Writing Narrative

Catalog description

This course is for graduate students who wish to strengthen their creative writing skills or acquire more experience in narrative prose: stories and novels, of course, but also memoirs, essays, biographies, travel narratives, first-person journalism and any form where story is a structural element. It's a foundational course, covering basic concepts such as structure, point of view, dialogue, character development, modes of realism, figurative language, and narrative drive, but it will also serve as a refresher for students returning to the writing process. One primary goal is to provide a firm head start on creative projects, though for some, this will also be a chance to assess commitment before getting in too deep. Assignments will include short weekly writing exercises, responses to Brightspace discussion boards, and at least one longer piece to be discussed workshop-style and significantly revised as a final. Readings in various genres will alternate with essays on craft; assignments will include works by Alice Munro, Stephen Millhauser, Edward P. Jones , Louise Erdrich, Haruki Murakami, Annie Dillard, John Gardner, Francine Prose, David Foster Wallace, Italo Calvino, Joan Didion, Janet Malcolm and Zadie Smith, among others.