INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING: SHORT FICTION

English 202

Ann Putnam

Fall 2004

Wyatt 341

X3407 X3235 e-mail: aputnam@ups.edu

MWF 10-11 & by appt.

TEXTS:

Writing Fiction, Sixth Edition, Burroway

A Pocketful of Prose: Contemporary Short Fiction ed. Madden

Bird by Bird Anne Lamott

***On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft*, Stephen King**

Requirements

I. Attendance and participation. Since we will be using the Studio or Writer's Workshop format, no classes missed can be made up. You will have many opportunities to participate in panels, small group workshops, large group workshops, as well as in-class writing sessions. So regular attendance is critical to your success in this class. Frequent absences will result in lowered grade or removal from class. Each day when you come to class you will know exactly what to expect, but you will also be surprised. The syllabus will keep you current on what is expected in terms of assignments (you can expect quizzes every now and then), but anything goes after that. So you'll need to be here every day--ready to do things you've never done before, remember things you've never remembered before, ready to write about things you didn't know you knew.

Preparation for and participation in the Writer's Workshops are an essential part of the course. Any missed workshop days/or lack or preparedness will seriously affect the grade. This includes being late for class.

After three absences grade will be lowered half a point.

This also includes your care in meeting deadlines, and being on time for class. Late work will be penalized.

II. Two five-ten page Short Stories

One Short Short (2-4 pages)

One Deep Revision

Stories must be typewritten, double-spaced with adequate margins. No late stories!!!! Please submit in a manila folder on the day the story is due all drafts of your story plus the copies of your story from your workshop group signed by each reader. YOU MUST NUMBER YOUR PAGES!

III. Copying: You will be responsible for making copies of your stories for your workshop groups.

Some of you will be asked to make class copies of your story for a full class workshop. You will be told in advance. If time permits everyone will have a turn at this.

IV. ASSIGNED READINGS

Writing Fiction, Burroway. Read and study all of the assigned text. I've re-ordered the readings as well as pared them down, so it is essential that you study the assigned pages.

Exam over the reading in Burroway.

Writing Process #1 (1-21)

Conflict #2 (30 to 48)

Showing/Telling #3 (74-89)

Characterization #4-5 (118-130) (157-180)

Point of View #7-8 (254 to 2six 8) (287-301)

Setting/Atmosphere/Symbol #6 & #9 ((198-218) (325-337)

Theme #10 (357-366)

Revision #11 (395-409)

A Pocketful of Prose. .Assigned stories: "Personal Testimony,"and "Slamming on Pig's Misery." Others are your choice. See Addendum.

Bird by Bird Read this for ideas on craft and the writing life. You'll find some things to respond to in your process freewrites in your notebook. Read all of this book in the first several weeks of the course.

On Writing: A Memoir

V.WRITER'S NOTEBOOK Keeping a notebook is probably the single most important thing you can do as a writer to develop your writing. It is your connection to the writing life even when you are not taking a creative writing course. This will not be a personal diary, but a genuine workbook where you experiment with different styles, voices, descriptions, dialogue, and where you respond to the readings It is also a good place to talk about your writing process, and to talk with yourself about stories in progress. Please keep this notebook separate from other class notes. It is due at conference time and on Finals Day. It has three sections. Keep a well-marked separate section for each part. Please number your entries!!!!!

Three times during the course of the semester you will exchange your Notebook with another member of the class. Each of you will then read through the notebook and in a TYPED, informal, letter format, respond to the issues, ideas, images, techniques that intrigue you. Get a dialogue going! Be sure to include your name on your letter to receive credit. The writer will then include the three letters of response at the front of the Notebook when it is turned in at the end of the semester. Each of you will need to determine the level of privacy comfortable for you. So if you wind up writing some highly sensitive material you can opt to exclude it from the exchange, if you like. Rarely have I found this to be a problem. But you will need to keep your notebook current.

First Section: In-Class Writing Practice. You will be writing in the notebook during most class sessions, so bring it every day.

Second Section: Outside-Class Writing Practice

a. Ten Writing Process Freewrites Here you will write about your own writing process, struggles as a writer, your own works in progress. Bird by Bird will help with this. Please number your free-writes.

b. Five Assigned Exercises Clearly label these. See Addendum .

c. Freewrites on your own (20 minimum) Please number your free-writes.

You may devise your own topics or you may use some of the ones provided in the accompanying handout. But in all your writing practice go for the standard ten to fifteen minutes and see what happens. Keep the hand moving.

Lose control.

Be specific.

Don't think.

Don't worry.

Go for the jugular. Go where the energy is.

When you're done, give the writing a three second title.

Please date these and indicate where the writing takes place.

From Wednesday to Wednesday of the first week of school I want you to do a 15 minute writing practice every day. This will be one of the most difficult things you'll do this semester and you won't believe it until you try. I'm asking you to do this to establish the habit of writing, and to help you realize that it's the process of writing that is important, not the product. In Writing Practice everything you write is good. Whatever you write is already good, without you having to change a word.

Third Section: Ten story responses.

Please number your entries. See Addendum.

