Examines literary forms and themes with special emphasis on issues related to the craft of poetry and fiction. This course is taught in conjunction with visiting lectures by practicing writers. Does not count as Creative Writing workshop credit.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ENGL 1191 (minimum grade B).
Additional Information:Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Undergraduate Writing
Section 001:
Taught by Marcia Douglas.
Section 002:
This is an intermediate fiction workshop, with ENG 2051 or permission of the instructor (if you are not a creative writing major) as its prerequisite. We will spend the first three to four weeks reviewing the elements of fiction and considering the possibilities of narrative structure. In the fourth week, we will begin discussing your stories in workshop. We will also regularly discuss published work by outside authors and occasionally do in-class writing exercises.
One of the major goals of this course is strengthen your grasp of the elements of fiction (conflict, point of view, characterization, etc.). To further this goal, you will be required to formally critique your colleagues’ stories, since most often the best way to identify problems in your own fiction is to see them in someone else’s first. As you help others to see more clearly the stories they want to write, it will become easier to discover your own. The other major objective of this course is to engage your imagination, especially in regard to the possibilities of language and form. My hope is that we will inspire each other to breach the walls of cliché, and to push beyond the boundaries of fictional convention.
Taught by Elisabeth Sheffield.