“Read to know others; to know self; to know things; to find a difficult ple

asure; to share with readers and writers.”

Imaginative Writing—The Short Story
English 207-Section 7501—Beginning Workshop in Imaginative Writing
Course Description, Competency, Requirements, & Policies

Pereq: Consent of Instructor

 

Instructor: Jude Roy
Office: JHG 345A
Office Telephone: (270) 824-8624
Email: jude.roy@kctcs.edu
Website: www.madisonville.kctcs.edu/jroy

Textbook: Tom Bailey, ed. On Writing Short Stories. New York; Oxford University Press, 2000.

Supplies: Paper and copying access.

“I’m writing a book.  I’ve got the page numbers done.”

                                                                                            Steven Wright

Course Description:  English 207 (Beginning Workshop in Imaginative Writing: Short Stories) is "a beginning course in the craft of writing, teaching students how to read critically and how to revise work in progress.  The students provide an audience for each other's work.  Exercises involve practice in aspects of craft and promote experimentation with different forms, subjects, and approaches; outside readings provide models and inspiration.  May be repeated under different subtitle to a maximum of six credit hours.  Prereq: Consent of instructor." (KCTCS Community College Catalog)

 “Times are bad.  Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.”

                                                                                            Cicero

Goal: The purpose of ENG 207 is to give students a direct forum in which to write and critique their own work and the work of their peers.  Our objectives are to develop increasingly sophisticated strategies for writing and revising fiction and to establish a context for serious discussion of contemporary short story writing.

Plagiarism: Submit only work that is a product of your own blood, tears and sweat.  If you plagiarize, you fail the course.

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.  Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

                                                                                            Groucho Marx

Attendance: Due to the nature of this class, your attendance is essential and indeed mandatory.  I need you here and your classmates need you here.  I also realize that as writers, we sometimes want to go off and be by ourselves; we have that innate need to be alone.  A workshop is designed to put you face-to-face with other writers and as my friend Greg Hagan states, “Iron sharpens iron.”  Your fellow writers will help you become a better writer, but in order for that to happen, we must all be in the class together.  I realize circumstances will arise that are beyond your control.  I will allow three absences without penalty.  More than three will result in the lowering of a student’s final grade. More than seven absences and I will ask you to drop.

 “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” 

                                                                                            Mark Twain

Peer Review: Walker, there is no road/You make the road as you walk. Antonio Machado.  Because our format is “workshop” and therefore somewhat amorphous, we will always be in a position to decide together how to “make the road a road.”  One prerequisite is rapt attentiveness to work sanctioned by our tradition, to classwork under discussion and to other students in the workshop.  Another is a fundamental humility before earth and sky.  We’ll be discussing everyone’s fiction eventually, including your own. Therefore, treat your fellow classmates with the kindness and respect you would like to be treated with.  No destructive criticism.  Be honest, but be kind.

 “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.  Books are well written or badly written.”

                                                                                            Oscar Wilde

Grading: Good writing grows out of an inner necessity antithetical to the grading process.  Because ours is a college writing workshop grades are inevitable.  It is my policy to reserve the grade of A for those students who not only work hard but who show ability for writing.  Criteria for grading include:

1.      The quality of the work, (a final packet of no less than twenty five double-spaced pages and no more than fifty)

2.      The quality of workshop assignments (you must workshop at least two pieces of ten or more double-spaced pages)

3.      Class attendance, the level of engagement in class discussion, effort and progress, and the extensiveness of your comments on your peers’ work—remember, as you judge others, so shall you be judged (or something like that)

4.      The quality of your oral report (a brief report on your favorite writer and your favorite book) and the quality of your journal (basically a working journal that reflects your semester effort)

You have one additional requirement:

·        You must research at least three magazines that might be interested in your story.

 

“...and before I knew what I was doing, I had kicked the typewriter and threw it around the room and made it beg for mercy.  At this point the typewriter pleaded for me to dress him in feminine attire but instead I pressed his margin release over and over again until the typewriter lost consciousness.  Presently, I regained consciousness and realized with shame what I had done.  My shame is gone and now I looking for a submissive typewriter, any color, or model.  No electric typewriters please!”

                                                                                            Rick Kleiner

Instructional Activities: Students will write two short stories (totaling 25 double-spaced pages) during the course of a semester that reflects revision of the workshopped material.  The class will read and discuss work turned in by class members—two stories  of at least ten double-spaced pages—with an eye toward both craft and vision.  Students will also be asked to write additional pieces that grow out of writing exercises.  Students will give a brief report on their favorite writer and their favorite book.  Students will keep an informal journal during the course of the semester that reflects their semester effort in the class.

