English 211:  Creative Writing 1

                                               Fall 2005

Class:  English 211, Mondays 7:00-9:45, LW 106

Instructor:  Nathan Leslie
Office hours:  Tues and Thurs., 4:00-6:30
Phone:  703-450-2646
E-mail:  nleslie@nvcc.edu

My Website:  http://www.nvcc.edu/home/nleslie/

Our class WebBoard:  http://loudoun.nv.cc.va.us:8080/~ENG211Leslie

Course Description
This class is, first and foremost, designed to introduce you to the basic elements of writing fiction and poetry.  However, perhaps more importantly, English 211 will hopefully serve as a “spark for greater fires.”  My personal goal in this class is to help “inspire” you to write creatively.  I put inspire in quotes here, since a large part of inspiration is of course perspiration.  Though this class is designed to be fun, it will also take work and patience.  Writing assured, successful and technically sound fiction and poetry is extremely difficult—it takes practice and guidance.  As the cliché goes, creativity is 90% perspiration, 10% inspiration.  In addition, we will read quite a bit of fiction and poetry this semester to help assist your growth as a creative writer, and to give you models for some of the creative writing techniques we learn.

Often in this class my role is additionally to help steer you towards achieving your desired goals with your own work.  To accomplish this, we will often use exercises, discussions, critiques, and activities.  I intend for this class to be experimental in the broadest sense of the word—we will try different exercises and approaches to writing and vary the structure of the class itself to give you a multitude of perspectives on your work and how to improve it.  We will try some exercises that ask you to expand your mind, even at the expense of social convention.

Typically though, most classes will normally consist of a discussion of several readings, a “lesson” in terms of craft, and an exercise or two intended to further your fluency in writing poetry and fiction.  At the end of both the fiction and poetry units the class will consist of a writing workshop where you submit work to the class for a class critique and discussion.  The workshop portion of the class will serve as an opportunity to have your work read and given the full attention it deserves and to formally receive feedback from your peers (and your instructor) so that you can revise your work for the portfolio.

My challenge in this class will be to balance the needs of the beginning writer, with those of my more advanced students from 212 or other creative writing classes.  In other words, at times we will need to go over basic concepts, while at other times we will practice more advanced writing skills—all depending of course on the folks in this particular class.  This class will consist of weekly class exercises and group work designed to hone your skills as creative writers.

Rather than try to tackle all elements of creative writing, I will try to direct our energies in a fairly specific direction in this class.  In terms of fiction we will focus primarily on character development, scene development, and plot in this class.  During the poetry section we will focus primarily on ways in which you can develop original ideas via sensory language  in your work.  I will adjust the schedule according to student interest in either poetry and/or fiction.  The schedule below is, for now at least, only tentative and I want to be flexible enough to pursue the needs of the class.

Overall Courses Objectives:

--Learn the basic tenets of creating fiction and poetry by reading how professional writers approach their craft, and by practicing essential skills to the development of your work. 

--Learn what makes an effective story or poem, and how to progress from the initial “idea” stage through the final revisions of your work.

--Study fiction and poetry written by professional writers to understand their techniques and approaches to writing and to help you develop your own work.

--Mostly I hope to teach you the basics techniques in how to write great fiction and poetry, and write more great fiction and poetry.  The majority of our time in English 211 will consist of focusing on this last objective.

--Unleash your inner artist.  Allow yourself to “let loose” creatively.  Whether we know it or not, we spend so much time walking around with inner restraints.  I hope to teach you that to be a successful creative writing you will have to push the boundaries of your own means of expression.

--In other words:  this class will be devoted to developing your imagination.

--If necessary, we will also spend some time discussing publishing options toward the end of the semester.

Prerequisites:  A passing grade in both English 111 and English 112.

Administrative Note:  Please make sure you have paid for the course.  After a period of days, NovaConnect will boot you from this course if your payment is not resolved.

Required Texts:
Making Shapely Fiction.  By Jerome Stern.

The Practice of Poetry.  By Robin Behn.

Human Cathedrals. By John Sweet.

If Nothing Else by Harold Bowes.

Dwight’s House by Meredith Sue Willis.

Recommended Text:  Crafting Fiction.  Ed., Marvin Diogenes.

Important Note:
Please bring a copy of each relevant text to class, as we will be using them and referring to them extensively.

