|
to English
to English
to English
to English
to English
to English
to English
|
1
8/28: Syllabus, introductions. Writing: why?
9/1: Creative Writing Guide (CWG). Chapters 1 and 2. Choose two writing prompts from the chapters and write exploratory exercises based on them.
2
9/6: CWG chapter 3. Details. Exercise: write an important scene from your life, using descriptive detail. Don't explain the scene--show the scene. Bring it to life.
9/8: CWG chapter 8. Choose either of the exercise under "Writing for Ideas and Practice 8 - 5" on pages 170-171. Edwidge Danticat, "Westbury Court," and Scott Russel Sanders, "The Inheritance of Tools." Respond to these essays as a writer: what do you learn from these two pieces about possible subject matters for essays, possible structures for essays, or the style of what's called "creative non-fiction." How do these pieces help you prepare to write a piece of creative non-fiction, yourself?
3
9/13: Creative non-fiction draft workshop. Bring to class: four copies of a full essay draft. By full, I mean, a draft that's written through from its beginning to its conclusion. Perhaps there are still holes in the draft, or parts you haven't worked out yet, but you should have a version of a possible, full-length essay.
9/15: No class: instructor away EXTRA CREDIT opportunity: for 15 points, attend the reading at the Pump House, and write up a brief response (what did you see/hear? what did you think of what you saw/heard?). Doors open at 6:30 PM, the event begins at 7. It's free, but a 2$ donation is recommended, and buys you a ticket for the super-fun raffle.
4
9/20: Creative non-fiction draft due (40 points). This draft of your creative non-fiction essay should be: more than six double-spaced pages in length, formatted with one-inch margins, in Times New Roman, twelve point font, with your name on the top of the first page, page numbers on the bottom of each page, and stapled in the top left corner. Writer's notebook due (33 points): For full credit, the notebook should contain at least 10 exercises or journal entries designed to further your writing process.
9/22: Begin fiction unit: read Toni Cade Bambara's "Raymond's Run" and Stuart Dybek's "Pet Milk" from the Scribner Anthology. Read Lynette LeGarde's "Jude" from Touchstone online
5
9/27: CWG, chapter 9 on "Character and Conflict." Joan Silber, Ideas of Heaven through 64 Response essay: what do you think of Duncan Fishbach, as a character? Is he compelling? Why or why not? Does he work, for you, as a fictional character? Why or why not? After spending a half-page expressing your opinion about the character, spend another half-page inventing another episode in his later life.
9/29: CWG, chapter 10 on "Setting and Plot."
6
10/4: CWG, chapter 11 on "Point of View." Joan Silber, Ideas of Heaven, 200-end 10/6: Revisions of Creative Non-fiction piece due (160 points).
7
10/11: From Scribner Anthology: Mark Richard, "Strays," Richard Ford, "Rock Springs" Workshop story beginnings and ideas.
10/13: From Scribner Anthology: Sherman Alexie, "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona." Scene workshop: closely examine one scene (i.e., a character or characters' motivated actions in a particular setting) Book festival preview and planning.
Saturday, 10/15: Wisconsin Book Festival trip
8
10/18: Draft workshop: full draft Response Essay Assignment: write a 2 page response to your experience at the book festival. What events did you see? How did the experience inform your idea of what writers do, or what writing is? Aside from that, what else did you take away from the experience? If you did weren't able to attend the book festival, choose two unassigned stories from the Scribner anthology, and write a 3-5 page comparison / contrast essay, focusing on point-of-view in the stories. Is the story first person or third? What kind of voice is telling the stories, and how does the teller of the stories influence the overall effect of the essay? What differences in storytelling strategies do you see between the two essays? (20 points--due 10/25).
10/20: No class: instructor away Extra credit opportunity: for 15 points, attend the reading at the Pump House, and write up a brief summary and response paper (who was the featured reader? what did he read about? what was the overall event like? what did you think?). Doors open at 6:30 PM, the event begins at 7. It's free, but a 2$ donation is recommended, and buys you a ticket for the super-fun raffle.
9
10/25: Response essay due. Draft of short story due. Drafts should:
10/27 Begin poetry
10
11/1 Reading packet on poetry: CWG ch. 4
11/3 Workshop selected writing exercises from ch. 4
11
11/8: No Class due to English Department all-day meeting
11/10 Visiting Poet: David Krump Fiction Re-writes due
12
11/15 Individual draft workshops: Kim, Matt, Miranda D., Roxanne
11/17 Visiting poet in class: Layban Hill. Visiting Poet at the Pump House: 7 PM Ken McCullough. All who attend are excused from the semester's final class section: the "Clean Copy Portfolio Workshop" on 12/8. PLEASE ATTEND.
13
11/22 Individual draft workshops: Staci, Chris, Nicole, Maranda F., Ashley
11/24 Thanksgiving
14
11/29 Poetry reading workshop: Kim, Matt, Miranda D., Roxanne
12/1 Poetry reading workshop: Staci, Chris, Nicole, Maranda F., Ashley
15
12/6 Critical Intro Workshop
12/8 Clean copy workshop: portfolio
Finals week Thursday: 7:40 - 9:40 AM -- final class reading. Portfolio due.
|
