When a Writer Is Born Into a Family, That Family Is Doomed

“When a writer is born into a family, that family is doomed.”

--Czeslaw Milosz

Dept. of Language and Literature

CRW 2002

CREATIVE WRITING II

Dr. Doug Ford

Spring 2010

Office: 645

Office Hours: M: 9-10 am, noon-2pm

W: 9-10 am, 1-2 pm

F 9-10, noon-2 pm

TR 9-9:30, 11-12:30, 2-3 pm

Office Phone: 408-1501

E-mail:

Web page: http://faculty.mccfl.edu/fordd/fordd.htm

SCF Virtual Library: http://www.mccfl.edu/pages/109.asp

Course Description:

Three hours per week. Prerequisites: ENC 1101, CRW 2001, and concurrent registration or completion of ENC 1102 or its equivalent with a grade of “C” or better. This course meets the Gordon Rule requirements. This course is the second level course in the writing or poetry and/or short fiction; projects in drama are optional. Assigments (some formal, some thematic) are designed to stimulate second level writers and to familiarize them with literary techniques and forms. Students are expected to share their work with the class and to participate in class discussion. This course may be repeated for credit. However, more than one attempt may not count toward a degree at SCF. Students transferring to other institutions note than more than one attempt may not be accepted.

Course Performance Standards:

The student, at the completion of this course, should be able to:

1.  Devise own writing assignments and discipline self to write regularly.

2.  Revise and edit own stories and poems.

3.  Write poems using traditional conventions and devices with competence

4.  Use a variety of sources for content of poems and stories (memory, lived experience, ideas found in print, observed experience).

5.  Demonstrate the ability to learn from critical suggestions from peers and instructors.

6.  Critique the work of peers constructively, focusing on artistic constructs rather than personal taste.

7.  Demonstrate the ability to work well in a workshop setting.

8.  Demonstrate the ability to read and analyze published poetry and short fiction by focusing on artistic conventions (i.e. plot structure, rhythm, diction, and image)

9.  Demonstrate the ability to prepare a professional manuscript

10.  Fulfill in part writing requirements as mandated by SBW 6A-10.30

Texts and Required Materials:

v  The Best American Poetry 2006, Ed. Billy Collins. ISBN: 978-0-7432-5759-6

v  The Best American Short Stories 2005, Ed. Michael Chabon. ISBN: 978-0-618-42705-5

v  New Sudden Fiction, edited by Robert Shapard and James Thomas. ISBN: 978-0-393-32801-1

v  Pen and writer’s notebook for informal writings and exercises. A word processor for formal submissions

v  Access to the Internet to participate in on-line discussions and workshops

v  An SCF e-mail address to correspond with instructor

Attendance Requirement

Because this course will involve students sharing and discussing their writings, consistent attendance is mandatory. Missing four hours of class meetings will compromise a student’s ability to interact with professor and classmates, and I may ask students to withdraw at this point. Accordingly, students who miss four class meetings and remain in the class will receive an F for their participation grade, and their final course grade will drop by one letter. Hence, a student’s absences may cause a passing grade to become a failing grade. Please note that I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences, and please do not ask me to make allowances. Also, because much of our class time will consist of sharing and responding to student writing, coming to class without a day’s assignment is grounds for being marked absent for that particular day. Do not come to class without assignments due for that day.

Late Work Policy

Note that I do not give passing grades to late assignments. If you do not have your work completed on assigned due dates, please do not come to class. Since students cannot pass the course without completing and turning in every assignment on time, you should withdraw from the course if you cannot turn your assignments in on time. If you cannot attend class on the day that an assignment is due, you should e-mail me your work either as an MS Word attachment, or embedded in the text of the e-mail on the day that the assignment is due. I grant extensions only in the event of an illness or injury to your own body that can be verified with official documentation from a medical professional.

