The short instructions: Your final portfolio will consist of: 1. A heavily revised and rewritten version of your short story (20%). a. Length: 6-10 pages b. 2 page cover letter c. You must hand in the rough draft I gave back to you, with my comments. 2. 2-3 revised or rewritten shorter pieces (poem, short dialogue, or HW assignments) (10%) a. Length: 4-6 pages (total for all pieces) b. Short cover letter for each piece c. If you revise the poem or short dialogue, hand in the rough draft I gave back to you, with my comments. Each of you must meet with me once in my office to discuss your short story prior to submitting your portfolio. I will not accept it without this meeting. You can meet with me anytime starting today until May 11. Submission date Tuesday, May 15, by the end of the day. You may submit your work in 2 ways: Option 1: Published as a Wordpress blog. o I will post an instructional video on how to create a Wordpress blog. It s super easy. You can either post the cover letters, or hand those in to me in person. You ll have to hand me your rough drafts in person. Option 2: A printed out hard copy. o If you choose this option, you must hand all components in a pocket folder. Each component must be clearly labeled and stapled individually. Work that is not clearly labeled or stapled will not be graded. If you need an extension, you must ask me in person before May 11. Late portfolios will be deducted 5% per day. No portfolios will be accepted after May 21. This document contains 6 pages. 1
The longer instructions: Final Draft of Short Story (20%) With your workshop, my comments, an in-class meeting with me, and possibly your oral presentation, you should have some ideas on how to revise your short story. Keeping in mind Sellers idea that Revision means reseeing (357), I expect your piece to be heavily rewritten. Almost every single story in this class needs to be rewritten by 50-75%. That s just how writing works. So, I expect a significantly different version than the one you handed in for your rough draft. This isn t a matter of fixing up a few sentences here and there. This is a matter of opening a new Word document, and starting again. Your story can also be expanded and continued. Several writers didn t have endings. Your rewritten version can be longer. Most of you have a page or two from your draft that you can use going forward. So, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. You must rewrite the story you workshopped. If you want to write a completely new story, please speak to me about it in person. Length Cover Letter: 2 pages Short story: 6-10 pages Using the textbook In your revision, you must concentrate on using one principle from each of the following chapters in The Practice of Creative Writing: 4-Images; 5- Energy; 6-Tension; 8-Insight, and 9-Revision. So, 5 principles in total. These principles are really valuable in revision. A principle is one of the small topics in each chapter. For example, if you look at page xvii of the table of contents, you ll see under Chapter 4, Images: images are active, reading is image viewing, images are the opposite of thought, Generating images, etc. Each one of these is one principle. So, choose one of these from each of the above chapters to concentrate on. Like you did with your first draft, except one more chapter. In each chapter, you can choose to focus on the same principle you focused on for your first draft, or a different one. Your choice. This document contains 6 pages. 2
Cover Letter As usual, you will submit a cover letter with your short story. This time it will be a bit longer: 2 pages, double spaced. There are 3 subjects you need to cover. As long as you cover these 3 subject sufficiently, you don t need to respond to every single question I ve listed below: 1) How did you use the textbook? Tell me which of the 5 principles you used. (one each from chapters 4, 5, 6, 8, & 9). Please clearly identify what the principle is, and what page it is on. For each principle, explain briefly: o How did you use this principle? o If you used the same principle as your rough draft, did revisiting it a second time help? Why or why not? o Do you feel you were effective in using this principle? Why or why not? 2) How was your experience rewriting? What s the main thing you tried to focus on in your revision? Do you like your rewritten version better? Why or why not? What, specifically, is stronger about this version? If you found the workshops or the oral presentation helpful in your process of revision, explain how. What are you most proud of in this final draft? If you could work on it more, what might you work on? Write a one-sentence Hollywood movie trailer version of your story. Any other general comments you have about your final draft of your process of writing it. 3) How was your experience in this course? What s one lesson from this class you think will stick with you from the course? What s one area of writing you feel you improved this semester? What s one element of writing you re going to continue working on? Name anything in this class that inspired you. Any other general comments about your experience of the class (Note: this isn t an evaluation of the course. It s about your own experience. There will be a separate course evaluation) This document contains 6 pages. 3
Office meeting Creative Writing Workshop, Instructions for Final Portfolio I believe that at least one meeting with me during the semester can be very helpful to the process of completing a polished short story. So, anytime between today and May 11, come and see me. Come prepared with the following: A version or your story that has been revised or rewritten since the workshops. Or, specific questions about the version you submitted for the workshops. Anything else you d like to talk about in regards to your portfolio. You can come anytime during my office hours. Or we can set up an appointment. Subject matter / A few rules You may not write about a crime, a murder, or anything involving gangsters. Your characters must have names. You must have two or three main characters in your piece. You can have secondary characters, but most of the action must be focused on the two or three main characters. Keep in mind the work we ve been doing all semester. This story is meant to be a measuring stick for your ability to assimilate the concepts we ve been working on all semester. Grading criteria for Final Draft of Short Story You have a cover letter that addresses the assigned prompts You re writing mostly in concrete imagery. No thoughts! You re writing effective dialogue You re creating tension through desire + danger Your story is made up of multiple scenes Each scene has 2 or 3 well-matched characters Your create energy through subjects, leaps, and words Your story contains humanity and insight Using vivid, precise, and original language You have an interesting and appropriate title You have included the rough draft I returned with my comments You will be given a grade out of 20 based on the above criteria. I will send comments on your story by MIO. This document contains 6 pages. 4
Shorter rewritten pieces (10%) Altogether, the two or three shorter pieces must be 4-6 pages. This can be made up of two or three pieces. Each piece must be in a different genre. None should be fiction. Genre options: o Poetry (one of the fixed forms in Chapter 10) o Drama (in script format) o Screenplay (script for the screen) o Comic These must be rewritten versions of previous work. The same rule applies as your short story. 50%-70% rewritten. You can make them longer or shorter. These pieces don t need to be as polished as your short story. Feel free to take chances, experiment with language, form, subject matter, etc. HAVE FUN. Work you can choose from Poem Short Dialogue Any homework or class assignment. Using the textbook For each piece you revise, choose one principle from any chapter of The Practice of Creative Writing to focus on (anything from chapter 4, 5, 6, or 8). Cover letter For each piece, write a short cover letter (1/2 page-1 page). Your cover letter should state the following: Which piece is this? (Poem, short dialogue, or which number HW assignment?) What principle from the textbook did you focus on? Please clearly state the principle and the page number. Did you find the principle useful in revising your piece? Why or why not? What did you try to do in your revision? Did you make any surprising discoveries in your revision? Do you like your revised piece better? Why or why not? Do you see yourself continuing this piece? If so, where might you take it? This document contains 6 pages. 5
Grading criteria for Shorter Rewritten Pieces You ve met the page requirement (4-6 pages in total) You have a short cover letter for each piece that addresses the assigned prompt. You have at least two different pieces in 2 different genres (not fiction) You re considering the main lessons from this semester: imagery, dialogue, tension, energy, and insight. You re taking chances and trying things. I get the sense you re having fun with these. Your language is precise, energetic, and original. You ll be given a grade out of 10 based on the above criteria. I will send comments on your pieces by MIO. Portfolio checklist: Make sure you re submitting all components Cover letter for short story (2 pages) Final draft of short story (6-10 pages) Rough draft of short story (the one I handed back, with my comments) Cover letters for each rewritten short piece (1/2-1 page each) 2-3 short rewritten pieces (4-6 pages total) Rough drafts of short pieces (the ones I handed back, with my comments) (if you re rewriting a homework assignment, there is no rough draft to submit) This document contains 6 pages. 6