Grading Policy:
You will receive an A in this class if you attend class, participate, perform the assigned exercises, read the required readings, provide insightful commentary and critiques for your peers, and of course, work on refining your fiction and poetry.  This last portion will include a final portfolio.  However, I have high expectations for each requirement, as I will detail throughout the semester.  I am hoping we can quickly dispense of the usual academic worries (“what will my grade be?”) so that you can focus intently on the craft of writing fiction and poetry itself.  However, if you make the mistake of not doing the exercises or workshop critiques, or fail to turn in your portfolio, or miss classes you will not be successful in this class.  There is a common misperception that creative writing courses don’t involve a lot of work, and are “easy.”  Not so.  You can expect, for instance, to write on a weekly basis for this class.  To pass the class it is essential that you do the important exercises along the way, read the stories and poems, and contribute to class discussion.

Here is how I will tally your grade for this class:          

Final Portfolio:  25%
Graded Exercises and Exercise-inspired Fiction and Poetry (homework):  25%
Class Participation:  20%
Reading Responses (critiques during the workshop and brief responses to readings):  30%

Attendance:
I take attendance very seriously for this class.  Students are expected to miss no more than one or two classes all semester.  Missing classes will hurt your final grade.  However, if you have some extraordinary situation, please see me.  If you miss more than four classes you will not pass this class.  If you decide to leave after break you will not be counted as present for the class.  I don’t believe in incompletes.  Your last chance to withdraw from this class is 10/27.  After this date I will not approve any withdraws.

What is the Portfolio?  What is a Workshop?  Your portfolio for this class is a compilation of your best work that you produce this semester.  Your portfolio will consist of (1) your revised and polished versions of one full-length story, (2) three non-exercise based poems, and (3) a revised version of a fiction exercise or two poetry exercises.  The final third of your portfolio will consist of either a fiction exercise or two poetry exercises that you revise/develop thoroughly.  You will also revise this for the portfolio. 

However, before you can arrive at your portfolio you must go through the writing/feedback process.  After the first ten weeks of class, you will choose to submit either a brand new and original and non-exercise-based full-length story (or series of short-shorts) to either the entire class workshop or three brand new and original and non-exercise-based poems to the entire class workshop.  During the workshop each member of the class will write a critique of your work and offer their praise and constructive criticism.    

The workshop segment of the class is the most dynamic time of the class in that your work will be the focus of a portion of the entire class!  You will need to make enough copies of either your fiction or poetry for everyone in the class and bring them to class a week ahead of time to distribute to everyone in the class.  Your submissions during this workshop period are considered works in progress, and will be revised by the end of the semester. 

Because you will receive constructive feedback on your work before the portfolio is due, I expect you to revise/develop your work thoroughly before you turn it in to me as the portfolio.  Your portfolio will not consist of a mere proofreading and correction of small logical errors, but rather a substantive revision/reconsideration of each work.  The portfolio grade will evaluate how well you improve the work from the rough draft stage to the final draft.

Side Note:  I expect all work in this class to be new and original.  No recycled or revised work from previous classes will be accepted.

Class Schedule and Readings:  (Abbreviations:  MSF=Making Shapely Fiction  PP=Practice of Poetry).

8/22:  Class introductions.  De-rustifying and opening that imagination cabinet in your mind.  An introduction to Fiction.  Developing character.  Developing tension.  Fiction handouts.

8/29:  MSF: 61-4.  65-75, 3-14 and all “links.”  Iceberg.  Juggling.  Façade.  Developing character and story through action and hidden thoughts.  Fiction handouts.  Response #1 due.  Exercise #1 due. 

9/5:  No Class—Labor Day.

9/12:  Developing character and story through dialogue and surroundings—using telling details.  MSF 25-6 and all “links.”  The party story.  Fiction handouts.  Response #2 due.  Exercise #2 due.   

9/19: Developing character and story through dialogue continued.  MSF: 33-36, 21-24 and all “links.”  The specimen and the journey story.  Fiction handouts.  Exercise #3 due.

9/26: Developing memory via flashback.  Readings from Dwight’s House.  Response #3 due.

10/3: MSF: 48-57 and all “links.”  Snapshot.  Blue Moon.  Explosion.  Fiction handouts.  Exercise #4 due.

10/10 : No class—Fall Break

10/17: An introduction to poetry and flash fiction.  Poetry and fiction handouts.  Exercises in PP.

10/24: Exercises in PP TBA.  Read Human Cathedrals by John Sweet.  Response #4 due.  Exercise #5 due.

10/31: Exercises in PP TBA.  Read If Nothing Else by Harold Bowes.  Response #5 due.

11/7: Exercises in PP TBA.  Exercise #6 due.

11/14:  Workshop 1.  Responses due.

11/21:  Workshop 2.  Responses due.

11/28:  Workshop 3.  Responses due.

12/5:  Workshop 4.  Responses due.

12/12:  Workshop 5.  Responses due.

Thurs. 12/15—Portfolios due