“We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”
– Joan Didion
This writing workshop focuses on the craft of fiction and invites students to build a writing community.
We will spend a majority of the semester working our way through guided scaffolding of exercises that will allow us to build a story or chapter. The rest of the semester will be spent reading and discussing peer work.
The writing workshop is a critical element of creative writing inside and outside of the academy and the foundation of most creative writing curriculums. The workshop not only helps writers develop the language of critique and allows them to hone their eye for craft, but—perhaps most importantly—it can establish a vital community amidst the sometimes lonely art of writing.
Student Learning Outcomes
- To develop strategies for planning and executing a story or novel
- To write arresting and thoughtful fiction
- To develop a critical vocabulary for talking about writing as writers
- To understand how readers receive your work (demonstrate written and oral ability to place creative work within broader artistic/critical conversations)
- To build a writing community and practice that will carry your writing life beyond the university
Texts TBA