5 stories assigned stories:

"The Things They Carried," O Brien (Writing Fiction)

"Ralph the Duck" Busch (Writing Fiction)

"Gryphon≤ (Writing Fiction)

"Personal Testimony≤ (Pocketful of Prose)

"Slamming on Pig's Misery≤ (Pocketful of Prose)

5 stories will be your choice. You can select from both the A Pocketful of Prose and Writing
Fiction. Please do not let this become exhausting or laborious for you. All you need do is zero in on the most significant things you took from the story as they apply to your own developing writing. For this you will need to read the stories from the perspective of the writer as well as reader. And then simply comment on what you found most helpful in terms of your own growing sense of what it means to write fiction. Don't delay in writing up your comments after you've done some reading!!!!

V. Index Cards: a collection of story topics, first-lines, ideas, sensory images, quotes, snatches of dialogue. You'll need to carry a package of index cards around with you all semester so that you are always living the writer's life everywhere you go. There are stories everywhere if only you know how to listen for them. Please read "Index Cards"in Bird by Bird.

All other reading and writing assignments will be given in class as we go, in advance of the due date. Regular attendance is essential so that you are always prepared with the assignments completed before class.

Portfolio will include an introduction to your work, in which you will discuss your writing process in general and the stories you wrote in particular; all original work (the copies with my comments); and your Revision story. Please be sure your NAME is on your Notebook. LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE PENALIZED.

Grades will be based on:

NOTEBOOK AND PARTICIPATION 1/3

PORTFOLIO 2/3

Working Calendar

Jan 21-23

Introduction to the course

Wed Begin 15"free-writes. Do one a day from now until next Wednesday

Fri Discuss the excerpt from The Lonely Voice by Frank O'Connor and "A Good Man is Hard

to Find,"by Flannery O'Connor. For Monday, Bring to class a couple of articles from one of the tabloids, or a newspaper account you find unusual and intriguing. You will use one of these as a point of departure for your first story. Your task will be to find a way to make the strange familiar. To take something "strange and startling,"and find the universal connection as well as the personal connection. What universal emotion or experience does this episode represent? Your job is not so much to re-tell it but transform it.

Begin reading Bird by Bird. Read a chapter or two a day until you are done.

Read Chapter #2 in Burroway for Monday on plot and conflict and write a 1 page story

which contains a conflict, crisis and resolution.

Jan 26-30

Mon #2, Burroway: plot conflict; 1 page story due.

This goes in your notebook in the 5 Assigned Exercises Section. (The other four exercises can be done on your own time frame, depending on the needs of your own developing fiction.

Finish discussion of O'Connor and O'Connor

Wed Chapter #1 Burroway, on the creative process; discussion of creative process.

Chapter #3 Burroway showing and telling

Story Presentation assignments given. Please meet with me before your presentation day..

Fri Discuss "Disneyland≤

Feb 2-6

Mon Burroway # 4 & 5 Character Development

"Target"character development exercise. Please bring a developing character with you to class!

Wed Character and Plot development

Fri Story I due

Discuss protocol for writing groups. Handout: what to respond to; how to respond.

Meet in assigned writing groups.

Have your assigned story for presentation read. Bring the book to class.

Feb 9-13

Mon-Fri Small-group Workshops: come to the workshop with the stories for the day carefully

read and commented on. I will look at all these to see the quality of the feedback you are giving, when the authors turn in the copy of the story you have critiqued and signed.

Have completed Bird by Bird

Sign up for conferences

Wed 1^st Notebook Exchange;

Fri Return Notebooks with accompanying typed letter

Feb 16-20

Conferences in my office; reading/writing days on your own

Feb-23-27

Mon Burroway, #7 & 8, Point of View

Wed & Fri In class technique workshop

March 1-5

Mon: Story Presentation I: "The Things They Carried≤

Wed In class workshop on craft

Fri: Story Presentation II: "Personal Testimony

March 6-12

Mon Worskhop on craft

Wed #Six & #9 Burroway on setting and symbolism

Fri Story Presentation III: "Gryphon≤

March 15-19

Spring Break!!!!!

March 22-26

Mon Story II due

Wed Small group Workshops

Fri, Small group Workshops

March 29-April 2

Mon Small group workshops

Second Notebook Exchange

Wed Return Notebooks with accompanying letter

Story Presentation IV: "Ralph the Duck≤

Fri Have completed On Writing, Stephen King

Discussion of On Writing, Stephen King

April 5-9

Mon Burroway #10 Theme

Wed Exam over King and Lamott

Fri Story Presentation V: "Slamming on Pig's Misery≤

April 12-16

Mon Revision Burroway #11; 3^rd Notebook Exchange

"The Bath,""A Small Good Thing,"Raymond Carver

Wed Exam, Burroway

Return notebooks with accompanying letter

Fri Story III due

April 19-23

Mon-Fri Small-group Workshops

April 26-30

Mon-Fri Conferences, my office

May 3-5

Mon Revision

Wed Revision

Notebooks due

Portfolio due Wednesday, May 12 by 11:00 my office. Portfolio will include an introduction to your work, in which you may discuss your writing process in general and the stories you wrote in particular; both Original Stories (the copies with my comments); and your Deep Revision Revision. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.