“I wrote a few children’s books...not on purpose.”

                                                                                            Steven Wright

Please note:  On the day a work is due, students should bring enough copies for everyone in the class.  ALL WORK MUST BE TYPED. One final note on this:  Students may if they wish email copies of their works to other members, but it must be done in a timely manner.  We must have ample time to read and consider the work.

Late Work Policy:  If you notify me before the due date that your work will be late, I will accept late work, but only if it is timely.  Please remember that this is a workshop.  If you don’t have your work ready when you promise, we cannot workshop it.  Your classmates have busy lives, too.  Be considerate.

 (In a letter)”Thank you for sending me a copy of your book.  I’ll waste no time reading it.”

                                                                                            Moses Hadas

Make-up Policy:  Please see the Late Work Policy.  Late assignments will be workshopped at the first opportune time.

Withdrawal Policy:  The instructor of this course adheres to the schedule published in the Madisonville Community College Calendar—see Course Calendar for specific schedule.

Incomplete Grade Policy: A grade of "incomplete" will be given only in cases involving emergency or illness. If an "incomplete" is assigned, a student will have thirty days to complete all missing work to have the "incomplete" changed to a letter grade.

Student Code of Conduct: Information about student academic rights and academic offenses is available here: <www.kctcs.edu/student/code.htm>.

 

“My girlfriend does her nails with white-out.  When she’s asleep, I go over there and write misspelled words on them.”                             

                                                                                            Steven Wright

 

Manuscript preparation: Copies must be legible: use a dark black ink. All written work must be typed.  Place your name on every page and date and title on the first page. No title pages necessary. Use standard size (12 pitch) font type (Times New Roman or similar).

 

Themes: Grading Distribution:
Oral report, & Journal = 10%
Workshop (Two ten pages plus stories – double-spaced) = 30%

Final Packet (Twenty-five pages double-spaced)* = 30%
Class Participation & Attendance = 20%

Exercises & research = 10%
 (*Please no more than fifty pages.  I have a life too.)

A=100-90
B= 89-80
C= 79-70
D= 69-60
E= 59 and below

 “Politics is not a bad profession.  If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.”

                                                                                            Ronald Reagan

General Education Competencies:

I.       Communicate Effectively

1.   Students should be able to read with comprehension

A.  Students will improve their ability to read published literary texts

B.   Students will learn to offer oral and/or written constructive criticism of their classmates’ writing

a.   Students will analyze, summarize, and interpret a variety of reading materials     

2.   Students should be able to interact cooperatively with others

A. Students will learn to offer constructive criticism of their classmates’ writing

a.   Students will demonstrate a respect for and an understanding of other students’ opinions/ideas during class discussions

3.   Students should be able to demonstrate information processing through basic computer skills

A. Students will learn to write and edit their work using computers.

a.   Students will compose their work using word processing

II.      Think Critically

1.      Students should be able to interpret creative expressions, resources and/or data

A. Students will learn to employ basic approaches to the analysis of a literary

text.

a. Students will analyze and interpret literature, including the creative

    writing of other members of the class.

b. Students will participate in class/group discussions, workshops, and

    write short papers of analysis and interpretation

c. Students will use literary terminology in their analysis

III.    Learn Independently

1.      Students should be able to apply learning.

A. Students will practice the process of writing, from invention to

     proofreading and make appropriate rhetorical decisions in the writing

     process.

     a.  Students will revise the majority of the imaginative literature they   

         produce for this class

2.      Students should be able to think creatively

A. Students will practice the process of synthesizing ideas and information in  

     an original way

     a. Students will produce original creative work in the form of fiction,

         poetry, and/or drama

 

IV.           Examine Relationships in Diverse and Complex Environments

1.      Recognize the relationship of the individual to human heritage and culture.

      A. Students will read works written by diverse authors.

Disability Statement: "If you have a documented disability and need any type of accommodation, you are required to register with the Disability Resource Coordinator.  Contact Valerie Wolfe, Disability Resource Coordinator, Room 112 LRC, (270) 824-1708.

"Writing is easy. You just sit down at the typewriter and open a vein."

