This class is a fiction workshop, which means that our original creative work will be the primary text in front of us this term. Of course, we'll be reading the prose and fiction of some of our contemporaries alongside, but this nearly always through the lens of helping us better understand our own craft and the world(s) in which our craft exists.
You don't need to have ever written a story (or even “creatively” at all!) before to fit well in this class; you'll be doing plenty of it while you're here. And this is, after all, your introduction to the genre. By the time we're done with it all, you'll understand the standards and conventions of classical and contemporary prose and fiction so that you might then use them and/or bend them to your own advantage.
The Basics
You'll be submitting polished, but not final, drafts of stories to class, which will then be read to the class by you. Afterwards, the class will provide constructive criticism on your piece to give you guidance on how to improve it. I’ll talk more and more about the process as we prepare for each workshop session, but the general rules are: (1) submit something you want people to read, and (2) when critiquing, be helpful. Stories will at times be the result of creativity with limits (e.g. writing exercises, imitations, prompts) and at other times the result of creativity without limits (i.e. writing "whatever you want").
The guiding principle in the workshop is that writing is a skill that is best enhanced through practice and feedback rather than lecture and examination. Your ideas and the expression of those ideas should be at the heart of every activity and product. Our lectures, discussions, readings, and assignments will introduce you to a variety of writing styles and approaches that you will attempt to master using all stages of the recursive writing process (invention, drafting, critiquing, research, revision, editing, proofreading, etc.).
Ultimately, this is a process-oriented seminar: the expectation is that students explore writing as a process of discovery. During workshops and conferences, you will be offered both written and verbal feedback to guide the process of revision. The stories you write during the semester will not be considered final until you hand in your portfolio at the end of the semester. Every class session will be participatory and collaborative. I may lecture to explain concepts related to effective writing practices, but more typically my role will be to provide you with methods to practice, to coordinate exploratory discussions, and to guide the interactions among you and your peers.
Workshop Groups
Workshop Groups
Each of you will be workshopped twice a week. You'll be writing considerably more than this, some pieces of which will receive outside comments from me or attention from smaller groups, but expect at least this level of large-scale peer-treatment.
To keep the order fair and regular, you have been divided into two groups:
To keep the order fair and regular, you have been divided into two groups:
Group A: Bailey, Bates, Black, Burke, Champion, Coley, Frick, Hughes
Group B: Lisko, Mulhern, Niezing, Ozment, Proctor, Speetjens, Weddig
You can consult the Schedule for your workshop days.
**If at any point you would like to submit a story that corresponds to a different exercise than the one assigned to your workshop day, please talk to me about your proposed substitution no later than during office hours the day before you are to be workshopped.
About our Readings
As we are all adults reading literature by adults, there will be occasions where adult language and situations will occur in the pieces we read. If you are uncomfortable with the promise of this occurrence (it isn't a focus of mine to make you uncomfortable, but I know what's going in the the reading list and I know there will be some bleep-able language and black-bar-able images), please talk to me. Know, however, that you will never be required to write about anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, and I actively discourage you from reading anything aloud that you do not feel comfortable reading to a roomful of your peers. If similar adult things appear in your peers' writing, be respectful of their artistic decisions.
Similarly, students are encouraged to speak openly and honestly, even if they feel that their positions are unorthodox or unpopular. Passionate, even heated, philosophical and artistic discussions can be healthy educational experiences and are excellent opportunities to refine one's own thinking and values. However, students are also required to treat their fellow classmates, especially those with whom they disagree, with respect. We will insist upon professional decorum and mutual consideration from everyone at all times. There are no exceptions to this rule.
**If at any point you would like to submit a story that corresponds to a different exercise than the one assigned to your workshop day, please talk to me about your proposed substitution no later than during office hours the day before you are to be workshopped.
About our Readings
As we are all adults reading literature by adults, there will be occasions where adult language and situations will occur in the pieces we read. If you are uncomfortable with the promise of this occurrence (it isn't a focus of mine to make you uncomfortable, but I know what's going in the the reading list and I know there will be some bleep-able language and black-bar-able images), please talk to me. Know, however, that you will never be required to write about anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, and I actively discourage you from reading anything aloud that you do not feel comfortable reading to a roomful of your peers. If similar adult things appear in your peers' writing, be respectful of their artistic decisions.
Similarly, students are encouraged to speak openly and honestly, even if they feel that their positions are unorthodox or unpopular. Passionate, even heated, philosophical and artistic discussions can be healthy educational experiences and are excellent opportunities to refine one's own thinking and values. However, students are also required to treat their fellow classmates, especially those with whom they disagree, with respect. We will insist upon professional decorum and mutual consideration from everyone at all times. There are no exceptions to this rule.
