Writing Center Hours:

College of the Redwoods

SYLLABUS

"It is only the story that can continue beyond the war and the warrior... It is only the story... that saves our progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence. The story is our escort; without it, we are blind. Does the blind man own his escort? No, neither do we the story; rather it is the story that owns us." Chinua Achebe

Course Description:

This course involves analysis of literary models, prose, and literary writing, primarily short fiction, with student and teacher critiques.

Course Objectives:

1) Anecdotes: Study examples of anecdotes, identifying the “point” of each. Write anecdotes regularly in preparation for larger stories.

2) Description: Meet the principle “Show, don’t tell” and examine its application in stories. Write at least one physical description of a person.

3) Dialogue: Examine speech in stories. Transcribe actual speech.

4) Action: Examine story episodes, noting use of narration and selection of detail. Practice writing scenes.

5) Character: Examine the means by which writers develop and disclose character. Write at least one character sketch.

6) Invention: Use free association techniques to generate writing. Practice the writing process; practice the rewriting process.

7) Write two complete stories. (Extra credit for more stories; an “A” grade may be awarded for writing which is accepted for publication during the course.)

Required Texts/Materials:

1) Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. (This text is not on reserve at the library, nor is it in the Writing Center. You’ll find it for sale in the bookstore.)

2) A class booklet.

3) A writer's notebook.

Triad:

Name: _____________________________ Contact info: _______________________________

Welcome to English 33! I'm excited to be your teacher, and I hope that each of us will enjoy and learn a great deal during this semester. This will be an intensive course because I will ask a lot of each one of you, but in return, I hope you will find this to be one of your most memorable writing classes. The primary goals of this course are to teach you how to develop your own distinct writing voice, to improve your creative writing skills in several different styles and forms, to learn how to critique other people's work fairly and in depth, and to find out how to submit your work for publication. Beyond that--and perhaps more importantly--I want you to learn to write more powerfully, passionately, and naturally.

Your Instructor: Dave has done a little of everything, including taxi driver, fire fighter, cook, soldier, house painter, and teacher. He took his BA in English at Humboldt State University, where he also studied journalism. After his graduation, he served for four years in the Army Military Intelligence Corps, then went on to take a Masters of Fine Arts in English at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he wrote a book of short stories. Since then, he has published a number of stories and poems. Currently he lives in Eureka and teaches full-time at CR.

Syllabus Calendar: This will be posted on the course website. Generally this will be posted on Friday afternoon for the following week’s assignments and class activities.

Required Reading: We will read approximately one-two sections a week from Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and a story a week (from the class booklet). In addition, we will regularly do journals or exercises based on these readings. When we read stories, I’ll ask you to write a synopsis of the story on a 3 x 5 card, which will be worth 5 pts. and is due at the start of the class session in which we’ll discuss the story. You are strongly encouraged to mark up your books, save quotes in your writer’s journals, and make notes all over the writing that you read.

Required Writing: We will do an exercise for each week of class (except when we are writing stories or revisions of stories). These exercises can be between 2-4 pages. They are worth 20 pts. each and are due as posted on the syllabus. In addition, there are two stories required for the semester, each worth 100 pts. Also, you will be expected to revise each of these stories at least one time: the revisions are worth 100 pts. apiece. A revision is more than correcting spelling errors; a revision should show significant progress in your approach to the narrative. If you turn in a revision that is generally the same as the earlier draft, you may get the second draft back as no credit (with a request that you accomplish a substantive revision). At the end of the semester, you will be required to submit one polished piece of work for the class booklet, which will be between 5-20 pages of writing, and will be worth 100 pts. This last piece of writing should be the best quality work you’ve produced all semester.

Work Format: All work must be typed and labeled (whether it’s an exercise, a story draft, or a polished piece of work). Word processors are available in the Writing Center through English 152 (this is 1/2 unit lab). No cover sheets are necessary, nor are any type of folders, paper or plastic. Type your name, draft #, and date in the upper left-hand corner; also please include titles for your stories. Please remember to number your pages. Do not use scratch paper that has already been printed on, nor type on the front and backs of pages: use only one side of the page.