Withdrawal Policy:

In accordance with the State College of Florida policy, as stated in the college catalog, students may withdraw from any course, or all courses, without academic penalty, by the withdrawal deadline listed in the State College of Florida academic calendar. This semester, the withdrawal date is March 25. Students should take responsibility to initiate the withdrawal procedure but are strongly encouraged to talk with their instructors before taking any withdrawal action. In addition, students should note that faculty may also withdraw students for violating policies, procedures or conditions of the class, as outlined in individual class syllabi, and such action could affect financial aid eligibility.

Gordon Rule:

This course meets the Florida State Board of Education Rule Number 6A-10.30. In accordance with this rule, students will complete written assignments totaling 6,000 words. A grade of C or better is required for credit in Gordon Rule classes.

Regarding Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the use of ideas, facts, opinions, illustrative material, data, direct or indirect wording of another scholar and/or writer—professional or student—without giving proper credit. Expulsion, suspension, or any lesser penalty may be imposed for plagiarism.

Standards of Conduct:

Students are expected to abide by the guidelines stated in our student handbook. Also, students must silent cell phones before the beginning of class. If your cell phone goes off during class, you will have to stand up and dance to your ring-tone.

Principles to Remember from Creative Writing I:

In fiction:

1.  No matter the genre (fantasy, mystery, etc.) a good story STARTS with the characters. Without good characters, there is no story.

2.  Good characters have motivation! They want something.

3.  No matter what this character wants, something is in his or her way.

4.  Good characters face internal as well as external conflicts.

5.  A well-developed character experiences some kind of change before the ending--even if you have decided to feed him or her to a monster in the climax of the story.

6.  Good characters do things in the story. They do not sit passively and just watch or experience the action.

7.  Child characters are tough to pull off. Consider writing from an adult’s point of view.

8.  A good plot has four stages: establishment of setting, rising action, climax, falling action.

9.  The plot of a short story starts as close to the ending as possible, with enough room allowed for character development.

10.  Good dialogue is not real speech. It is the illusion of real speech.

11.  The first page—even the first line—captures the reader’s attention.

In poetry:

1.  Most contemporary poetry in English does not rhyme. NO HALLMARK CARD POETRY!

2.  Good poetry does not name emotion or effect. It shows emotion, or it creates effect.

3.  If poetry is therapeutic to write—great! But your main purpose in a creative writing class is to create art, not to heal yourself. I’m not saying that healing yourself is a bad thing—it’s just a private thing. In this course, we’re mainly interested in craft.

4.  Good poetry uses concrete images. And it’s not afraid to tell a story.

5.  Profanity and slang is certainly acceptable--but in context.

Description of Assignments:

Because this is a creative writing course, students should submit all work in Standard Manuscript Format unless I state otherwise. This is the style that professional writers use when submitting work for publication. Students should make their work look as professional as possible, and to help, I will provide a handout detailing how Standard Manuscript Format should look. Any work that is not in Standard Manuscript Format will have one grade deducted, so be sure to follow this format carefully. (Because Standard Manuscript Format calls for an address and phone number in the upper left hand corner, students may make up this information in the interest of privacy.)

Writer’s Notebook: Many of our writings will become part of your writer’s notebook, with most being either modeling exercises (m.e.) or reader analyses (r.a.), and I will occasionally grade them. A reader analysis will be a one to two page examination of the stories we read for class. In these writings, you will offer a short analysis of how the text functions—that is, something about plot, theme, character, or technique. You will analyze these stories with the goal of eventually writing your own story like the one we’ve read. A modeling exercise will be a one to two page effort to imitate something that we’ve read. These do not need to be complete stories—instead, consider them short experiments, where you try to do something that you see the writer accomplishing in his or her writing. The point of a modeling exercise is this: writers learn to write by imitating other writers. I will grade modeling exercises not in terms of how polished they are. Instead, I will assess your attempt to accomplish something on a small scale. Since we will complete most of these assignments in class, students should bring their writer’s notebooks to class every day. Any missing exercises can result in the loss of up to ten points.

