Course Texts:

Scofield, Sandra. The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer.

Lin, Tao. You Are A Little Bit Happier Than I Am.

Armstrong, James. Blue Lash.

(Optional) Stobb, William. Nervous Systems.

Other expenses: Photocopies and .pdf print-outs. Possible field trip to Madison for Wisconsin Book Festival.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

English 211 is an introduction to the arts of storytelling, poetry, and essay writing. Although these language arts have long histories, the goal of this course will be to acquaint students with the stylistic conventions of contemporary writing in each genre. In short stories, poems, and essays written by current writers, students will find models of literary art. In class discussion, supplementary readings, and writing exercises, students will gain an introduction to the life skills of a creative writer. Finally, in peer workshops and instructor conferences, student writers will get feedback on their work, which will help guide their revisions. By the end of the semester, students will have experienced both frustrations and successes as writers, and will have a sense of direction as they continue to pursue the art of the word.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Acquire the disciplined practice of creative writing: this begins with paying attention to the world in an artistic fashion and taking notes. It also includes the standard “writing process” as it’s taught in composition: drafting, re-reading, revising, editing, and finishing individual works.

In course readings, learn to recognize conventions of contemporary writing, and then use work with those conventions in their own writing.

Experience the intersection of art and craft in writing—in other words, come to understand how writing choices on the level of the word, the sentence, the paragraph, and the organization of the whole text come to create aesthetic effects such as the image, suspense, believability, and resolution.

Gain control of writing in a variety of contexts and at a variety of levels.

Ultimately, the writing goals listed above will help students to achieve the course’s primary objective: to create successful works of literary art.

Participate effectively in a workshop community.

Locate and participate in the community of writers and artists at Viterbo.

Locate and engage the larger community of writers that extends beyond the university.

THE WRITING PROCESS:

In Composition courses, you have probably encountered the idea that writing is a process, with stages. It's an idea that applies in Creative Writing as well. One very important note--these stages often don't occur in a linear order, first to last. They are often recursive, meaning that you can move from one stage to another, and back again--for example, revision often requires new kinds of invention, planning and drafting. The process works differently for everyone, and differently from one writing assignment to the next--but the following are considered to be the main stages in the writing process:

Invention: the first stage of the process, where you explore ideas, do preliminary research, and choose a topic.
Planning: the stage of the process where you do research, preliminary writing, and outlining to organize your ideas.
Drafting: where you sit down and write the different parts of your essay and fit them all together into a complete first draft.
Feedback: where your peers and/or instructors read your draft, ask questions, and provide ideas about how you could improve your essay.
Revision: where you make substantial changes to your paper, such as adding paragraphs of support, adding new ideas, even changing your opinion and substantially re-writing your essay.
Editing: the final stage of the process, where you proofread your final draft, format it according to MLA style, make sure your paper is correctly punctuated and all the words are spelled correctly, etc. At the end of this stage, you're finished writing the paper.
Presenting: at the end of the process, you often need to present the finished product--whether this means a public speech or just successfully delivering a document, the presentation of your finished work is crucial to its success.

COURSE POLICIES

Under no circumstances should students use the creative outlet that this class offers as an opportunity to perpetrate verbal violence against another class member, the course instructor, a member of the Viterbo community, or any other real person who we all know. Students who commit acts of verbal violence in the writing workshop may be expelled from the course.
Students should exercise personal judgment about whether an individual piece of creative writing might be offensive to the class, and therefore inappropriate for the workshop. There are no set rules for this; obviously, sexual content, violence, prejudice, and other potentially offensive subjects are often integral elements of great literature. In general, if you question whether your piece is appropriate for the workshop, talk to me about it before you submit.
The Viterbo University Catalog stipulates that students who miss more than 15% of class time (6 classes) due to unexcused absences may fail. Only absences due to Viterbo-sponsored events are considered excused. Absences due to illness, family responsibilities, vacations, etc. are unexcused.
Late work may be accepted under extreme circumstances.
Viterbo University policy applying to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability: “it is the policy of Viterbo University to comply with the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act and regulations issued thereunder to the extent applicable to Viterbo University.”

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:

The course is based on a 1000 point system. Here’s the scale:

910-1000 A

880-909 AB

810-879 B

780-809 BC

700-779 C

600-699 D

below 600 F

Three Inventions: 150 points

Some of your most important work in the writing process will happen in the stage of invention. Sometimes you will have bright ideas, ready at hand, and you'll be set to begin drafting a poem or story. Often, though, you'll need to begin a draft but your ideas won't be clear. Invention writings do two main things: 1) they propel you into the drafting stage, and 2) they can become the core of your story, essay, or poem by providing both "content" ideas (a character profile, a plot) and a "form" (a poem with short lines, a story with three movements) for your new draft. Invention writings will be graded not on how finished or polished they seem; they will be graded on how useful they are--more on useful, later.

Invention Presentation: 100 points

Near mid-term, students will stand up in front of the class and briefly illustrate their invention process. Using materials (scribbled notes, pictures, journal entries, drafts) saved from the early process of one draft, students will tell the story of how they got from square one to their current state with one of their drafts.

