Welcome to ENG 231 Intro to Creative Writing!

Course Description

Creative writing, emphasis on composing creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry.

In other words, we will study the main genres of creative writing to prepare you for upper level creative writing courses in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. After we go over the genre characteristics and you have read several examples, you will have the opportunity to write an example of that genre. So--you will write a piece of creative nonfiction, a piece of fiction, and two or three poems.

What is a syllabus?

The syllabus is a "contract" between teacher and student.  As such, it outlines what you can expect from me, as well as what I expect from you.  Please make certain that you have completely read and understand the syllabus, and have asked me if you need clarification on any point.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, you should understand the following:

• the basic techniques and terminology of fiction writing
• the basic techniques and terminology of creative non-fiction writing
• the basic techniques and terminology of poetry writing   
• critical reading skills for critiquing fiction, essays, and poetry, both one’s own and peers
• a workshop method of critiquing creative writing
• the importance of revision within the creative writing process

These objectives will be accomplished and evaluated through the following work:

• examination of published works
• the creation of original poetry
• the drafting of a creative non-fiction essay
• the drafting of a short story
• tests on each genre
• your final chapbook, which includes
  • revision of your poetry based on workshop critique
  • a revision of the creative non-fiction essay based on workshop critique
  • a revision of the short story based on workshop critique

            Your final grade will be a combination of these factors:  attendance; class participation; in-class writing & quizzes; workshop critiques; attending an outside event or writing a book critique; a Final Portfolio.  All of these are more fully explained below.

Grading:
Though judging creative writing is at least to some degree a subjective process, we will endeavor to make the grading as objective as possible.  Your grade will be based on a total of 1,000 possible points.  The individual components are as follows:

Outside Writing event/Book Critique (100 points): You are required to attend one outside event during the semester.  You will need to turn in a one-page report on the event.  If I do not receive your report on the event/book, you will not receive credit for attending.  You may turn in your report at any time up until the last regular class period.  Examples of outside writing events include attending a reading sponsored by Loch Norse each final Friday of the month at the Bowtie Cafe, a reading by a visiting writer, or the creative writing panel at the annual meeting English Department Colloquium, which occurs in April of each year. As I learn about opportunities, I will make announcements in class.

Participation (100 points): Participation is graded separately from attendance, and that is the 100 points referenced here (though, of course, if you were absent, you can’t have participated, and so attendance will also have an effect on this grade).  The separate attendance policy is clearly outlined above.  It is possible to fail the class simply from excessive absences.

In-Class Writing and Exercises (100 points): Failure to turn in in-class exercises will lower your score.  Attendance is also a factor here, as you obviously can’t do an in-class exercise if you’re absent.  Class exercises for classes you miss will not be possible to make up.  The value of each in-class writing exercise will vary, depending on how many we do during the semester.  I would anticipate each one being worth at 10 - 15 points of the total.

Workshop Critiques (200 points):  Workshops borrow elements from the artist studio, where students work with an artist, practicing their craft, sharing their works in progress with the teacher and fellow students and receiving feedback with an eye toward revision.

For the workshop critiques, the grade will be based on the quality of the critiques you are handing in, as well as your spoken input during the workshop.  I look here for insightful and valuable criticism that goes beyond a simple reaction to the work.  Note, too, that if you’re not in class, you can’t participate in a workshop beyond posting your critique, and you will not receive full credit for that workshop.  Attendance can affect this grade as well.

Final Chapbook and Reading (500 points): This is the heart of the class. At the final regular class of the semester, you will turn in a chapbook containing poetry, a creative non-fiction essay, and a short story, all of these revised from early drafts discussed in the workshops.  The expectation here is that your 'final' revisions will be more substantial than simple proofing or correcting of spelling/grammatical mistakes. Failure to turn in your portfolio at all will obviously result in 0 points and failure of the course. Grading of the portfolio will be based primarily on the strength of the final revisions against the previous version, but I will also be looking at adherence to proper manuscript form. I want to note that I will not be comparing your work to the work of anyone else in the class. I'm looking for the improvement you personally have made from the draft you turned in to the workshop to the final product, as well as seeing you integrate skills and knowledge gleaned from the material presented to you.

Required Text: There is no required text for this class -- all class material will be via handouts and/or from material, which you will be able to access and/or copy from Blackboard.  Your expense for this class won’t be a textbook, but the copying costs for your workshops and your written critiques of the work of your classmates.

Reading, though, is an important part of our course. Our course motto will be "The more you read, the more you will write. The better the stuff you read, the better the stuff you will write" (Annie Dillard).

Our reading will differ from reading in other English courses: you will be asked to read as a writer, learning from successful writers the craft of creative writing. It is okay to make mistakes. I'd rather you took risks with your writing than played it safe.

General Contact Information:  My contact information is above.  I’m available to you as a resource for this class, and will try to respond to your e-mails (usually the best way to get hold of me) or phone calls as soon as possible, and, if needed, to make time to meet with you at your request.  Should you e-mail me, I typically will respond within one working day of receiving the message (and often sooner).  If you do not receive a reply from me, assume that for some reason I did not receive the message and send it again.  The excuse “but I sent you an e-mail about that…” will not be accepted.

I would suggest you obtain the phone number or e-mail address of a few other students in the class so that you can check with them on what was missed during any class that you're unable to attend. In addition, I also post lessons plans on the web, though they won't give you the full lecture, the handouts, nor any discussion that might have taken place (or any side-trail we might have followed from questions asked…)
I will be posting the syllabus and other necessary information on Blackboard --- bookmark it in your browser!