                                                                                            Red Smith

Spring 2008
Imaginative Writing Calendar

 

36066

7501

ENG  101

3

Writing I

08:00 AM

09:15 AM

MW

Aug 18

Dec 13

Jude Roy

JHG305

36079

7508

ENG  101

3

Writing I

08:00 AM

09:15 AM

TR

Aug 18

Dec 13

Jude Roy

JHG305

36089

7513

ENG  101

3

Writing I

02:30 PM

03:45 PM

TR

Aug 18

Dec 13

Jude Roy

JHG305

48933

7515

ENG  101

3

Writing I

09:30 AM

10:45 AM

TR

Aug 18

Dec 13

Jude Roy

JHG219

35660

7501

ENG 207

3

Wrkshp

Imag. Fiction

1100 AM

12:15 PM

MW

Aug 18

Dec 13

Jude Roy

JHG337

Office Hours: 9:30-10:45 mw; 1:00-3:00 mw; 11:00-1200 tr;

8:00-10:00 fri; or by appointment

Instructor: Jude Roy
Office: 345A
Office Telephone: 824-8624
Email: jude.roy@kctcs.edu

Webpage: http://www.madisonville.kctcs.edu/facstaf/jroy/

Note: This course calendar is subject to change, (in fact, you can count on it) and students are responsible for noting any changes.

Aug 18 Class work begins. Students may add class with faculty approval only.

Aug 18 Course introduction/student introductions

  • Reading for Aug 20  from On Writing Short Stories (OWSS) “The Writer’s Workshop” Frank Conroy p 80; “Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway p 145

Aug 20 Last day to register for a class WITH faculty approval.

Aug 22 Last to drop a course without a grade.

Sep 1 Labor Day – No Classes.

Aug 20 Class work and Discussion

  • Handouts from The Scope of Fiction by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren “Aspects of Fiction” & “What Character Reveals”
  • Reading for Aug 25: OWSS “Reading as a Writer: The Artist as Craftsman” p 13
  • Exercise for Aug 25: Write a one-page dialogue between two or more characters that the reader overhears.  Use Hemingway’s story as an example.

Aug 25 Class work and Discussion

  • Reading for Aug 27: OWSS “What Makes a Short Story” Francine Prose p 3; “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien p 238; “Lust” Susan Minot p 304
  • Exercise for Aug 27: Write a one-page list of the contents of someone’s purse, wallet, refrigerator, etc. that reveals the character of the owner—OR—Write a one-page scene told from the 2nd person point of view.

·        Handout: from The Scope of Fiction Brooks & Warren, “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson

Aug 27 Class work and Discussion

  • Reading for Sep 3: OWSS Character, Plot, Setting and Time, Metaphor and Voice Tom Bailey p 28 “The Voice of Desire: Character” p 29; also “The Why? Behind the Power of Plot: Shaping the Short Story” p 48; “The String” Guy de Maupassant p 127; “A Father’s Story” Andre Dubus p 288
  • Exercise for Sep 3: Write a one-page description of something backwards.  Show us that something that has been done can be undone.  For example, undevelop a new development, unpollute a polluted river, unenact an enacted law, etc.

·        Handout: The Scope of Fiction Brooks & Warren, “How Plot Reveals”

Sep 03 Class work and Discussion

  • Reading for Sep 8: OWSS Character, Plot, Setting and Time, Metaphor and Voice Tom Bailey p 28; “The Lesser Angels of Fiction: Setting and Time” p 57; “’The Connectedness of All Living Things’: Metaphor” p 68;”I Stand Here Ironing” p 149; “Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin p 183

Sep 08 Class work and Discussion

  • Reading for Sep 10: OWSS Character, Plot, Setting and Time, Metaphor and Voice Tom Bailey p 28; “The Writer’s Signature: Voice” p 73; “A&P” John Updike p 211; “The Shawl” Cynthia Ozick p 207
  • Exercise for Sep 10: Write a one half to one-page run-on sentence about the hectic quality of a single day in your life.  Use the present participle to suggest the ongoing nature of your responsibilities.
  • Handout: The Scope of Fiction Brooks & Warren, “What Theme Reveals”

Sep 10 Class work and Discussion

  • Reading for Sep 15: OWSS “The Habit of Writing” Andre Dubus p 90; “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner p 155; “Bullet in the Brain” Tobias Wolff p 311
  • Exercise for Sep 15: Write a one-half to one-page description of your writing habits.

Sep 15 Class work and Discussion

  • Reading for Sep 17: OWSS “Why Write? Taking on the World” Robert Coles p 97; “Everything That Rises Must Converge” Flannery O’Connor p 171
  • Handout: Fictions, Joseph F. Trimmer & C. Wade Jennings, eds. “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” Raymond Carver
  • Exercise for Sep 17: Write a one-page scene where the scene defines an abstract term (i.e., patriotism, hate, love, bravery, etc.).
  • Begin story workshops Sep 24

Sep 17 Class work and Discussion

  • Reading for Sep 22: OWSS “Publishers and Publishing” p 112; “The Darkness of Love” Robert Boswell p 260; “Heat” Joyce Carol Oates p 251;
  • Exercise for Sep 22: Brief oral presentation.  Who is your favorite short story writer?  Why?  Read one page from one of his/her stories.
  • Begin story workshops Sep 24

