In this course, we will devote ourselves to the rigorous study and practice of creative writing in a supportive and stimulating community of writers. During class sessions, we will not only study, but practice various elements of fiction writing, including, among others, character development, dialogue, plot, point of view, and pacing, especially as they manifest themselves in the short story form. Throughout the next ten weeks, be prepared to read and engage with published short stories, with particular attention to the craft of writing; to study narrative technique and other elements through writing exercises; to respond to your fellow writers’ work respectfully and thoughtfully; to think critically and (more) “objectively” about your own work; and, above all, to write. This course is, in large part, about coming to a deeper understanding of writing as a process – but even more, it is about learning to appreciate and, yes, to love the process. This course, in other words, is not for the faint of heart; but then again, neither is the writing life.

The only way to become a writer is, quite simply, to write. Of course, this task is deceptively simple: What does it mean to write? What does it mean to be a writer? And, most importantly, how do we do it? How do we go about attending to this unexplainable passion, this need we have to sit down and fill up a blank page with our own made-up stories and
wild imaginings, and then (gasp), dare to hope that someone will read them? One answer, it seems, has very much to do with the act of writing as a way of thinking about ourselves, a way of creating ourselves, rather than simply a means of self-expression; the other answers, however, we will stumble upon during this course, day by day, as we sit down together and go about the nitty-gritty, often messy and uncomfortable, process of writing.

Texts:

• Janet Burroway and Elizabeth Stuckey-french. Writing Fiction: A Guide To Narrative Craft. [9780321277367]
• Rainer Maria Rilke. Letters To A Young Poet. [9781607960263]