Instructor: Joe O’Connell.
Contact: Home phone (will be on syllabus handed out in class)
Email is josephoc@stedwards.edu (I check it compulsively!)
Texts:
Writers Workshop in a Book by Cheuse and Alverez
Making Shapely Fiction by Jerome Stern
For advanced students only (in addition to the other two texts)
The Sincerest Form by Nicholas Delbanco
Requirements for
course:
You will need to write three pieces this semester (advanced students will write four short stories), of approximately 7-14 pages (typed, double-spaced) in length. These may be short stories or novel chapters. See the General Notes on Fiction Writing Handout and Manuscript Critiques handouts for some basics on writing stories.
One of the three stories will involve your second teacher in this class: a fiction mentor of your choosing (I will make a suggestion). You will read at least six stories by the author as well as two author interviews (these can easily be found on the Web).
You will need to critique your fellow students’ stories. You will turn in (one copy to me, one to the student being critiqued) a critique that uses the LQM method: what you like, what you want more of and what you have questions about. This should be about one-page typed with specific suggestions. Note, that the best way to turn in your work is through Blackboard.
You will revise the first two of your three stories to turn in at your last meeting. Revisions should utilize in-class and instructor comments/suggestions, but you are the writer, so you must decide which advice is worthwhile and which should be ignored.
Your grade will be based on an average of these five things: 25% each for the three short stories (two of which may elevate in grade after revisions) and 25% for your work in doing the writing exercises, critiques, class participation, etc. For advanced students, it will be 20% for each story and 20% for the rest.
Writing exercises will be cut and pasted directly to Blackboard. You should respond to your classmates’ exercises there. Think of Blackboard as where we meet between sessions. We meet every two weeks in order to have a large chunk of time for story workshops, which make up the majority of our in-person meetings.
If you would like an individual conference with me, please let me know and we will arrange to meet.
I will provide you with handouts every week as well as exercises aimed at leading you toward story ideas and practicing craft. Advanced students will do a different set of exercises and will write four stories.
SCHEDULE:
8/27 Intro to course. Hear short story on tape.
9/17 Workshop stories (handouts).
Your first story is due.
Read: WW: how to write, p. 19, point of view, p. 64, scene, p. 109,
Scene, p. 149; MSF: 3-57
Write: Exercises 1-2 and Introduction
ADVANCED STUDENTS ONLY: SF: Chapters 1-3
10/01 Workshop student stories. Distribute copies of story by your fiction mentor for discussion next time.
Read: WW: intro, p. 12, structure, p. 47, workshops, p. 132; MSF: 61-76
Write: Exercises 3-4
ADVANCED STUDENTS ONLY: SF: Chapters 4-6
10/15 Workshop fiction mentor stories and remaining student stories. Second story due.
Read: WW: place, p. 76, senses, p. 86 ; MSF: 79-126
Write: Exercises 5-6
ADVANCED STUDENTS ONLY: SF: Chapters 7-8
10/29 Workshop second
story. Third story due for advanced students only
Read: WW: distresses of writing, p. 95, details, 113; MSF: 127-164
Write: Exercises 7-8
ADVANCED STUDENTS ONLY: SF: Chapters 9-10
11/12 Workshop remaining second stories. Third story due (fourth story due for advanced students)
Read: WW: wrecked, p. 31, reality, p. 37 ; MSF: 165-219
Write: Exercises 9-10
ADVANCED STUDENTS ONLY: SF: Chapters 11 and 12
11/26 Workshop third story (fourth story for advanced students)
Read: WW: false starts, p. 163, note to unpublished writer, p. 177,
` fear of finishing, p. 188, second book, p. 198; MSF: 220-255
12/03 Workshop remaining stories. (this is an additional meeting that may be cancelled if not needed.)
Turn in revisions of first two stories