Sep 22 Class work and Discussion (Oral Presentations)

  • Reading for Sep 24: Review “Magazines, Journals, and Quarterlies” p 315; “The Chrysanthemums” John Steinbeck p 163; “Saint Marie Louise Erdrich p 227
  • Exercise for Sep 24: Brief oral presentation.  Bring a magazine that publishes short stories to class.  Tell us a little about the magazine and the process we would go through to submit a work to it.  (i.e. Who is the editor/s?  What is the address?  What kinds of stories do they publish? Etc.)
  • Begin story workshops Sep 24.

Sep 24 Class work and Discussion

  • Begin story workshops (Note: We will attempt to workshop two stories per class period.  If there are no stories for a workshop day or we have extra time, I will bring in some outside work to keep us sharp.)
  • Exercise for Sep 29: (if there are no stories for workshop) Write a one-page scene where two or more characters must struggle against extreme weather.

Sep 29 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops
  • Exercise for Oct 01: (if there are no stories for workshop) Choose a natural disaster (earthquake, tornado, hurricane, draught, etc) and write a one-page scene that describes the event through the experiences of three characters.  Let each character have a different perspective from the others (for example, a mother with small children, a policeman, a traveler driving through town, a young child, etc.).

Oct 01 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops
  • Exercise for Oct 06: (if there are no stories for workshop) Write a one-page piece where a character reveals a desire but he/she finds that society has imposed an obstacle on this desire (for example, a poor man/woman wants to live in a mansion; a black man/woman wants to be president (oops); a gay man/woman wants to marry; etc.).

Oct 06 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops
  • Exercise for Oct 08: (if there are no stories for workshop) Take a piece you’ve written and create a title for that has resonance on both a literal and a symbolic level.

Oct 06 Midterm: last day for students, at their discretion, to officially withdraw from a class and record a grade of W.

Oct 13-16 Spring Break – No classes!  Go Write!
  • Oct 08 Class work and Discussion
  • Workshops
  • Exercise for Oct 20: (if there are no stories for workshop) Write a dialogue between two characters that is influenced by setting (for example, two people talking at a wake, in a bar, in a school setting, etc.).

Oct 20 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops
  • Exercise for Oct 22: (if there are no stories for workshop) Go to a public place (bus depot, café, restaurant, bar, etc.) and eavesdrop on conversations.  Try to catch some dialogue, intonation, etc.  Copy it down (be discreet, of course).  Use what you get to create a one-page dramatic monologue where you let the character’s speech create a dramatic scene.

Oct 22 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops
  • Exercise Oct 27: (if there are no stories for workshop) Write a short piece where you inhabit an animal, or inanimate object, or a natural phenomenon, like a hurricane or tornado.

Oct 27 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops
  • Exercise for Oct 29: (if there are no stories for workshop) Describe an interesting stranger you came across in the street, restaurant, bar, café, etc.  Focus the description on appearance, and what it conveys about the character.  About one page.

Oct 29 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops
  • Exercise for Nov 03: Write a one-page scene that utilizes and ironic (or surprising, mysterious, etc.) closure, one that surprises the reader because the opposite of what is expected takes place.  Check out the ending in “A Rose for Emily” for an example.  Or “A Father’s Story” or “Lust” two other wonderful examples.

Nov 03 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops
  • Exercise for Nov 05: (if there are no stories for workshop) Write a one-page scene in a genre you are not familiar with (i.e. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Detective, Historical, Romance, etc.).

Nov 4 Presidential Election – No Classes.  Go Vote!

Nov 6 Loman C. Trover Library Reading Series (Sci fi night) featuring Stephen Leigh (pseudonym S. L. Farrell), P. Andrew Miller, and Scott Vander Ploeg.  The reading begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Loman C. Trover Library.  Drinks and snacks will be provided.  Students are strongly encouraged to attend.

Nov 05 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops

Nov 10 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops

Nov 17 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops

Nov 19 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops

Nov 24 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops

Nov 26 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops

Nov 27-29 Thanksgiving – No classes

Dec 01 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops

Dec 03 Class work and Discussion

  • Workshops

Dec 05 Last day for a student, at the discretion of the instructor, to officially withdraw

             from a class and receive a grade of W.

Dec 06 End of Class Work

Dec 08-13 Final examinations

Dec 08 (Final Exam Day for Class # 35660 ENG207)

  • Class work and Discussion
  • Students will turn in their revised and workshopped stories.