Attendance/Promptness: Because this is a course that relies on your participation, and we meet only once a week for three hours, you will be allowed only two absences, unless is an emergency and you have discussed this with me. When you do miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out from another student what you missed by calling someone in your triad or someone on the phone list. And, in addition, come promptly to class, which means that if you stroll in 15 minutes late, you are marked as missing 1/2 a class. It's different if you've spoken with me in advance about an appointment that you must make. But in general, do not schedule anything that conflicts with this class. If you leave a class more than 15 minutes early, you will be marked as missing 1/2 class.

Extra Credit: You may earn 20 pts. of extra credit (only once!) in this class by attending a literary event (that I have mentioned in class and/or posted on the syllabus calendar) and writing a review of that event for the following class. These journals should be typed, doubled spaced, and not in MLA format. Simply put your name and the words "Extra Credit Journal" at the top and start writing. Turn them in at the next class after the event.

Conferences and the Final: To encourage you to participate in both these activities, there are 20 pts. for the midterm conference; there are 40 pts. for the final.

Your Portfolio: Please save all your work (and drafts) this semester so that you can see what happened this semester, as well as have stories or exercises to revise; and, in case I accidentally do not record the grade, you'll have a copy of the graded work. More importantly, you’ll probably want to look back on this work later, so save, save, save; backup, backup, backup.

Grading

This is one of the few CR courses that may be taken for credit/no credit rather than for a grade. You are encouraged to take advantage of this option to free yourself to write without worrying about a grade. For a grade of Credit, you must apply in the Admissions & Records office before (TBA) for the credit/no credit option. Not completing the credit requirements described would result in a No Credit grade if you had applied for the credit option. If you had not applied for this option, it would mean a grade of D or F.

If you do not apply for the credit/no credit option, your grade will consist of

1) Weekly exercises: 20 pts. each

2) Stories drafts: 100 pts. each

3) Revised story drafts: 100 pts. each

4) Conferences: 20 pts. each

5) Polished draft for class booklet: 20 pts. each

6) Attendance at final: 40 pts.

Note: This syllabus may be modified during the course of the semester, as needed. If there are corrections or additions, these will be posted on the syllabus calendar, which can be found on the course website.

Guidelines to Sharing Fiction & Critique

For the Writer:

1) Once you've read your story or had your story read, please listen attentively and do not interrupt the other class members or instructor.

2) Do not rebut the criticisms either during or after a discussion.

3) Just because it's true is not enough.

4) If you get criticism about poorly typed or edited copy, that's a clear sign to you that you need to spend more time preparing your texts for class.

5) It is a good idea to take notes on a copy of the story so that you don't forget what is being suggested.

6) You have the right to stop the discussion if it becomes too personal or painful; however, you should not use this right lightly. Once you have stopped a discussion on a story, it may not be discussed again in class.

7) Revise while the ideas are still fresh.

8) If there are too many different ideas on how to revise, you might treat the ideas like a shopping list--buy what appeals to you. If you can't decide what to do, come see the instructor for a personal conference.

For the Class Participants:

1) Comment always with the mind to help. It's best if your responses are given out of a loving sense of trying to help.

2) Look for something good first.

3) It is not necessary to have the perfect or longest response to a story. Often times it's better to listen carefully and comment selectively, no matter how much you feel you know. A balanced discussion will be better for all of us than a discussion dominated by a few.

4) Everyone is entitled to an opinion in this class, even if you don't agree with another person.

5) Don't interrupt one another.

6) Don't attack one another's responses.

7) Don't use humor or sarcasm as a weapon.

8) Avoid name calling at all costs.

9) If you see someone become discouraged by a critique, go up to that person afterwards and encourage him/her.

10) Don't use comparison to published work as a means to show someone the "right way"; the writer must find his/her own way.