ENGL  4120 – Advanced Creative Writing

Dr. Alison Umminger

Office Hours:  M/W 11:00 – 12:30 and 3:30 – 5:00 or by appt. in TLC 2241

Email:  aumminge@westga.edu

Required texts and other readings/materials

• John Gardner:  The Art of Fiction:  Notes on Craft for Young Writers
• Dana Johnson:  Break Any Woman Down
• Denis Johnson:  Jesus’ Son
• B. Minh Nguyen and Porter Shreve:  The Contemporary American Short STory

Course Goals

• Students will achieve enhanced fluency in writing within the genre of short fiction and become conversant with issues of technique in that discipline
•  Students will understand the defining characteristics of short fiction.
• Students will learn how to submit their writing to literary journals and magazines.
• Students will learn to offer and receive constructive criticism in a public forum.
•  Students will demonstrate in both oral and written work a discipline-specific critical facility through convincing and well-supported analysis of related material.

Requirements and Overview:

This class will look at the short story from a writerly perspective, and require students to complete and workshop at least two longer stories (10-20 pages) along with a number of weekly responses  (total of 35 pages of polished, revised fiction due in portfolio form at semesters’ end).  As a craft text, we will be using John Gardener’s The Art of Fiction.  Our attention in this class will be on the contemporary short story, and we will read excellent, recent collections such as Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son and Dana Johnson’s Break Any Woman Down.  We will also be reading from the recent anthology The Contemporary American Short Story.  Students will develop skills as active readers and writers, with attention not only to craft and form, but to thematic content and relevance.  I expect active engagement with and respect for the work of fellow students, and some familiarity with fiction writing.  This is primarily a workshop class, but active reading produces good writing, thus the longer reading list.

Time in class will be divided fairly equally between reading/writing exercise days and “workshop.”  Students will also conference with me at mid-semester to discuss their first stories and progress in the class.

Attendance and Participation:

Attendance and active participation are ESSENTIAL for this class to run smoothly.  If you miss more than 3 classes, expect your grade to reflect your lack of participation. 

Classroom Respect:

The current fiction landscape comprises a true breadth of styles, interests, and expressive techniques.  Each writer brings to the table her own individual aesthetic preferences, and his own skill level at this time.  I expect for each of you to be respectful of each others’ work, to treat every other student as a “writer in apprenticeship” and tailor you comments accordingly.  Part of being a mature writer is recognizing that a work can be good, but you might still not like it.  Your job is to help the writer make the work “good,” not to make it something you, personally, think is fabulous because of the content or style being like your own, or something you like anyhow.  The beauty of writing is that our own affinities are a matter of taste, but there is MUCH to be learned from writers whose opinions and techniques are nothing like our own.

Workshop and Written Responses:

Once the semester gets going, we will be workshopping 3 stories per week.  I expect for you to write one page typewritten letters to each student being workshopped, addressing their work on both a craft and content level.  You will be bringing two copies of your “letter” to class, one copy of which will go to the writer, and one copy of which will go to me.  I expect these letters to be thoughtful, respectful, and critical.  “This is fabulous and I have nothing to say” or “This just isn’t up my alley” are equally pitiful responses.  They show a lack of critical engagement, and a lack of respect for the writers’ ability to improve.  And ALL stories can improve from first to final draft.

Grading:

Final Portfolio – including all drafts of 2 stories:     600 points

Participation and Critiques of Other Students:       200 points

In-Class Exercises and short assignment:            200 points --- 1,000 points total

Schedule:

(all readings are to be done for the day that they are assigned)

August 22^nd –  INTRO TO CLASS

August 24^th –  Read Richard Bausch “Dear Writer” and Raymond Carver “On Writing’ in

Nguyen/Shreve anthology.

August 26^th –  Read Andre Dubus “The Habit of Writing” and Jamaica Kincaid “Those Words

            That Echo…” in Nguyen/Shreve anthology. 

            ASSIGNMENT:  Write your own contract with yourself for the semester as to the kind of

            writing/exploration you would like to do.  Set up at least two specific, concrete challenges

            for yourself in terms of material you would like to explore, goals you’d like to set for your

            own improvement.

August 29^th –  Read “Car Crash While Hitchhiking,” and “Emergency” in Jesus’ Son;

                        Chapter One in Gardner 

August 31^st –  Read “Dirty Wedding” and “Steady Hands at Seattle General” in Jesus’ Son;

                        Chapter Two in Gardner

September 2^nd –  IN CLASS EXERCISE  (How to Begin Stories)

September 5^th –  Read Chapter 3 in Gardner; “Markers” and “Break any Woman Down” in

                                    Break Any Woman Down

September 7^th –  Read Chapter 5 in Gardner; “Clay’s Thinking” and “Three Ladies Sipping Tea”

                                    In Break Any Woman Down

September 9^th –  IN CLASS EXERCISE (Voice and writing outside your experience)

September 12^th –  CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT SHEET/EXERCISE

                        Read:  Chapter 6 in Gardner, Junot Diaz’s “Fiesta, 1980” and Bobbie Ann

                                    Mason’s “Shiloh” in Nguyen/Porter Anthology.

September 14^th –  How to Write Good Dialogue!

                        Read:  “Where are You Going, Where have you Been” by Joyce Carol Oates

                                    In Nguyen/Shreve

September 16^th –  IN CLASS EXERCISE -- DIALOGUE

September 19^th –  Handout – How to End the Story

September 21^st –  Read:  Chapter 7 in Gardner; Loorie Moore’s “Which is More than I can Say

                        About Some People” and Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything that Rises Must

                        Converge” in Nguyen/Shreve

September 23^rd –  IN CLASS EXERCISE – First Stories Handed out for Workshop!

September 26^th –  WORKSHOP

September 28^th –  WORKSHOP

September 30^th –  WORKSHOP

October 3^rd – WORKSHOP

October 5^th –  WORKSHOP

October 7^th –  WORKSHOP

October 10^th –  WORKSHOP

October 12^th –  WORKSHOP

October 14^th --  NO CLASS (Conferences)

October 17^th –  NO CLASS (Conferences)

October 19^th – Read Gardner, Chapter 4; “Lost in the Funhouse” by John Barth and “Happy

                        Endings” by Margaret Atwood in Nguyen/Shreve

October 21^st –  IN-CLASS EXERCISE (Experimenting with Fiction)

October 24^th – Read “How to Talk to a Hunter”

                        IN-Class Second Person Exercise

October 26^th –  Read “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and “Newborn Thrown in Trash and Dies”

by  John Wideman in Shreve/Nguyen

October 28^th –  Read “Pet Milk” by Stuard Dybek and “Janus” by Anne Beattie in Shreve/Nguyen

October 31^st –  IN CLASS EXERCISE

November 2^nd –  Workshop

November 7^th –  Workshop

November 9^th – Workshop

November 11^th – Workshop

November 14^th – Workshop

November 16^th –  Workshop

November 18^th –  Workshop

November 21^st – Workshop

November 23^rd – NO CLASS THANKSGIVING RECESS

November 25^th – NO CLASS THANKSGIVING RECESS

November 28^th –  Revisions Exercises

November 30^th –  Revision Exercises

December 2^nd –  COLLABORATIVE WRITING EXERCISE

December 5^th –  COLLABORATIVE WRITING EXERCISE

December 7^th –  COLLABORATIVE WRITING EXERCISE

December 9^th – LAST DAY OF CLASS – EVALUATIONS/PORTFOLIOS DUE