Course- great outlet for students in harder course who need creative electives, particularly in writing
Jul 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Mostly participation, fun workshops and really interesting readings.
Dec 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
34 posts and comments in 32 threads mention ENGL 335, March 2013 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Spring 2024
Engl210C and Engl335 - creative writing 5 points, 0 comments
u/Elegant_Limit: “Both these creative writing courses are offered in an online section in the fall. I was wondering if anyone has taken the online version of these and how they found it versus in person. …”
200+ bird course fall 2024 3 points, 8 comments
“saw my course schedule and i didnt get clas 201 so i wanna have a replacement in the case that i cant enroll into it next week. …”
u/hamstrings10: “ENGL 210C, ENGL 335 - if you’re a good writer GEOG 219”
Light courses 1 point, 4 comments
u/hamstrings10: “ENGL 210C, ENGL 335, GEOG 219, HLTH 101 Most people find CLAS 104 to be light but tbh the time limits on quizzes combined with the sheer volume of readings made me wanna defenestrate myself.”
Fall 2023
Engl 335 grade breakdown 1 point, 0 comments
u/Hassaan10: “Could anyone send me the grade breakdown for this course?”
Best course for writing? 2 points, 0 comments
u/Hassaan10: “… From what I’ve found Creative Writing 1 (ENGL 335) might be best, but wanted to ask in case. …”
How to know courses don’t have exams or finals? 1 point, 9 comments
u/PailsInCompartments: “… Here is my list of preferred courses: ENGL 335 ENGL 210C THPERF 100 MUSIC 270 SMF 101 ENGL 204 THREPF 102 KOREA 101R MUSIC 240 MUSIC 112 Any general advice for other easy or exam-less courses, or for exchange and International students is very much welcome too; Thank you!”
Spring 2023
Easy Electives 1 point, 2 comments
“Hello, I will be attending Waterloo this September for Honours Science. I was just wondering what are some easy electives that I can take that could possible boost my GPA. Thank you”
u/Great-Error5707: “LS 271, ENGL 109, ENGL 210C,EASIA 203R, SCI 206, GEO 225 and 219, ENGL 335, HRM 200 etc”
Easy online courses with no exams (like CLAS104) 36 points, 25 comments
“Hello! After my absolutely wonderful first year I want some easy courses that require almost no brainpower or effort that I can take alongside my core courses so I don't die. …”
u/Great-Error5707: “Geo 219, Geo 225, Engl 335”
Fall 2022
ENGL 335 (Creative Writing 1) for inexperienced writers? 9 points, 4 comments
u/Co-opPlease: “I'm an engineering student who wanted to take it next term, but I'm a pretty inexperienced writer. I always liked English and was pretty good at it in high school, and read a ton growing up, but I don't have any writing experience outside of classes. …”
Winter 2022
ENGL 306A - online or in-person? 2 points, 5 comments
“I'm considering taking ENGL 306A. Anyone who took it, I would love to hear your opinion about it. My main concern is workload atm. Also, would you recommend the online or in-person offering? …”
u/Lil-Shiro: “… If you do enjoy English in general tho, some fun 300 level courses to look at that I recommend are: - Creative Writing I (ENGL 335) - Information Design (ENGL 392A) - Global Asian Diasporas (ENGL 346R) There’s probably more but I’m tired, feel me to ask me any questions.”
Fall 2021
Any English courses you really liked or didn't like? 4 points, 19 comments
“Hey all! Just wondering if there are any ENGL courses that are particularly worth taking, maybe because of the prof or content, and any courses that should be avoided! …”
u/AbhiJack459: “ENGL 210C was amazing. Dr. Lamees Al Ethari has been my favourite professor across all my courses. I’m hoping that she teaches ENGL 335 in the Winter”
Winter 2021
Free elective suggestions ?? 3 points, 4 comments
“Does anyone have any recommendations for a free elective? Any interesting course or any that you particularly enjoyed, that doesn’t have many prerequisites. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated :)”
[deleted]: “… ENGL 335 is another project-based creative writing course where the whole course is just writing a short story or poetry anthology. ENGL 210C fits the theme as well, but I haven't taken that one. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
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