ENGLISH 251   Fiction Writing Fall'01                                             Office hours:

 WEBSITE: www.tammiebob.com     (click on Fiction Writing  link) 

bobtam@cdnet.cod.edu                                              

Textbook: Burroway, Janet.  Writing Fiction    5th ed.

isn't only for the  talented.  I  teach this course with both belief and evidence that story-telling techniques  can be taught, and learned .  Learning takes some discipline, and some work. I expect you to approach the writing of fiction seriously, with the goal of developing  your process, as well as an understanding of formal and stylistic options. In this class you have the freedom to experiment and sometimes fail. That is the path to successful writing. 

Writers are first readers, and each week I expect you to prepare and discuss the week's readings, to see how other writers approach the same issues facing you. All writers write because it brings them pleasure, and I assume students take this class because for the same reason. This class will help you discover your stories, and play with different ways to tell them. 

You'll have plenty of opportunity for response to your writing; in a group setting you learn both from what others are doing, and from feedback (not criticism) to your work-in- process. This will be a lively, student-centered class, and ultimately what you learn here will be useful for any kind of writing project.

Course Requirements: 

Attendance is mandatory. More than 2 unexcused absences will affect your  grade. 

All writing assignments MUST be completed for students to receive a grade for the course. Written assignments will be penalized one grade for every class period they are late. 

All stories must be typed, double-spaced, with standard margins and in standard format (to be shown in class). 

Often we will spend the last hour of class in the computer lab, working on exercises and assignments, so bring a disk to class so you can save your work and continue it later. 

Grading

25% Attendance and Participation
50%  45 pp. of original story material and revision
25 % Writing exercises completed in and out of class

Attendance and Participation
You are expected to attend class regularly and to participate with intelligence and enthusiasm in all workshops and class discussions. Failure to do so will result in low daily participation grades.

Story
You may be working on a particular story all quarter or try different stories, as long as at least one is completed and revised by the end of the quarter.  You may always use your story material in the exercises, and later decide whether or not to incorporate the experiment.  Revision means a real "re-seeing" of significant parts of your story, not just fixing a few commas and adding some adjectives!

Exercises These are given to let you stretch your writing muscles and develop a few you didn't know you had. I take them seriously and so should you.