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English 2270: Introduction to Writing Fiction

Lisa Bickmore, Instructor

(instructor website: The Hymnbook )

E-mail address: Lisa.Bickmore@slcc.edu

Phone: 957-4686

Office: AD 238A

Consultation Hours: 9-10 a.m. MWF (e-mail)

8:30-9:30 a.m. TR (in office)

Required texts for this course:

The Best American Short Stories 2004. Ed. Lorrie Moore. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

The Best American Short Stories of the Century. Ed. John Updike. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York’s Acclaimed Creative Writing School. Gotham Writer’s Workshop. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2003.

The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction. Stephen Koch. New York: Modern Library, 2003.

Prerequisite to the course: English 2250, Introduction to Imaginative Writing. You may discuss with me the possibility of an exception if you haven’t yet taken English 2250.

Course Overview: This course is for the student who wants to explore fiction and fiction writing in greater depth than an introductory creative writing class will allow. That said, anyone who wants to write fiction and understand its history, norms, and practices can successfully complete this course.

The course centers around five main activities: writing drafts of fiction pieces for peer and instructor review; reading the drafts of other students and responding to them; reading stories and discussing them; writing an analytic essay investigating some aspect of the craft of fiction; and revising drafts of your fiction pieces (as well as the essay) for a portfolio. All of these activities will be carried out mainly on-line. Students who want to meet either with me or with peers in person can arrange to do so (in the case of meeting with peers, if it is mutually agreeable and possible). However, our main mode of interaction in this course will be via the internet, through discussion posts and through e-mail.

The objectives of the course are as follows:

1. Students will write a number of fictional pieces in a variety of forms.

2. Students will give, and get, constructive feedback to and from their peers and from the instructor on their writing in draft form.

3. Students will learn to revise their fiction, using the feedback they have received.

4. Students will understand the ways that fiction and other prose forms participate in and circulate in culture and in public life.

5. Students will practice a variety of forms of invention for writing prose, including reading as invention.

6. Students will have practice in the building blocks of fiction and other prose forms, such as plot and character development, dialogue, and various narrative strategies.

7. Students will read and discuss a variety of prose.

Students in English 2270 will be evaluated by the following means:

1. Informal and frequent formative response to drafts of their work, both by peers and the instructor.

2. Conferences with the instructor to give formative assessment.

3. A culminating portfolio, which should contain examples of their revised work, reflective commentary, an expository essay (see Essay Assignment), and perhaps examples of their work-in-process, such as drafts or journal excerpts.

4. Regular and engaged participation in the discussion forums of the class.

Breakdown of Assignments:

Type of Assignment Percent of Total Course Grade

Weekly short exercises 15%

Drafts of stories (four) 20%

Participation in discussion forums, including peer response 20%

Essay draft 5%

Portfolio 40%

Note on Participation : The vitality of this course depends upon your active and engaged participation in the discussion forums. Each week, I will initiate a discussion by posting a prompt based on that week’s lecture and the readings you have done. You will have the opportunity to respond to the prompt and to one another, within a specific time frame. (The time frame will generally be about a week—long enough to give everyone a chance to be a part of the discussion, but limited enough that everyone can reasonably expect to see the whole discussion, and its conclusion. When students respond weeks after the discussion is over, there’s no realistic way that their comments will be part of a living, active discussion.) I will also participate in the discussion.

I will track your responses, not only to see that you’ve checked in to the discussion, but also to see that your responses are thoughtful and substantial. I will give you points for your responses, based on a five point scale. Of course, you do have to respond to the discussion in the first place, but if you respond with evidence from your readings, comment in some serious way on something one of your peers said, raise a new question, your score will be higher. If I have concerns about the quality of your participation, I’ll let you know. Similarly, if you’re concerned about whether your participation meets these criteria, just e-mail me and we can chat about it.

Activities and Readings:

Week 1 Introduction to the Course.

Read “Practices of the Class” (Lecture 1).

Internet Activity #1: Answer the Proust questionnaire to introduce yourself to the class; post to discussion forum.

Week 2 Invention (Lecture 2).

Readings: Modern Library Chapter 1, “Beginnings”; Gotham Chapter 1, “Fiction: The Why, How, and Why of it”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #2a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #2b: post Short Exercise #1 (see “Short Exercises” link).

Week 3 Voice (Lecture 3).

Readings: Gotham Chapter 8, “Voice: The Sound of a Story”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #3a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #3b: post Short Exercise #2 (see “Short Exercises” link).

Week 4 Narrative (Lecture 4).

Readings (see lecture).

Internet Activity #4 a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #4b: post Story #1 draft.

Week 5 Character and Characterization (Lecture 5).

Readings: Modern Library Chapter 4, “Making Characters Live”; Gotham Chapter 2, “Character: Casting Shadows”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #5a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #5b: post Short Exercise #3 (see “Short Exercises” link).

Week 6 Point of view (Lecture 6).

Readings: Gotham Chapter 4, “Point of View: The Complete Menu”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #6a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #6b: post Short Exercise #4 (see “Short Exercises” link).

Week 7 Setting (Lecture 7).

Readings: Gotham Chapter 5, “Description: To Picture in Words,” and Chapter 7, “Setting and Pacing: I’m Here Therefore I Am”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #7a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #7b: post Story #2 draft .

Week 8 Scene (Lecture 8).

Readings: Modern Library Chapter 3, “Shaping the Story”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #8a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #8b: post Short Exercise #5 (see “Short Exercises” link).

Week 9 Dialogue (Lecture 9).

Readings: Gotham Chapter 6, “Dialogue: Talking It Up”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #9a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #9b: post Short Exercise #6.

Week 10 Plot (Lecture 10).

Readings: Gotham Chapter 3, “Plot: A Question of Focus”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #10a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #20b: post Story #3 draft.

Week 11 Style (Lecture 11).

Readings: Modern Library Chapter 5, “Inventing Your Style”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #11a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #11b: post Short Exercise #7 (see “Short Exercises” link).

Week 12 Revision: Managing a Sense of Time (Lecture 12).

Readings: Gotham Chapter 10, “Revision: Real Writers Revise”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #12a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #12b: post revision.

Week 13 Revision: Deepening Characters (Lecture 13).

Readings: Modern Library Chapter 7, “Working and Reworking”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #13a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #13b: post Story #4 draft.

Week 14 Revision: Macro and Micro settings (Lecture 14).

Readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #14a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #14b: post Essay Draft.

Week 15 More revision; Portfolios (Lecture 15).

Readings: Modern Library Chapter 8, “Finishing”; short story readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #15a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #15b: post revisions.

Week 16 More revision (Lecture 16).

Readings (see lecture)

Internet Activity #16a: Discuss the readings, using the questions posted on the discussion board.

Internet Activity #16b: post revisions

Week 17 Final Words (Lecture 17).

Internet Activity #17: Post portfolio.