E325
Introduction to Creative Writing: Fiction
W 2-4:30
Scott Blackwood, M.F.A.
Email: blackwood@mail.utexas.edu


Description:
The essential materials of the fiction writer? A sharp eye for detail, a strong grasp of language, and a dogged persistence. Often, though, aspiring fiction writers underestimate the amount of close reading they will need to do to develop their craft. It's simply not enough to read as a reader; you must learn to read as a writer. In other words, instead of simply allowing yourself to be caught up in fiction's "vivid and continuous dream," as John Gardner calls it, you will need to duck behind the curtain to see how the dream is made. To this end, you will read many short stories in this class and several essays by people who write short fiction and longer works. You will also develop a working vocabulary to discuss published stories and to respond to your fellow students' work. You will keep a writer's journal (an indispensable tool to a fiction writer) in which you will analyze stories from a writer's point of view, complete exercises, and construct drafts of scenes. Finally, you will write and revise two 8-10 page short stories that demonstrate, along with the rest of your work in the class, your understanding of the fictional craft fundamentals.

Texts:

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (6th Edition) by Janet Burroway Best 25 Years of Pushcart Prize Stories Ed. Bill Henderson Packet

Requirements:
For this class to function successfully as a workshop, everyone must participate in the discussions. We will develop a writer's vocabulary to talk about stories and fiction aesthetics in detail. You will also be asked to write (type) and turn in commentaries on your peers' scenes and stories. By the end of the course you will have written a number of in-class and out of class scenes and written and revised two eight- ten-page stories (this will need to be new work, not simply recycled older work). You will also lead a "from the writer's point of view" discussion on one published story of your choice. Additionally, you will, at the end, make an argument for your own grade, taking into account your mastery over the commonplace errors and your effective use of "psychology and form."

Class Participation	20% (meaningful discussion)
Peer Responses	10%
Exercises	20%
Story portfolio (including revisions)	50%