English XII: Creative Writing

Spring 2007

Course Overview and Expectations

Required Texts

Where I'm Calling From by Raymond Carver

The Story and Its Writer ed. by Ann Charters

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

Other Texts (selections will be provided by instructor)

Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale

On Writing by Stephen King

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Numerous Handouts

Overview 

In ‘English XII: Creative Writing’ we will study the art of short story writing.  We will simultaneously read and discuss all types of short fiction—tracing the short story from its European roots to its ability to capture the American experience to its more experimental / post-modern forms.  Simultaneously we will be writing our own short fiction, ultimately producing a final portfolio of work.  We will grapple with issues of voice, imagery, tone, characterization, and the elements of narrative form.  Peer writing workshops will be a major component of the writing process.

In addition to our reading, we will be doing a great deal of writing.  We will write on a near-daily basis, and will have some sort of formal writing assignment due most weeks.

Goals

The individual goal for each student is to strengthen his or her writing.  Writing is an important life-skill—reading and writing short fiction is just a particularly enjoyable way of honing our writing skills.  Over the course of the semester, we will also become better critical readers and editors.  With the help of the revision process, each student will produce work for possible inclusion in The Oracle. 

Assignments

Students will be expected to read and annotate assigned short stories and prepare for a discussion each class meeting.  These stories are often quite short (five to ten pages) and so many homework assignments will include reading and writing.  We will have many short “journal” assignments that will be collected periodically, often at the end of a week, and then returned at the beginning of the following week.  Certain assignments will be selected by the instructor for revision, while others will be chosen for revision by the student.  Students can expect to be asked to revise a single piece several times, as different learning will take place each time.

“Workshopping”

As part of the revision process, we will hold many formal, round-table workshop sessions.  These sessions will follow fairly strict guidelines set by the instructor.  This experience will aid both the students doing the workshopping and the student whose work is being discussed.  Each student in the workshop is asked to read and write comments on the work to be discussed prior to the workshop class.  It must be noted that these sessions should be carried out with a certain level of sensitivity and maturity. 

Class discussions

Students must be prepared to “bring something to the table” in each class discussion—the success of the course depends on this.  Each student will also be asked to be the discussion leader (or co-leader) for a specific piece at least once.

Senior Essay

As in all Spring English XII electives, we will writing a major essay in April.  Details regarding this essay will be provided when we get closer to embarking on the project.

Academic Honesty

The Brunswick English Department takes very seriously the issue of academic honesty.  Just as with any analytical or expository essay, the rules of the Brunswick English Department apply to the creative assignments completed in this class.  See the department website for details regarding this policy or me with any questions.

Grading

Creative writing is notoriously difficult to grade because of its subjective nature.  The quality of work will factor in the grading, but weight will also be given to effort and progress.