ENGLISH 201: Creative Writing
Spring 2012
TR 1:00 – 2:15 Welles 119
Instructor: Christopher Perri Office: Welles 226B
Email: Office Hours: TR 12:00 – 1:00
Phone: 245-5283 (& by appointment)
TA: Suraj Uttamchandani Office Hours: F 11:00 – 12:00
@ Books & Bytes (& by appointment)
Required Texts & Materials:
The Best American Short Stories 2005 ed. Michael Chabon
Writing Poetry (2nd Edition)by Barbara Drake
Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott
Standard Notebook/Journal
Course Description & Content:
This course is an intermediate workshop in the manufacture and maintenance of creative nonfiction, poetry, and short fiction. Our intent is not only to become sharper writers, readers, and critics of these literary genres, but to better understand the choices we make on and off the page. Students will draft, edit, and revise creative essays, poems, and short stories of their own design, and after making revisions will compile their efforts into a final portfolio. All students are expected to present their work to the class for feedback, and in turn offer copious written and verbal commentary on the work of their peers. There will be extensive reading in each of the aforementioned genres, critical response essays, numerous in-class writing exercises, and frequent reading/speaking aloud.
Course Learning Outcomes:
∙ Knowledge in the forms of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction
∙ Understanding and application of craft in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction
∙ Proficiency at critiquing peer and published work, individually as well as in groups
∙ Ability to independently manage and meet deadlines in good standing
Course Requirements & Evaluation:
Students will be responsible for completing all written assignments when due, making and distributing copies of their work to the class when assigned, responding to the work of classmates in workshop and in writing, participating vocally and visually in class discussions and exercises, and presenting a reading of their work. Final grades will be based upon the following:
Portfolio60%
Performance40%
Portfolio - At semester’s end, each student will submit a collection of their written efforts entire: each piece submitted for workshops, andthe Writer’s Choice assignment, with original class comments (instructor’s, assistant’s, or classmate’s). The portfolio will also include copies of comprehensive revisions to each of the preceding as the individual author sees fit. A self-evaluation of methods and habits as a writer in this course will be required as well. The portfolio will be assessed and graded based on originality, strength of ideas, quality of language, and evidence of improvement/revision.
Performance - You are each charged with the responsibility of being present and actively engaged with this course. Evaluation of performance will be determined by the frequency and consistency with which you respond to in-class discussions, exercises, and student manuscripts, as well as overall investment in and attentiveness to your and your classmates’ development as writers.
Individual assignments will always be marked by the instructor or TA, however students will not receive any “letter” grades until portfolios are submitted. In addition to the feedback you receive on manuscripts and response papers, the instructor and TA are readily available to meet with individual students upon request to discuss their progress.
Diligence, honesty, and discipline will serve you best in this course. Passable work is not the product of random, last-minute bursts of inspiration, but hard work and sustained, concentrated effort.
Course Procedures:
1) Workshops - For each of the three cycles (creative nonfiction, poetry, and short fiction) students will produce original texts. The author is responsible for making enough copies of each assignment for the remaining class participants, and distributing them accordingly[1]. Each of the three cycles will end with a series of workshops, during which our focus will be devoted to discussing individual texts in turn. Students must prepare in advance for these workshops by giving a thorough reading to each manuscript and making copious written comments on it prior to meeting for workshop. Written comments must occur on two fronts: notes in the margins, and a written summary with the reader’s signature. This will foster thoughtful and forthright contributions to workshops. Workshop manuscripts will be collected before returning to their authors, to make certain all participants are holding up their end.
It is imperative that all written and verbal commentary for workshop be framed constructively. If you’re confused about what this means, please see me and I’ll give you a working definition. Half of the success of any writing workshop resides in participation—everyone offers their thoughts and ideas, we each of us carry our fair share. The other half depends on respect. A writing workshop is neither a competition nor a battle of egos. We are all of us endeavoring into the process of becoming better at our craft, accepting from the start that our manuscripts are first drafts, works in progress, i.e., not perfect the first time around. The true purpose of the workshop is to hear an array of responses to the first draft in facilitation of stronger subsequent drafts.
