English 643 Fiction Workshop Spring 2007

Diana Joseph Office: AH

English 643 Phone: 389-5144

Email: diana.joseph@mnsu.edu Hours: MTWT 11-12 & by appt.

Syllabus/other class documents: http://dianajosephsyllabi.blogspot.com

English 643: Seminar—Fiction Writing

Text

Diogenes, Marvin, and Clyde Moneyhun. Crafting Fiction: In Theory, In Practice

Assignments See Schedule of Events for due dates

1. Craft Analysis/Presentation=50%

A. Select a story from any edition of Best American Short Stories between 1994—2006. The story you pick should be one you love. Make copies of your selection for everyone in the class—16 copies.

B. Define, then discuss and analyze ONE of the following elements of fiction as it relates to the B.A. story you selected. Support and illustrate claims with specific examples from the text; explain how and why the examples support your claim. Turn in your craft analysis to class on the day of your presentation.

Point of view Characterization Style Structure

Setting/place Tone Imagery Theme

2. Participation=50%

I define participation as your active engagement with the class, demonstrated through evidence of preparedness, and thoughtful contributions to discussions and workshops. Each of you will offer an assessment of your peers’ workshop responses; I will take this into consideration when determining participation grades.

Workshop Philosophy

This workshop differs from traditional workshops.

When we discuss a story, there won’t be talk about what we “like” or “don’t like.” There won’t be talk about what’s “good” or “bad”; there won’t be any value judgments. (This kind of feedback is hugely subjective and frequently confusing—like when six people love it, six people hate it, and one needs more time to think things over.) There won’t be advice on how to “fix” your story. (It’s your story, which means it’s your vision/version of the world, which means you should be the only one who can fix it.) There won’t be suggestions about what you “could” or “might” do. (I’m not interested in talking about writing that hasn’t been written.)

I am interested in what your story is about – the questions it raises, its themes, your artistic vision – and I’m interested in how your story is told, how its form reinforces its content. If writing is a series of choices, then what are the effects of these particular choices? If there’s an infinite number of ways to say something, then why are you saying it in this particular way? Why use first person instead of third person limited? What’s the effect of present tense over past? What are the story’s significant images and how do they create meaning? This workshop centers on describing and interpreting your use of the elements of fiction—and describing how each works with the rest to create unity, a singular effect, a vivid and continuous dream.

This approach demands work that’s more polished and developed than a rough first draft. Do not bring in work that is incomplete—it must have a recognizable beginning, middle and end. If you’re bringing in a chapter from a novel, please provide a brief description of your project. If you bring in sloppy work, don’t be surprised if there’s not much to say about it.

Class Policies

Do the work; don’t miss class; show up on time. Participation is 50% of your final grade. If you’re not here, you can’t participate. If you fail to turn in your story on the day it’s due, you lose your workshop spot. If you don’t come to class on the day of your workshop, it won’t be rescheduled. If you’re not here to give your Best American presentation, you can’t make it up. All coursework must be completed to pass this class. Assignments are tentative and subject to change.

Due Dates

1/24 Copies of your Best American selection due

Nyberg, “Why Stories Fail,” 221; Stern, “Don’t Do This,” 230;

1/31 Workshop story due

Best American—Bigalk and Cole

Surmelian, “Scene and Summary,” 164

2/7 Best American—Davis and Dunnan

Workshop

2/14 Best American—Engesether and Faul

Workshop

2/21 Best American—Hooper

Madden, “Point of View,” 248

Workshop

2/28 AWP

3/7 Best American—Irmen

Workshop

3/14 Spring Break

3/21 Best American—Johnson

Workshop

3/28 Best American—Khoury

Workshop

4/4 Best American—Lacey

Workshop

4/11 Best American—Miller

Workshop

4/18 Best American—Rolfes

Workshop

4/25 Best American—Starkey

Workshop

5/2 Best American—Vercant

Workshop

Name________________________________________________________________________English 643

On a scale of 1-10, rate the time/effort you estimate each student put into your workshop critique. Use the back of this sheet for further comments, if necessary.

1. Bigalk, Kristina M

2. Cole, Antoinette K

3. Davis, Andrew S

4. Dunnan, James W

5. Engesether, Marc R

6. Faul, Jade A

7. Hooper, Catherine A

8. Irmen, Ami M

9. Johnson, Bryan E

10. Khoury, Elysaar

11. Lacey, Kathleen N

12. Miller, Dodie M

13. Rolfes, Luke T

14. Starkey, Danielle M

15. Vercant, Matthew C