ENGLISH 313 (02) (DA,WI): INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING: DRAMA AND FICTION (MWF 10:30-11:20) – Gary Pak
This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of writing drama and short fiction. The focus of the first part of the semester will be on dramatic writing: on writing a premise and dialogue; on developing character and plot. The emphasis will be on writing character-driven drama. For the second half of the semester, students will be introduced to the basic elements of fiction—setting, characters, conflict, plot, point-of-view—and engaged in writing exercises and prompts.
All drafts and revisions will be critiqued in a workshop environment, and the final products of these workshops will be at a one-act play (5-8 pages of script) and a short story of about 1,500 words.
To help with the understanding of these elements, you will read one-act plays and short stories from master writers and analyze them as how a working writer would.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Module One (drama):
• five writing exercises
• three written peer critiques (100 words minimum)
• two one-act plays (draft)
• one revised one-act play
Module Two (short fiction):
• five writing exercises
• three written critiques (100 words minimum)
• two short story drafts (minimum 500 words each)
• a final draft of a short story, approx. 1,000 words in length
Also required are active participation in all workshops and excellent attendance.
TEXTS:
- Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
- August Wilson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
- Negri (ed.), Great American Short Stories (Dover Thrift Edition)
Course texts will be available for purchase at the UHM bookstore and at AbeBooks.com and other Internet stores.