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Continued practice in the writing of prose fiction, with a concentration on experimentation in style and structure. The students will participate in small-group workshops, as well as large-group workshops. We will analyze and discuss professional and student material to determine how a writer creates "story," what works, what doesn't work, and why. In these discussions and readings the student will ideally learn to locate him/herself in the literary and theoretical tradition. This course is designed for students who have completed English 308. May be repeated once for credit.

Required Text : A packet of readings will be available at Sunstar Copy which is located beside the Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Store north of Plummer at 9514 #3 Reseda Blvd. The packet will be listed under my name-Mary Marca.)

Also required: A notebook for collecting story ideas

Photocopies of your class assignments for workshopping in class. Budget for this.

Bringing the Devil to His Knees: The Craft of Fiction Writing and the Writing Life Charles Baxter and Peter Turchi, Editors.

Wild Mind Natalie Goldberg

1. Two new stories of ten pages (min.) which are submitted to full class workshops. One of these stories must be revised and handed in at the end of the semester as the Final Project. The Final Project is a re-seeing of the story and should demonstrate substantial revision from the story workshopped in class. It plays an important role in each student's grade. (See below)
2. Between 5-8 writing exercises-3-5 pages (250 words per page).
3. HyperNews Reading/Writing journal. In this on-line journal students should respond to all of the assigned readings. These responses should not be summaries of the plots or main points, but rather a reflection on what the reader as a writer has learned from reading a particular story and/or essay. These are to be 'turned in' on-line before class time. No late responses accepted. (Min. of 10 responses).
4. When a reading assignment is due, each student must bring his/her own copy of the material to class.
5. Critiques-one for each of the stories handed out to the large group workshop. Make a copy of each critique for the writer and turn one in to me, BEFORE CLASS, via the HyperNews link: CRITIQUES.
6. A written executive summary of (response to) one of your whole class workshops.
7. One office visit minimum, preferably around mid-semester, to discuss your work.
8. A Portfolio. This is handed in at the end of the semester and it should have everything in it that you have written for the class this semester with the exception of the on-line Reading Journal and on-line Critiques. This material should be arranged in an orderly fashion.

Important: All written assignments are to be double-spaced and in 12 point font. Please keep originals of all your work. Plagiarism is not acceptable (i.e. will result in a failing grade for the semester). Also, please do not recycle stories written in other creative writing classes. They do not count-i.e. they do not fulfill the assignment. I use the plus/minus option when giving the final grades.

This is a workshop class so attendance is mandatory. Please notify me before class if you absolutely must be absent. Any absences will affect your grade, but each absence after five will lower your final grade one full grade.

All students are expected to participate in the writing and the discussions of student and professional writing. All comments must be delivered in a spirit of constructive discussion. Students should be prepared to discuss all of the assigned readings, although we may not have time to get to them all.

Deadlines: Non-negotiable. Drafts of work must be completed on due dates. I do not comment on work handed in after the due date. If you miss a workshop date it will count as a Fail on that assignment, and because of the tight schedule there will be no opportunity to make-up the workshop. If the assignment requires photocopies for your small group, these copies must be with you at the beginning of class on the due date (no copies automatically knocks one point off the exercise). Your reading/writing journals should be up to date at all times. I will collect them (via HyperNews) and make note of the progress intermittently. I do not accept nor give credit for emailed homework. Some other assignments, when designated, will be handed in on HyperNews as well.

Grading: Grades are based on the response to exercises, the quality of writing in the portfolio, the improvement made during the semester, critical contributions, and the reading journal. Your Portfolio contains all the material written in and for this class plus the Final Project.

Grading Breakdown: Exercises: 30 percent. (3=A, 2=B, 1=C. Late work is worth .5 points and work that is not handed in is worth 0 points) New Short Stories: 30 percent. (Each story is worth 15 percent.) Participation in class discussions: 15 percent. Reading Journal: 10 percent. Final Project (Revised short story discussed above): 15 percent. No formal grades will be given during the semester, but I will discuss your grade with you at any time. Please stop by during office hours around mid-semester to avoid any surprises when it is too late to take action. I use the plus/minus grading system.

Portfolio: The contents in portfolio should be clearly marked with the name of the exercise. The copy of the exercise that is in your portfolio should be the one with my written response on it. If you are handing in a late response to an exercise, then mark it LATE. You will include your two new stories in the portfolio. Again, they should be the copies with my comments accompanied by my comment sheet. In other words, unless you hand in an assignment on HyperNews, it should be in the final portfolio which is due at the end of the semester. The portfolio will also contain your Final Project-the revised version of one of your 10 page (min) short stories.

February 16 Last day to Register Late, Add a class, Drop a class, or Change Basis of Grading.

This schedule is subject to change-guided exercise workshops will overlap whole class workshops.

Weeks 1-3-guided exercises-small and whole class groups

Weeks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8: Whole class workshops-1^st round of New Stories/guided exercises overlap.

Week 9-guided exercises-small groups.

Weeks 11, 12, 13, 14: Whole class workshops-2^nd round of New Stories/guided exercises

Week 15: guided exercises-small and whole class groups.

Week 16: Final Project (revised stories) due with Portfolio.

We will meet during the final

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