First Full Drafts: 150 points
If invention represents the brain, or maybe the soul of your semester's work, drafting represents the heart. Drafting is the intense process of writing your way from the early ideas to and through the middle problems to an ending. To draft, students will need focus, discipline, and mainly patience. First full drafts will be collected three times during the semester--two will be collected during the semester and one new first draft will be collected in the final portfolio, so you'll leave the course with a new piece working.

Revised Drafts: 200 points

I used to call this category "Finished Work," but that's not the best way to think of it. It's better to think of the end products of English 211 as revised drafts, because the pieces don't need to end when the class ends. Students may continue expanding or honing their work from this course, perhaps targeting a creative thesis in English or a publication opportunity. Revised drafts will be collected twice during the semester, and in the final portfolio.

Presentation of Final Portfolio: 100 points
Throughout the semester, students should collect their work in an organized manner for presentation in the final portfolio. I recommend keeping a binder with pockets and procuring a hole-puncher. You should keep all your little treasures in there--the scribbled on napkin, post-it note, the photograph or news clipping that sparked the story, etc. By grading the portfolio on its "presentation," I am grading as a thorough, well-organized representation of your writing process.

Critical Introduction to the Portfolio: 100 points

At the front of your final portfolio goes a short essay, describing the following:

Your growth as a writer during the class.
Your growth as a reader during the class.

Read for Craft Essay: 100 points
Around mid-semester, students will write a short essay illustrating their ability to read for craft. The essay should show that its writer is seeing elements functioning in stories and poems--how a character is changed by action in a story, how an early metaphor echoes at the end of a poem, or how active syntax drives a passage.

Course Participation: 100 points
Nowhere is the positive contribution of each student more important than in the writing workshop. Students who hope to earn an A in course participation must come to each peer workshop prepared to offer constructive criticism to each writer presenting work that day. It is imperative, not just for our workshop, but for each of you as adults, that we are able to communicate our readings of each other’s works without aggression, in a spirit of compassion and community. Use of questions and qualifiers are wonderful ways of introducing thought-provoking interpretations without seeming to want to control discussion. All ideas are welcome in the workshop, as long as they are offered, not forced. In no situation should a student target another member of the workshop with language or actions intended to insult, humiliate, or otherwise harm. To earn a B in participation, students must be frequent, always-constructive contributors to discussion. Quieter participants can be assured of a C, as long as they are not disruptive of the course in any way. Ds and Fs will be reserved for those whose presence disrupts the course (this may include frequent tardiness or other course-disrupting behaviors as well as verbal and physical behaviors in the class).

THE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM AT VITERBO

English 211 serves as a G5 course, and therefore partially fulfills the Fine Arts requirement in the Viterbo General Education program. As the Undergraduate Catalog specifies, General Education courses promote “particular skills, attributes, and values…. rooted in the mission of the University and its liberal arts tradition” (43). Though English 211 will offer a wide-ranging learning experience, our General Education program stipulates that students should understand the specific ways that their courses help to foster core values. Therefore, I include in this syllabus the following descriptions of how English 211 fulfills Viterbo’s General Education requirements. My hope is that students will gain a coherent sense of values sponsored by their liberal arts education.

English 211 fulfills the following General Education requirements, in the following ways:

Thinking: “Students engage in the process of inquiry and problem solving which involves both critical and creative thinking.” As students engage with the conventions of different genres, and then create their own texts within those genres, they practice critical and creative thinking in close proximity. In addition to the thinking required to write creatively, students will also use thinking to write the critical introduction to their portfolios, and to respond to course and peer texts.
Life Values: “Students analyze, evaluate and respond to ethical issues from informed personal, professional, and social value systems.” Assigned course writing and reading will relate closely to life values, as stories, essays, and poems often relate to value systems. In addition, successful participation in a writing workshop involves ethical analysis and behavior.
Communication: “Students communicate effectively orally and in writing in an appropriate manner both personally and professionally.” As students work toward professional quality creative writing, they will learn to control the ways that their writing communicates to an audience. In addition, students will need to communicate effectively in the peer workshop, and in other assigned writings.
Aesthetic Sensitivity: “Students engage in artistic experiences and reflect critically upon them.” Assigned course reading and writing will help students become more aesthetically sensitive, as students will learn to respond to the aesthetics of writing in new ways.
Cultural Sensitivity: “Students understand their own and other cultural traditions and demonstrate a respect for the diversity of human experience.” Readings in poetry, fiction, and the essay will expose students to a variety of cultural experiences. Students will draw on their own cultural traditions to create original work.
Community Involvement: “Students demonstrate responsible citizenship through service, resulting in personal growth and community influence.” Students will have the opportunity to organize, attend, and perform original work at a variety of public readings. Such attendances constitute community involvement because they build, in crucial ways, the cultural life that’s so central to a healthy community. Moreover, although the performance of a poem in a public space may not feed a hungry person, it may feed a hungry soul. As the great William Carlos Williams once argued, “It is difficult/ to get the news from poems/ yet men die miserably every day/ for lack/ of what is found there.”