Short Stories (four total): Most of our major assignments will consist of short fictional narratives. Please note: this is not a course on essay writing, and we do not write term papers. Unless stated otherwise, our writing in this course should consist of invented, made-up material. These writings will not be memoirs or autobiographies; instead, the characters will consist of people of your own invention. Students will be challenged to try different styles and/or techniques in writing their fiction, and grades will be awarded based on how well students met those challenges. Students should also proof read their work carefully (failure to do so will result in deducted grades). Please note: publishers will typically not accept sloppily written work, and such work will typically earn no higher than a C in this course. Each story turned in for a grade will go through multiple drafts, and each of these drafts must be turned in with the final copy. Save all of your drafts! Not having a rough draft will result in the subtraction of ten participation points.

1st Story: Write a story submission to The Raven and include a cover letter

$THE RAVEN

1890 Aickman Avenue, Arkham, RI. (777) 233-7788. E-mail: Contact: Doug Ford, editor. 95% freelance written. Semiannual magazine. “We are diverse in our tastes. We want excellence in story-telling first, with well-rounded characters and involving plots.” Est. 1843. Circ. 2,000. Pays on publication. Publishes ms. an average of one year after acceptance. Byline given. Offers 50% kill fee. Buys first North American serial, first, one-time, all-rights. No e-mail submissions. Follow standard format. Accepts simultaneous submissions. Responds in two to three weeks to mss. Sample copy for $5.

Fiction: “We judge on quality so genre is open, with some caveats.” Experimental, mainstream. Publishes very little genre fiction, but will consider if the work contains characters who are reality-based and original. “No tortured super heroes, psychotic killers, psychic children, car accident narratives, or sword-bearing fantasy heroes. We’ve been there, done that.” Send complete ms. Length: 1,500-3,000 words. Pays $50 a story upon acceptance.

2nd Story: Write a work of “Sudden Fiction,” modeled on the selections found in New Sudden Fiction, (750-1000 words)

3rd Story: Write a genre story for a market listing created in class (at least 1,500 words).

4th Story: Write an “experimental” work (at least 1,000 words)

Multi-media project: This assignment involves you taking one or more of your works (fiction or poetry), and presenting them in or alongside some other form of media. This may involve using visual art, video, music—your choice. Obviously, many of us aren’t multi-talented, so your project may include a “pastiche” of forms created by other people, as long as your own work takes central stage. I am also open to collaborative projects if you would like to work with another student and earn a grade together. In any event, your multi-media project will become involve a 5-10 minute presentation to the class during our “showcase.”

Poetry Collection: Your poetry collection should consist of 12-15 poems written by you. Please turn them in collectively inside a manila folder with your name written on the tab. They will receive a collective grade based on creativity, originality, and evidence that you have mastered the techniques we discussed in class. Throughout the semester, we will be writing poems that can go in your collection. Each poem you include in your collection should show evidence of revision and other results from the workshops we hold in class.

Group Project/Presentation: In groups of three or four, students will explore and research the conventions of a particular genre (science fiction, mystery, horror, etc.). As a group, students will find three-four examples of stories in that genre (depending on the number in the group), turning in a photocopy of the story as well as a one page outline of each story. Together, the group will submit the stories and outlines in a manila folder and then present what they see as the conventions of that genre to the entire class (preferably in a visually-pleasing Powerpoint presentation.) Finally the students will put together a market listing for an imaginary publication that specializes in that genre. To sum up, the project will consist of:

1.  3-4 published stories that fall into the group’s genre.

2.  an outline for each story

3.  a presentation for the class

4.  a market listing

Public Reading (requirement): Thanks to a high level of student interest, the Venice campus of SCF has become quite a scene of dynamic public readings. Public readings are social events, sometimes with an added element of competition, where people take turns reading their poetry and short fiction before an audience. These readings are not only entertaining, but they are a crucial experience for a creative writing student because they offer one way of finding an audience (and every writer needs an audience!). In the past, SCF public readings have taken place on Arts and Letters Day, during “Swampside Poetry” evenings, and most recently, in “slams” that have pitted the Venice campus against the Bradenton campus.