English 3010—Advanced Undergraduate Fiction Workshop:

 

Theory & Fiction

Brian Kiteley—Fall 2008

Email: bkiteley@du.edu                                                                           
Classroom:  312
Office: Sturm Hall 487C                                                                           
Class hours:  Th 4-7:50
Phone:  303-871-2898                                                                               
Office hours:  W 2:30-5 or by appointment

PREREQUISITES:  English 1000 (the introductory creative writing workshop) or CREX 1110 (The Writer's Voice) AND at least one English 2000 workshop (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry)—NO EXCEPTIONS. This course is open only to undergraduates and MA students.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This is an advanced fiction workshop. In this class, we will somehow turn theory into fiction or fiction into theory. Be prepared to work hard, read and write a lot, and meet for four straight hours once a week. I would like you to mix in a half dozen exercises from The 3 A.M. Epiphany (and from The 4 A.M. Breakthrough, of which I’ll email you excerpts) with short pieces of your own fiction. If you wish to present a larger piece of fiction to us over the term (you’ll each be presenting fiction in four different classes, plus writing two exercises at the start of the term), feel free to do this. For the exercises, I ask only that you try out narrative problems on whatever else you’re working on. I also want you to write two critiques of your classmates’ work, to be brought to class before the discussion of that work. Bring two copies of the critiques—one for your classmate and one for me.

How will you turn theory into fiction? Starting October 3, each writer who is not handing in fiction to be workshopped the following week will do a one-page response (in fiction or essay) to the reading from the McKeon book. We’ll talk about this a good deal beforehand. These three or four writers will read from or talk about these experiments as we discuss the essay or essays.

TEXTS: Michael McKeon, Theory of the Novel: a Historical Approach; Brian Kiteley, The 3 A.M. Epiphany.

 

A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF THE NOVEL

COURSE DUE DATES

ATTENDANCE:  Participation in this class is crucial to your success. I expect you to attend regularly and fully participate in class activities (especially in reviewing the work of your classmates). If you miss two classes, you will fail the class. We meet once a week, so I expect you to be in the room, awake, alert, creative, and curious. This class depends on everyone being present, thoughtful, and talkative. If you must miss class, it is your responsibility to track down the material that was handed out, and, if you were due to hand out a story, it is also your responsibility to make sure everyone in the class receives copies of your fiction. Hand in hard copies of your exercises and stories the class before we are to discuss the work. If you do not bring your copies to class that day your fiction may not be discussed in class the next class. I expect paper copies of every story and exercise. Do not email attachments of your fiction to us.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Bring The 3 A.M. Epiphany to every class.

Grades.  You will be graded equally on:

Your class participation;
The effort you appear to have put into your exercises and fiction;
And the critiques of your classmates.

I do not grade on talent. If you participate in discussion, make a good-faith effort to do creative work and inventively listen to advice, read and write about your classmates' work with earnest attention, and appear at nearly all of the class sessions, you'll get a very good grade in the class.

Return to Brian Kiteley's home page