Short Fiction: Introduction

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Short Fiction: Introduction Instructor: Cathy Stonehouse, BA Oxon, MFA Course Description and Objectives Over the next eight weeks, we re going to write and live and breathe stories we ll examine

1 Short Fiction: Introduction Instructor: Cathy Stonehouse, BA Oxon, MFA Course Description and Objectives Over the next eight weeks, we re going to write and live and breathe stories we ll examine everything from postcard stories to long form stories. We ll look at what makes a story good, bad, or indifferent, and we ll do lots of writing, reading, and thinking about the elements of story-telling, everything from how to make characters come alive on the page to finding ways to make a description of a room or a rock or a piece of wood speak. Through all of this will be lectures (in the form of handouts), YouTube interviews, readings, exercises and discussions about characters and scenes, choosing an effective point of view, dealing with time, building tension, and how to structure or plot a story. Finally, we ll talk about writing process, and we ll work towards developing effective habits that will stay with you long after the course is done. Because fiction is based on life, and life is complicated and emotional, this will be a safe and respectful environment. Our goal is to encourage everyone to work at their best and to create a community within our Moodle walls where we can all feel comfortable asking questions, experimenting, and learning. Expectations 1. Write one complete story (up to 5000 words) which you will post a draft of online for comments sometime between weeks 3 and Write and submit the additional 1-2 short assignments per week. 3. Participate in forum discussions. 4. Offer supportive and thoughtful feedback on others work. Offering Feedback A few notes about time management. I will check our online classroom forums and my every day during the week and will respond to questions within 24 hours. On weekends, I may still check in, but won t respond until Monday. Please bear in mind I prefer not to weigh in on story workshops in particular until a significant number of students have weighed in, in order not to preempt student feedback.

2 Course Schedule The following outline covers the general plan for the course. I can adjust, mix and mingle, whatever we need to do in order to address your questions and interests and needs as best as I can over the length of the course. Week One: Beginning Overview of course Warm-up writing Why do we write? Getting started Week Two: Story Beginnings / middles / ends Writing from life or making it all up Story structure and plotting Writing habits Practising stillness Reading response Week Three: Characters Making characters real or writing real characters? Techniques for revealing character Character tags Ways of observing Writing from the senses Reading Week Four: Development Research, backstory: How far back do you need to go? Pacing, Maintaining momentum Balancing scenes & narrative Workshop guidelines Reading and writing

3 Week Five: Dialogue Tips & Tricks He said, she said Listening Playing with language Week Six: Point of View Attributes of various POVs Shifting points of view Revising & editing Week Seven: Language Mood & tone through language Handling time, verb tense Week Eight: Wrap-up Review & discussion Publishing tips Please see next page for suggested readings.

4 SHORT FICTION READING LIST Here are some of my favourite books about writing, writing theory, grammar and style. Writing and Life: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott, Anchor Books, Becoming a Writer, Dorothea Brande, Tarcher/Putnam, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King, Pocket Books, Passion and Craft: Conversations with Notable Writers, eds: Bonnie Lyons & Bill Oliver, Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, Still Writing: The Perils & Pleasures of a Creative Life, Dani Shapiro, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2013 The Writing Life, Annie Dillard, Harper Perennial, Theory & Craft: Aspects of the Novel, E.M. Forster, Penguin Books. The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers, John Gardner, A. Knopf, Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft by Janet Burroway, Penguin Academics, 2003 On Becoming a Novelist, John Gardner, Harper & Row, From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction, Robert Olen Butler & Janet Burroway, Grove Press, A Passion for Narrative: A Guide for Writing Fiction, Jack Hodgins, McLelland & Stewart, Toronto, Steering the Craft: a 21 st century Guide to Sailing the Seas of Story, Ursula K. LeGuin, Mariner Books, Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them, Francine Prose, Harper Collins, NY, Self Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print, Renni Browne & Dave King, 2 nd ed., Harper Collins, NY, Turning Life Into Fiction, Robin Hemley, Story Press, Cincinnati, OH, Style and Grammar: The Elements of Grammar, Margaret Shertzer, Macmillan, 1986.

5 The Sound on the Page, Ben Yagoda, Harper Collins, On Writing Well, William Zinsser, Collins, Stories: Here are some of the story collections I ve read that have stayed with me. What have you read that you ve loved (or been haunted by)? Island, Alistair MacLeod Hellgoing, Lynn Coady Alice Munro (anything!) Confidence, Russell Smith Simple Recipes, Madeleine Thien Birds of North America, Lorrie Moore The Pull of the Moon, Julie Paul Oh My Darling, Shaena Lambert Paradise and Elsewhere, Kathy Page Once, Rebecca Rosenblum Antarctica, Claire Keegan This is How You Lose Her, Junot Diaz Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, Wells Tower In Persuasion Nation George Saunders Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer The Outer Harbour, Wayde Compton

The Mercenary Writer's Guides: Manuscript Critique and Grammar Rx

The Mercenary Writer's Guides: Manuscript Critique and Grammar Rx Congratulations! Here s what WORKS in this manuscript: Citation Information: Severson, Heather. 2012. The Mercenary 1 Writer's Guides: