schedule

Writing: Flashbulb Memeory.
Write a one page (or so) flashbulb memory and be ready to read it in class.

Writing: How-To
Think of a skill you know how to do well, and of telling it to someone so that person can do it well, and of telling it to someone so that person can do it too: a job, sport, game, or whatever—something you do with your hands or in which your hands and body play a significant part. That is, choose something that requires physical-mental coordination, something you have done again and again, something you do well, something you enjoy doing.

Before you begin:
See the characteristic object
See the characteristic situations
See the characteristic things that happen
See the special twists that you know about
See yourself demonstrating it to an audience
See the gestures you would use
Let your hands be an extension of your voice
Now, write your "How-To" and be ready to read it in class on Tuesday.

*You can also use a variant of this assignment: “How-to Do Something You’re Not Supposed To”

Tuesday January 15
Come to class having read Brad Younkin, "The Speed of Memory"

Writing: Stories You Have To/Shouldn't Tell
Make a list of stories that you have to tell or they will burst out of you. Or, if you don’t have any, make a list of things you don’t think you can or should write about. (ie, sex, or gossipy stories that use friends as characters). Now, write a draft of that story, or get as far as you can with it.

Reading from In Short:
Charles Simic, Three Fragments, p. 131 (Introduced by Jared)
Denise Levertov, Inheritance, p. 193 (Introduced by Alex)
Michael Dorris, Three Yards, p. 203 (Introduced by Julian)

Thursday January 17
Come to class with a draft of your "Stories You Have To/Shouldn't Tell"
Come to class having read from In Short:
Charles Simic, Three Fragments, p. 131
Denise Levertov, Inheritance, p. 193
Michael Dorris, Three Yards, p. 203

Writing: Decide on the topic and/or structure of your personal narrative and start writing your draft. Come to class with at least five pages of writing.

Reading from In Short:
Jerry Ellis, "Into the Storm," p. 233 (Introduced by Tanya)
Richard Rodriguez, "Proofs," p. 48 (Introduced by Daniel)
Barry Lopez, "Children in the Woods," p. 284 (Introduced by Sam)

Tuesday January 22
Come to class with at least 5 pages of writing on your Personal Narrative.
Come to class having read from In Short:
Jerry Ellis, "Into the Storm," p. 233 (Introduced by Tanya)
Richard Rodriguez, "Proofs," p. 48 (Introduced by Daniel)
Barry Lopez, "Children in the Woods," p. 284 (Introduced by Sam)

Finish your Personal Narrative (8 pages)
Come to class with ONE HARD COPY of your Personal Narrative Draft.

Thursday January 24
Come to class with ONE HARD COPY of your Personal Narrative Draft.
Assignment of Groups and Presentations
Personal Narrative Draft Due: Email Drafts to Group

Prepare for Writer's Workshops by reading and editing your peers' papers

Tuesday January 29
Workshops

Writing: Segmenting (a complex layering and texturing of form that can take place in a nonfiction essay)

Write a two-page essay using the segmenting structure. Choose at least three different kinds of segments and structure them in an aesthetically pleasing way. Some ideas for segments are mediations on color, descriptions that target different senses, recreating overheard dialogue, anecdotes, small scenes, a "found" poem, recreating archival, newspaper, or other research.

Reading: from In Short
Mary Paumier Jones, "The Opposite of Saffron" (Introduced by Sarah)
John Haines, "Snow"(Introduced by Andrea)
Micahel Shay, "We Are Distracted"(Introduced by Amanda)

Tuesday February 12
Come to class ready to discuss Into the Wild
Into the Wild: Group 1 Presentation

Reading: from Class Handout:
Todd Dodson, "The is (not) Fiction" in Ninth Letter (Introduced by Chris)
Ethan Filly, "Son of a Gun" from Carousel (Introduced by Sam)
Jackie Zakrewsky, "My Father in All Seasons" in Iowa Review (Introduced by Tanya)
Mirjam Schaub, "Ways to Talk About Voices" from Janet Cardiff:The Walk Book (Introduced by Garrett)
Eula Biss, "Apologies," from Ninth Letter (Introduced by Tommy)
Travis Kurowski, "Basquiat and Six Uses of Space," from Ninth Letter (Introduced by Ben)
Full Text Version

Writing: Imitation/Parody
Choose one of the 6 experimental nonfiction pieces (above) and write a parody, or imitatation. In other words, using your own subject and story, mirror the form and/or style of one of the pieces. Write at least 2 pages of this.

Thursday February 14
Discussion of six readings:
Todd Dodson, "The is (not) Fiction" in Ninth Letter (Introduced by Chris)
Ethan Filly, "Son of a Gun" from Carousel (Introduced by Sam)
Jackie Zakrewsky, "My Father in All Seasons" in Iowa Review (Introduced by Tanya)
Mirjam Schaub, "Ways to Talk About Voices" from Janet Cardiff:The Walk Book (Introduced by Garrett)
Eula Biss, "Apologies," from Ninth Letter (Introduced by Tommy)
Travis Kurowski, "Basquiat and Six Uses of Space," from Ninth Letter (Introduced by Ben)
Full Text Version

Writing: Experimental Nonfiction Draft. Finish a draft of your Experimental Nonfiction Draft, and bring it to class on Thursday to share with your Workshop Group.

Thursday February 21
Experimental Nonfiction Draft Due MEET IN THE AML, AVERY HALL
Bring at least one copy to class to discuss with your workshop group members. Email Draft to Group at least two days before the workshop.

2. Three journals that feature a mix of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction (nonfiction is sometimes called "essays")

3. One journal that features "experimental" forms, whether it be fiction or nonfiction.

4. In 3-4 sentences, talk about which journal seems most appealing to you, and why.

Tuesday February 26
Workshops Group 1 MEET IN BUNDY, AVERY HALL
Have The Orchid Thief read for Tuesday, March 4

Wednesday, February 27
Workshops Group 2 MEET IN BUNDY, AVERY HALL
Have The Orchid Thief read for Tuesday, March 4

Thursday February 28
Workshops Group 3 MEET IN BUNDY, AVERY HALL
Have The Orchid Thief read for Tuesday, March 4

Writing: Choose a person NOT in your immediate circle (ie, friends, family) but whom you can observe, interview, and research. Make a list of 10 reasons why he/she would be a good story.

Thursday March 6
Profile Assignment/Interviews

Tuesday March 25
In Cold Blood: Group Presentation
Profile Narrative Draft Due**

Thursday, March 27
Round One-Get to Know Your Piece

Mark (with an x) passages that make you uneasy.
Underline and question anything that makes you squirm
Mark (with a check) passages you particularly like.
Highlight what seems especially rich, or meaningful.
I will collect these at the end of the class.

Even 24 hours away from your draft will help.

Tuesday, April 1
Round Three-Take the Draft Apart (Not Fine Tuning!), A Three-Step Process

Step One: Long Shot

Read the piece again, aloud or silently. View the overall structure and pace of your piece. Let yourself open to big change. Ask yourself what story you’re really trying to tell and if you’ve picked the best shape to tell it.

Finding the story. What’s the story? Whose story is it? Is the right character at the center? Should your piece follow the traditional pattern of a want/obstacle/action or conflict/crisis/resolution? If it’s a memoir or profile, what are the concerns of the characters and the connections between them that makes us care about what happens to them? Find it on the page. What change takes place in the central character or narrator? Find it on the page. Is there a “vertical drop”--a place where it goes deeper (deeper into character, into intimacy, or into the hidden story), where it drops down? If so, find it on the page. Are there places where you need to do more research? Find facts? More interviews? If so, do so now.

Overall shape. Lay your piece out on the table and take notes on it. Take your pages and put them on the floor and see how they look. What other way(s) might they be arranged? Make a list and what is happening in each scene. Which scenes are too long? Which need to be cut altogether? What scenes need filling out? What needs to happen to each one? Have you captured the change?

After you have identified these, go back to your computer and make appropriate changes. Bring your new draft to the next class on April 3.

Read the piece again, aloud or silently. Zoom in on a particular question of arrangement, arrangement, rhythms, problems of beginnings, flashbacks, endings. Here you are moving closer to the story you want to tell?

Beginnings. Where should it begin? Should it begin on page 3, for instance? Does it have a hook? Does it begin is with a hook or in media res. Is it clear? Do we know who, where, when, and what’s happening?

Flashbacks and Back-story: Does the action of the story take place mostly in the present, or are there excessive flashbacks? You need to know certain background, but does the reader need to know this? What is the main narrative—is it what happened in the past? If so, make that the main narrative.

Overwriting.Are there scenes that should be summaries? If so, mark these and write them into summary. Are there descriptions that drag? Look for things that should be tightened and sharpened. How radically can you pare things down without losing the shifts of action and emotion?

Underwriting. Is there necessary information you left out, or scenes that are too skimpy to do the work you need them to do? Make a note in the margin wherever you feel your piece is underdeveloped. Then, put your paper aside and quickly go to your computer or journal and draft the missing pieces. Paste in the new sections and read the piece aloud so you can get a feel for how they need to be scaled back or further expanded. Do the new passages suggest a new direction?

Tics. What are your tics? Do you use too many semi-colons? Do you repeat a certain word? Do you start every sentence with “When” or “Next.” Do you repeat the same sentence pattern again and again?

Endings. This is the strongest part of your piece. Is there some kind of problem or conflict that results in change? Is there a satisfying but not cliché or cloying sense of closure? The ending needs to say: this story matters.

After you have identified these, go back to your computer and make appropriate changes. Bring your new draft to the next class on April 8.

Tuesday, April 8
Step Three: Close Up
Read the piece again, aloud or silently. Focus tightly on particular details, and on the mechanics that make your work professional. Look at individual images, word choice, and detail.

Consistency. Check for consistency in your tenses and point of view. Are there any gaps or logistical breaks?

Generalizations. Clear away dull generalizations in favor of concrete, significant detail. Show don’t tell: prose comes alive with concrete, significant detail. It is concrete if it appeals to the sense. Detail implies that it’s specific and focused. It’s significant if it suggests an idea or emotion. “A man limps down the sidewalk on a crumbling plaster cast.” Circle all abstractions and generalizations as well as the vague, the analytical, the interpretive and replace these with specific and sensual.

After you have done this, go back to your computer and make appropriate changes. Email your new draft to everyone in the class, including me, by SUNDAY APRIL 13.

Thursday April 10
Discussion with Jessica on Editing. Prepare drafts for Round Four: Feedback/The Workshop.

Give your draft to other readers and get their feedback. For this class, the feedback will be in the form of whole class workshops. As with previous workshops, follow these directions:

Workshop Directions

-BE ON TIME so that we have a enough time to devote to each person’s paper.
-Come to the workshop with your peers’ papers completely read and annotated. Make sure you note what works and why, as well as places for improvement. Feel free to offer ideas if the paper gets you thinking.
-It’s always helpful to readers if you let them know when a phrase/sentence/paragraph is unclear (see guidelines, below). For this draft, comment specifically on the aspects of revision we have practiced over the past couple weeks.
-Line edit where necessary, but resist the urge to rewrite someone’s style.
-After the workshop, keep all annotated copies of your paper for your own use.

Editing Guidelines

For each paper you read, you will 1) write a response and 2) comment/edit the paper draft itself. Do this BEFORE you come to the workshop.

The response will be a letter to the author and will include the following:

-A short paragraph summarizing the piece. What it is about? In other words, what are its underlying concerns?
-A paragraph referring to passages or aspects or even specific sentences that work particularly well for you as a reader with an explanation of why.
-Two questions you have for the author after reading.

Your comments and edits on the paper draft itself can include:

-Any places where the writing is unclear.
-Any line-editing you wish to provide.
-Any suggestions or other general comments you have.

Again, take a vacation from your work for at least two days. Then reconsider each suggestion, incorporating those that make sense to you.

After you have identified these, go back to your computer and make appropriate changes. You are now ready to do the polishing that will result in your final paper, which will become part of your portfolio.

After you have gone through your revision stages (many published pieces go through these stages 3 or 4 times), you are ready to do your final polish.

Turn in your final paper in your portfolio.
Portfolio Due: May 2. Please place in the box outside my office (Avery 461).

Class Schedule