Each piece submitted for workshop will be assigned a guardian, a member of the class responsible for inspiring lively discussion about the work, as well as safeguarding the piece’s integrity. The author is prohibited from speaking during the discussion of their work. This “gag-order” is in place to ensure that workshop commentators experience a measure of permission and safety in voicing their thoughts. As the workshop wraps up, the author will be given a few minutes to ask any follow-up questions or inquire further along any lines of interest.
Students must contribute to all of the workshops in order to successfully complete the course. Merely attending will not suffice. Submissions must be made on time and in accordance with the prescribed formats; responses to workshop submissions—written and oral—must be frequent, thorough, and thoughtful. If you have difficulty completing assignments, meeting deadlines, or participating on a regular basis, this may not be the course for you.
2) Submission of Work - All written assignments must be typed in a plain, 12-point font, doubled-spaced, and carefully proofread for errors. The writings submitted for workshop are first drafts, not rough drafts. They should adhere at all costs to a polished surface; even though they’re works in progress, they should be complete in the sense that they embody a sense of purpose, direction, and effort.
All work is due, in hard copy form, when assigned. Late work will not be accepted and will result in penalties to your final grade. Late workshop submissions will not be granted a workshop, and will likewise have the effect of point deductions from your final mark. Leaving work in my department mailbox, under my office door, pestering the esteemed department secretary with it, or emailing it to me will not count as meeting the deadline. In short, put it in my hands when it’s due.[2]
Written Assignments**:
Creative Nonfiction (4-5 pages maximum)
Begin drafting an essay that relies both on your personal experience and some sort of universal value. This assignment combines aspects of storytelling in reflecting upon your past (scenes, characters, etc.), as well as journalism (observation, research, etc.). This assignment intends to be the first step in an intriguing and poignant perspective on an element of your identity that translates well to the interests of your audience.
Fiction(4-5 pages maximum)
Sketch an initial scene between two characters, as the eventual basis for literary fiction. Your scene should contain some elements of description, exposition, narration, action, dialogue, and conflict. This is an opportunity to take chances and make choices; to dream up an artificial but convincing situation that relies on your insight to the real world placed in a fabricated context. The goal is to discover, through this scene, the beginnings of a story, and not to write one to completion.
Poetry
Write two poems of substance (read: longer than 10 lines, none of which may be haiku of any sort), choosing from the following options:
· “Exercise” – use one of the in-class writing exercises for poetry as a point of expansion for a full poem
· Catalog – respond to one of the “Suggestions for Writing” on pages 52-4 in Drake’s Writing Poetry
· Observation – pick one prompt from pages 73-5 in WP
· Address – follow one of the suggestions from pages 91-2 of WP
· Voice – experiment with one of the activities outlined on pages 225-6 of WP
· “Dealer’s Choice” – follow your instincts and write a poem in pursuit of a meaningful idea, theme, or event, bearing in mind the way content shapes form, and style matches sense.
Writer’s Choice (pick one)
· Select one of the prose assignments (creative nonfiction or fiction) to revise, based on both workshop commentary and authorial instinct. The goal is to develop the original draft into a fuller, more defined and complete piece (15 pages maximum).
· Write a minimum of six(6) new poems, in addition to revising and expanding upon the two (2) poems you’ve already written and submitted to workshop. The submissions for Writer’s Choice in poetry must be a minimum of eight (8) poems.
Response Papers
For each segment of the course, write a brief paper about one of the essays, stories, or poems assigned for each respective unit. Choose a piece that interests you and explain why using the critical terminology introduced in class. These are not reviews. Rather, your “thumbs-up” should be framed as specific comments about the craft you appreciate or find to be effective in a given text. Responses should be no longer than two pages double-spaced, and will be considered as part of your earnings for class performance.
**All written assignments areliterary in nature. This is not the forum to try your hand at “gonzo” journalism, fantasy, sci-fi, fan fiction, military/paramilitary fiction,experimental/absurdist lit., slam poetry, or any other sub-genre of writing. Submissions failing to comply with this policy will not be given a workshop, or counted for credit toward final grades.
