Writing of Fiction: Introductory English 225:01

Writing of Fiction: Introductory – English 225:01

Tuesday & Thursday 11-12:15

3209 Moore Humanities

Textbooks: The Greensboro Review, No. 89 & 90

Instructor: Jim Clark

Guest Editors: Neina Gordon, Julia Patt

Office: 3304 Moore Humanities

Office Phone: 334-5459

UNCG email:

Office Hours: T & TR9-10:45, 12:30-2 and by appointment

Course Description: This is an introductory course in fiction writing and the art of literary editing and publishing. In addition to reading some classic and contemporary stories, our focus will be on your work and your ability to be both your own editor and a sound critic of the work of others. In addition to having guest editors visit the class, we will explore the business of submitting your work to magazines and journals.

All students SHOULD have taken ENG 105: Introduction to Narrativeprior to enrolling. This course is for students beyond the freshman year.

Text: Your texts for the course include: 1) The Greensboro Review, No. 89 & 90. You should purchase No. 89 on the first day of class and No. 90 when it arrives from the printer around October 1. Each copy is $8 2) Your primary text is the stories you will produce this semester for class critique. When you turn in your stories for critique, you need to bring in 22 hard copies (21 for the class, 1 for me). The cost of printing your stories (20 pages total)is approximately $18.00. Consider this expense part of the costs for the texts in this course.

Student Learning Goals:
To develop artistic abilities and ultimately produce a refined body of work by focusing intensively, under faculty guidance, on writing fiction.
To learn sophisticated models for revision; sharpen reading, editorial, and analytical skills; and cultivate the ability to articulate matters of craft and literary theory.
To develop a broader knowledge base of contemporary works and of the literary canon.
To enhance professional development with the support of a community of faculty, fellow students, and distinguished visiting writers.

Attendance/Participation: Any absence from a workshop is a serious offense, a fatal one if you fail to attend class the day your story is up for discussion. You are permitted one absence during the semester. There is a one-letter-grade penalty for your second and for your third absence. After your third, you will be dropped from the class.

Due Dates for Submitting Stories for Workshop: During the semester you will turn in two stories (a minimum of 20 pages total) for workshop critiques, plus you will turn in to me a Final Exam Revision of one of these stories.

Critiques: In addition to giving authors your in-class comments on their stories, you are also required to give each author a written critique (no more than a page) and provide me with a copy of your written critiques.

Conferences: You should come in for a conference soon after your story has been critiqued in workshop, and you should come in for a conference to discuss your Final Exam Revision. If you want to turn in more than the required two stories (or twenty pages total), you may do so for one-on-one tutorials with me.

Grading: Each story will count 20% of your grade, as will the Final Exam Revision, for a total of 60% of your grade. Class participation—attendance, in-class and written critiques, conferences—counts for a whopping 40%.

Extra Credit: You will get points for attending events sponsored by the MFA Creative Writing Program.

Electronics:No cell phones on during class, all computers closed unless authorized by Disability Services.

Academic Integrity Policy: Plagiarism, don’t even think about it—an automatic F in the course, plus other bad Mossman things.

Tentative Schedule

Aug. 23 (T) – Introduction

Aug. 25 (Th) – GR 89: “The Drift Line” and “The Great American Grill”

Aug. 30 (T) – GR 89: “Thank God We’reYoung” and “Measuring the Drop”

Sept. 1 (Th) – GR 89: “Comrades” and “Late Quartet”Due Date 1(Kate Putnam)

Sept. 6 (T) – Workshop

Sept. 8 (Th) – Blackboard: “The Magic Barrel” and “The Country Husband”Due Date 2 (Juan Vazquez,

Shaquana Suggs, Ben Pendleton)

Sept. 13 (T) – Workshop

Sept. 15 (Th) – Blackboard: “The Grave,” “A&P,” and “Araby”Due Date 3 (Brandon Highlander, Rachel

Jodrey, Joshua Strickland)

Sept. 20 (T) – Workshop

Sept. 22 (Th) – Blackboard: “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” “Astronomer’s Wife,” and “Shiloh”Due Date

4(Madison Garrison, Emily Teal, Alex Craig)

Sept. 27 (T)– Workshop Due Date 5 (Morgaine Bowers, PaulCloninger, Kelly Cowles)

Sept. 29 (Th)– WorkshopDue Date 6 (JessDormady, Cala Estes, Erica Kmetz)

Oct. 4 (T)– WorkshopDue Date 7 (Keven Lewis, Dan Pruitt, William Lowry)

Oct. 6 (Th) – Workshop

Oct. 13 (Th) – Workshop Due Date 8 (Dominque Mosley, Kate Putnam)

Oct. 18 (T) – Workshop

Oct. 20 (Th) – Workshop Due Date 9 (Juan Vazquez,ShaquanaSuggs , Ben Pendleton)

Oct. 25 (T) – Workshop

Oct. 27 (Th) – Workshop Due Date 10 (Brandon Highlander, Rachel Jodrey, Joshua Strickland)

Nov. 1 (T) – Workshop

Nov. 3 (Th) – Workshop Due Date 11(Madison Garrison, Emily Teal, Alex Craig)

Nov. 8 (T) – Workshop

Nov. 10 (Th) – Workshop Due Date 12(Morgaine Bowers, Paul Cloninger, Kelly Cowles)

Nov. 15 (T) – Workshop

Nov. 17 (Th) – WorkshopDue Date 13(Jess Dormady, Cala Estes, Erica Kmetz)

Nov. 22 (T) – Workshop Due Date 14(Keven Lewis, Dan Pruitt, William Lowry,

Dominique Mosley)

Nov. 29 (T) – Workshop

Dec. 1 (Th) – Workshop

Dec. 13 (T) – Final Exam Revisions Due by 3 pm in Moore Humanities 3304 / Possibly a Final

Workshop, 12-3