English 225
Zacharias
Fiction Writing, Beginning Fall 2002
SYLLABUS
Instructor
Lee Zacharias
Office hours 1:30-2 T;
3:30-4:45 TR
131 McIver
334-4695
Teaching Intern
J.T. Hill
Office hours to be announced
134 McIver
334-5459
Text
Janet Burroway, Writing
Fiction, 5th edition
Supplementary texts available
on e-reserves at Jackson Library
Supplies
Student fiction will be
copied in the Writing Program Office (134 McIver) for distribution to the
class. By Sept. 12 student need to
supply that office with 2 reams of 8 1/2 x 11 white 20-pound weight copy paper
(no 3-hole punch). Students should
write 225 and their names on the wrappers to insure proper credit. UNCG and Addams bookstores have carried this
paper in limited quantities. It is also
available at office supply
stores and many copy shops. Office
Depot stocks large quantities.
Course Description
English 225 is a beginning
level workshop in writing fiction.
Students will learn through reading a text on craft and published
fiction, critiquing student fiction, writing and pre-writing exercises, and the
writing of at least 2 original short stories.
It is presumed that the level of experience that students bring to the
course will vary. Some students may
have already written several stories; others may be trying to write fiction for
the first time. The level of the
workshop will accomodate both the experienced and inexperienced writer, for
even the experienced writer benefits from exercises and a review of the craft.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of
this course, students will be familiar with such basic elements of crafting
fiction as structure, plot, characterization, point-of-view, voice, and
setting. Students will have learned to
analyze fiction as writers and acquired experience in writing it with a
consciousness of how it is put together.
Reading Assignments
We will spend the first weeks
of the semester reading much of the Burroway text and a number of published
stories from Burroway and library e-reserves.
Reading assignments after the first weeks will include stories and
essays about fiction from e-reserves and student fiction.
Writing Assignments
—A
number of writing exercises will be assigned during the first weeks of class, many of these in-class assignments.
—2
original short stories (or more if the stories are very short, a minimum total
of 20 pages) will be due on dates students will sign up for.
—A
revision of 1 story (which will not be critiqued) is due the last day of class.
—A
brief written critique of each student story scheduled for discussion, due on the date of discussion in 2
copies, 1 to be given to the author, the other to
be turned in to the teaching intern
Stories
must be typed, double-spaced, on letter-sized white paper; print must be dark
enough for copying. Work must be
proofread. Sloppy mechanics and
excessive typos will result in a lowering of your grade. Critiques, which may be as short as one substantive
paragraph, do not have to be as polished, as long as they are submitted in 2
legible copies. Guidelines for
substance and tone of critiques will be
provided. All written work must be
turned in on time. Students must attend
classes in which their work is scheduled for discussion or, in the case of
unavoidable circumstance, notify the instructor in advance.
Quizes
The
instructor reserves the right to give unannounced reading quizes on reading
assignments if class discussion indicates that students are not preparing
adequately for class. A workshop
depends upon trust among its members.
It is imperative that students read one another's stories carefully and
more than once before critiquing them.
Class Attendance and Participation
Mandatory. Grades will be lowered for inadequate
participation as well as absences. Anyone
with 3 consecutive unexcused absences will be dropped from the roll. Three nonconsecutive unexcused absences will
lower a student's grade by 1 letter; 4 nonconsecutive unexcused absences will
lower it by 2 letters; 5 or more nonconsecutive unexcused absences will result
in a grade of F. Anyone with more than
4 excused absences will be required to drop the course without grade penalty.
Other Requirements
Students
should attend at least 1 literary reading over the course of the semester. UNCG readings will be announced. Students who cannot attend these readings
for reasons of scheduling may attend an event at a bookstore such as Barnes and
Noble or Borders. Students should
submit in writing on the last day of class a list of readings attended, with
reader's name, date, and location.
Grading
Students
must meet all requirements to receive a grade of C or higher. Final grades of A and B will be awarded to
students whose work is outstanding or above average, with equal attention to
the students' fiction and critiquing (both written and oral). In other words, grades of A and B require a
combination of hard work and demonstration of talent. The evaluation of talent is inevitably subjective. If a student finds the subjectivity with
which writing is judged objectionable, the objection is understandable, but
that's the way it is. Like it or not,
writers' careers are determined by the subjectivity of reacition, from agents,
editors, reviewers, and readers. Any
student who cannot accept this philosophy of grading should take another
course.
Writing
exercises will not be graded; many will not be read by the instructor. They are a learning experience rather than a
performance. Any quizes will be graded
(on a scale of 0-10). Stories will not
be graded, but will receive written critiques from the instructor and
intern. Students should feel free to
discuss with the instructor where they stand, grade-wise, at any point in the
semester after their first stories have been critiqued, as well as to meet with
the instructor or intern about their work.
Assignment Schedule
Note: A sign-up sheet will be passed around for
student story deadlines. Writing
exercises will be assigned in class.
Aug.
22 The Writing Process
Burroway,
chapter 1, pp. 1-25
Aug.
27 Story Form and Structure
Burroway,
chapter 2, pp. 27-42
Mary Hood,
"How Far She Went," in Burroway, pp. 46-51
Peter Ho Davies,
"The Hull Case" (e-reserve)
Aug.
29 Showing and Telling
Burroway,
chapter 3, pp. 53-67
Pam Durban,
"Soon" (e-reserve)
Rick Moody,
"Boys" (e-reserve)
Sept.
3 Characterization
Burroway,
chapter 4, pp. 94-109
Burroway,
chapter 5, pp. 127-145
Sept.
5 Characterization
Frank O'Connor,
"Guests of the Nation" (e-reserve)
Stanley Elkin,
"A Poetics for Bullies" (e-reserve)
Sept.
10 Point of View
Burroway,
chapter 7, pp. 196-213
Isaac Babel,
"My First Goose" (e-reserve)
Tobias Wolff,
"The Rich Brother" (e-reserve)
Anton Chekov,
"Heartache" (e-reserve)
Sept.
12 Point of View
Burroway,
chapter 8, pp. 235-248
Marianne
Gingher, "Teen Angel" (e-reserve)
Lynne Barrett,
"To Go" (e-reserve)
Jamaica Kincaid,
"Girl," in Burroway, pp. 213-214
Sept.
17 Fictional Place and Time
Burroway,
chapter 6, pp. 167-183
Michael Parker,
"Off Island" (e-reserve)
T. Coraghessan
Boyle, "Greasy Lake" (e-reserve)
Sept.
19 Comparison
Burroway,
chapter 9, pp. 268-282
Janet Perry,
"What the Thunder Said" (e-reserve)
Louise Erdrich,
"Saint Marie," in Burroway, pp. 156-164
Sept.
24-Dec. 5 Student work will be
scheduled for discussion, with supplemental reading from stories on e-reserve
as time permits. In addition, students
are to read chapter 10 in Burroway (pp. 303-307, on theme) for Sept. 24, and chapter 11 in Burroway (pp. 332-343, on revision)
by November 5.