Policies of Note:
Academic Honesty
The college’s rules concerning academic honesty apply. You may review this policy, as well as several working definitions of plagiarism, in the current edition of The Undergraduate Bulletin. Passing off the words, ideas, or information of another as your own is an especially despicable offense in a Creative Writing Workshop. The penalty for suspicion of academic dishonesty in this course will be the severest allowable.
Accommodations
SUNY Geneseo will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented physical, emotional, or learning disabilities. Students should notify the Director in the Office of Disability Services (Tabitha Bugie-Hunt, 105D Erwin, ) and their individual faculty of any needed accommodations as early as possible in the semester.
Tentative Schedule:
1/17Introduction to course, discussion of first cycle and assignments (Creative Nonfiction [CNF])
1/19Discuss “Getting Started,” “Short Assignments,” & “Shitty First Drafts,” from Bird by Bird
2/24Discuss “To Make a Friend, Be a Friend” & “The Lost Boys” (available from myCourses, under “Course Materials”)*
2/26CNF Response Papers Due;Discuss “The Meteorites” & “Roadkill” (from myCourses, under “Course Materials”)*
1/31CNF Assignment Due w/ copies; assign workshop schedule & guardians; mock workshop (sample manuscript available
from myCourses, under “Course Materials”)*
2/2CNF Workshops
2/7CNF Workshops
2/9CNF Workshops
2/14Second cycle (Fiction) begins; discuss “Character,” “Plot,” “Dialogue,” & “Broccoli” from Bird by Bird
2/16Discuss “The Girls,” “Eight Pieces for the Left Hand,” & “Until Gwen” from Best American
2/21Discuss “The Smile on Happy Chang’s Face” & “Cousins” from Best American; Fiction Response Papers Due
2/23Fiction Assignment Due w/ copies; assign workshop schedule & guardians; mock workshop (sample manuscript available
from myCourses, under “Course Materials”)*
2/28Fiction Workshops
3/1Fiction Workshops
3/6Fiction Workshops
3/8Poetry cycle begins; discuss “Beginning with Poetry,” “Memory,” & “Observations” from Writing Poetry
3/13Spring Break – No Class
3/15Spring Break – No Class
3/20Discuss “Address,” “Form,” & “Voice” from WP
3/22Poetry Response Papers Due
3/27Poetry Assignment Due w/ copies; assign workshop schedule & guardians; mock workshop (sample manuscript available
via myCourses, under “Course Materials”)*
3/29Poetry Workshops
4/3Poetry Workshops
4/5Poetry Workshops
* Students are required to print hard copies of readings from myCourses and bring them to class when required. Mock workshop manuscripts will be collected to evaluate written feedback.
4/10Writer’s Choice “Draft” – be prepared to opt for a Writer’s Choice workshop in CNF, Fiction, or Poetry;
Discussion of Writer’s Choice Assignment and Final Portfolio requirements
4/12Discuss Revision & Development vs. Spellcheck & Expansion(revision samples available via myCourses, under
“Course Materials”)*
4/17 G.R.E.A.T. Day – No Class
4/19Writer’s Choice Assignment Due w/ copies; in-class prep, breakdown of final workshops
4/24Writer’s Choice Workshops
4/26Writer’s Choice Workshops
5/1Writer’s Choice Workshops (if needed)
Monday 5/7Final Exam Period 12:00 – 3:00
Portfolios Due: Student Readings, Course Wrap-Up, & Farewell.
* Students are required to print hard copies of readings from myCourses and bring them to class when required. Mock workshop manuscripts will be collected to evaluate written feedback.
[1]If you lack the means to print out enough copies for your classmates, or the funds to spend on photocopying, please see me well in advance (read: at least thirty-six hours) of the deadline(s) for workshop materials.
[2]Exceptions and extensions may be granted at my discretion, provided you offer advance notice (read: more than twenty-four hours).