ENG 3309 — Creative Writing



ENG 3309 — Creative Writing

MW 5.30-6.45 (CRN 10349) A622

Office Hours: M 3.00-4.00 or by appointment

Instructor: Kathryn Laity

Office: 1062S

Phone: 713.222.5372

Email: laityk@uhd.edu

Required Text: Writing Fiction, Janet Burroway (6th ed)

Required Materials: Notebook/Journal, Portfolio Folder

This course will allow you to explore your creative writing skills in fiction, poetry, dialogue, and more. By the end of the semester you will have developed a good number of skillful pages of work with a view toward submission to The Bayou Review or a similar venue. At the heart of good writing is, of course, good reading, so we will spend a great deal of time discussing at length the readings assigned, the better to understand technique and aesthetic qualities.

OBJECTIVES:

To make a commitment to developing and improving writing skills

To show a sophisticated grasp of grammatical usage and conventions

To explore a variety of writing genres and to develop proficiency in those forms

To learn to give and to receive thoughtful and cogent feedback

To read and to analyze works of fiction in order to articulate their stylistic accomplishments

To actively participate in presenting original works of fiction in both oral and written forms

To create a body of polished work by the semester’s end

ASSIGNMENTS:

Attendance and active participation in feedback forums — 100 points

Because much of our work will be in-class workshop sessions, it is imperative that you attend every day. Peer responses are the heart of this process, so a missed class means both you and your colleagues suffer. After the first absence, you will lose 10 points per absence.

Critical analysis — 100 points

Unlike most of the work you’ll be doing this semester, this assignment is more formal. You will analyze your chosen genre to understand what constitutes excellence in the genre. You will need at least three writers as examples of accomplished work.

Portfolio of work — 500 points

Your portfolio will collect all the creative assignments completed throughout the semester and your writing journal. The assignments will not be graded individually, but collectively, although I will make comments on each one. There should be a definite trend toward improvement over the course of the semester. You will receive written notice of your current grade at midterm. If you wish to know your approximate standing at any other point during the semester, you may meet with me to discuss it. Your journal will begin with the choice of a final project and reflect its progress as well as your progress as a writer.

Final project — 300 points

This will be a body of work conceived early and polished throughout the semester. The minimum acceptable consists of: 1 short story (minimum 10-12 pp), or a group of 4 or more poems, or 1 creative non-fiction essay (minimum 10-12 pp), or 1 ten-fifteen minute scene from a play or screenplay.

GRADING:

• A Your work for most assignments was outstanding, showing talent and polish, and you offered much to the class discussions.

• B Your work was average or considerably better, showing an honest attempt at all

assignments and readings, and you contributed regularly to class discussions.

• C Your work was casual, you skipped or failed to make up assignments, and you rarely participated in class discussions.

• D Your work was weak, assignments were repeatedly skipped or handed in late, and you missed or didn't participate in class discussions.

• F You stopped coming to class or completing assignments.

GENERAL POLICIES:

• Always bring the day’s reading to class with you. You may wish to refer to the text during our discussions or while you work on an in-class writing assignment.

• Papers are due at the beginning of class; late papers are penalized.

• Electronic devices (cell phones, beepers, etc.) should be turned off or disabled during our class; it is rude to disrupt the class with beeps or ringing.

• Similarly, tardiness also disrupts the other students, and is unacceptable.

• Students with disabilities must register with Disabled Student Services (221-5227) and contact instructors in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate accommodations. UHD adheres to all federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.

• Plagiarism is the theft or appropriation of another person’s ideas or writing. You will be guilty of plagiarism if you do not properly cite the words of others in your work, if you buy or borrow an essay, or if you download information and paste it into your work. Plagiarism is a serious charge; it is anathema to creative writing, thus if you plagiarize, you will fail this course. Any incident of plagiarism will be entered into your permanent academic record; repeat incidents may result in expulsion from the University. Consult your student handbook for UHD’s Academic Honesty Policy, or go to:

WEBCT ():

Our daily assignments will be listed on the calendar of our WebCT home page. Check WebCT frequently for information including reading assignments.

ASSIGNMENT: Read chapter 1 in Burroway and bring an inspiring piece to the next class

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