Course Purpose: This course introduces students to the craft of fiction writing. With an emphasis on process rather than product, we will devote most of our time to exploring how one becomes a better reader and writer of fiction. This course is designed to give you the tools of writing good fiction as well as the ability to read your own stories and others analytically, imaginatively, and thoughtfully (in other words, to read and write as a writer).

Students should be prepared to spend a minimum of ten hours each week (outside of class) working on their own writing, responding to student work, and reviewing published fiction. I strongly recommend students work on their own writing every day. A creative writing class demands a great deal of dedication and commitment–both intellectually and emotionally–but such an experience can also be rewarding. Previous students in this class have eventually published their own work and gained successful entry into advanced fiction workshops as well as into graduate writing programs.

We will take up such questions as: Why write? What is a story? What difference does the point of view of a story make? How do we make characters "live" on paper? How do we write effective dialogue? What is plot? What is the role of place, of setting, in fiction? How do we find or create "meaning" in the stories we read and write? We’ll explore these questions as we read works by established writers , and as we write and respond to one another’s works-in-progress.

Behind the Short Story: From First to Final Draft, eds. Van Cleave & Pierce (ISBN 0321117247)
The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, eds. Williford & Martone (ISBN 1416532277) 
Various short stories (available online)

The Fiction Dictionary, Laurie Henry (ISBN 1884910548)

Course Requirements:
1) Attend one (1) literary reading and write a one-page critical response.  Ideally, it should be a fiction reading, though I recognize that there might not be enough options for this to be convenient.  Hit up a poetry or nonfiction one, if that's all that fits your schedule.
2) Write at least three (3) original stories from specific prompts.  You are required to revise them all since revision is a major way to improve your writing.
3) Participate fully (intellectually and verbally) in workshopping the stories of your peers, including a written critique done before class that is given to the writer of the story (a second copy goes to me).
4) Submit at least two (2) stories for workshop feedback during the course of the semester.  You are responsible for photocopying.
5) Complete all in-class writing assignments.
6) Compile a final portfolio of your best creative and critical work done during the entire semester.  More details on this around week 3 or 4.
7) Give two presentations on a short story, including a handout that identifies key fiction elements in use in the story, as well as ideas on how the story relates to other ideas, texts, and discussions.  (You will receive a detailed handout explaining this).
8) Write a short critical paper (1,250-2,000 words) on a living American short story writer of your choice (selections to be okayed with me first).  Contextualizing their work in terms of contemporary American short fiction ( as well as the terminology and ideas we discover in class) is a must.
9) Maintain a reading journal in response to assigned readings over the semester.
10) Thoughtful, active, and responsible participation and citizenship, including oral discussion, preparation for class, and in-class writing.

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