Class Policies & Expectations:

Attendance & Participation:  I will be taking attendance during each class session, and your attendance (or lack thereof) does significantly affect your grade.  Here’s how the Attendance/Participation part of your grade works.  You have three "free" absences during the semesters; once you’re past the three, your final grade will decline by approximately 1/3 of a letter grade (approx. 33 points out of the thousand total for the class) for each additional absence.   This means that after 15 absences you will have automatically failed the class. (Actually, after about 9 absences, it’s going to be very, very difficult to pass anyway, since you’ll have missed workshops, class assignments, etc.)

In addition, I expect your full participation in the class when you are there, or that will also affect your grade.  What is participation?  I expect that each student will engage in our workshop discussions, as well as any additional lecture material.  The more you have input into the class, the more we’ll all learn.  I much prefer not to call on people and force them to respond -- that is not class participation.  Of course, if you’re absent, you can’t participate at all.  I don’t expect everyone to be “on” each and every class day -- we all have our off days -- but I do expect regular participation from each student.

If you participate in class, you’ll receive full credit for your attendance; if you don’t, you won’t. Also, if there was a quiz, test, or in-class writing assignment on a day you’re absent, then you’ll receive no credit for that work.  In-class assignments and quizzes are not able to be made up.

For the attendance policy, I make no distinction between excused and unexcused absences.  If you are aware that there are issues that will prevent you from regularly attending this class, then I strongly suggest that you reconsider taking this class, since poor attendance will severely affect your grade.
Lateness and leaving class early will be considered partial absences.  Please arrive on time and stay for the entire period. If you must leave early, please let me know before class begins.

Surfing the internet on your laptop or doing work unrelated to this course during class will also be considered an absence.

More on Participation: I actively encourage students to ask questions during the lecture portion of class and to start discussion of any point that is raised. The more you ask questions, the better you’ll shape the class, and the more you’ll learn.  Please don't simply sit there and take notes -- be an active part of your education!
And again, we will be workshopping our work during class, and thus it's essential that your input be given on others students' work. It's important to your own work that you get diverse viewpoints and opinions, and your learning depends on your engagement. Expect to speak every time we gather, but also remember that participation also involves active listening and encouraging others to add their voices to the conversation.

Try to use the "pat/slap" method of critiquing -- your commentary on the work should give both positive as well as negative feedback, and present any negative comments in as positive a manner as possible. I also expect criticism to be concrete and specific: anyone responding "Well, I liked it" or "I didn't like this paragraph" will immediately be asked the question: "Why?"

When you're critiqued, in turn, please remember to take any negative feedback as being intended to help you -- remember that your fellow students are critiquing your work, not you personally.

Late assignments: Late assignments, or failure to bring required material to class will make it difficult for all students. Therefore, stories or assignments turned in late will be graded one letter grade (or more) lower.

Conferences: I would like the chance to meet with each of you individually and discuss your work, and encourage you to take advantage of that. However, conferences should be scheduled in advance, though if I’m in my office and have the time, I’m happy to discuss things with you on an impromptu basis.

Conduct in class:  Respect is the key.  When you’re talking, you should expect that the other students will listen to what you say without talking among themselves, or making non-constructive remarks -- you should do the same when others are talking.

Your attitude is an important component of participation. Your attitude should not be confrontational, nor should you put down other students' work or opinions, whether through too-aggressive argument or through use of humor at other students' expense. Like any critical conversation where participants bring different experiences to their understanding of the issues, ours will undoubtedly generate strong emotions, reactions, questions, affirmations, and disagreements. Healthy dialogue requires careful listening, respect for other people's perspectives, and a willingness to examine our own assumptions. We must feel free to disagree--but disagreement needn't imply dismissal of other perspectives. I encourage you to keep an open and inquisitive mind, and realize that intellectual discomfort is not always a negative thing. Our goal is not agreement, but understanding. Understanding is a process that may first require some unlearning of old habits and ways of seeing the world.

Cell phones and pagers: should be turned off or on vibrate mode:  unless a call is an emergency, I expect you to answer it after class or during break.  Do not text during class. You will be considered absent for the class if I see you checking your messages or texting on your phone during a lecture or during the workshops.

Laptops:  I don’t mind laptops being used to take notes or to reference a workshop critique that you wrote.  However, if you’re using the laptop to access Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites, or if you’re checking your e-mail or surfing the web randomly, I will consider you absent for that class. 

During workshops, I expect laptops to be closed -- you should have your written critique to look at, and there should be no reason to be on your computer.

General Comment: Please do not bring in work that you have published or written in the past. Our focus is on new work and making it the best it can be.

The Class:

Structure: The structure of each class will no doubt vary, but most classes will consist of:

• a lecture on the subject at hand;
• discussion of the subject;
• possibly a writing exercise related to the subject
• a workshop of your personal essays or short fiction

Class requirements: We will very quickly be scheduling pieces for the workshops. For the workshops, you will be submitting the current draft of a short story or essay, with a copy required for each of the students in the class. "Correct" manuscript style dictates double-spaced, single-sided pages, but for the purposes of the workshop (and to hold down copying costs for everyone) please single-space your workshop copies, and use both sides if you prefer. The essays will be one to four pages; the short fiction will be a minimum of five and a maximum of fifteen pages of single-spaced work.

You will need to bring in enough copies of your work on the assigned day so that everyone has their own copy. You will hand these out to the class; your work will then be discussed at the workshop the following week after everyone has had the opportunity to read and critique it.

Your critique of a student's work should consist of marginalia on the actual manuscript and one (printed, not handwritten) double-spaced page of summary notes and critique (approx. 200 - 300 words). This summary critique should be two-three paragraphs with your general, overall comments on what made the piece work (and why), where it didn't work as well for you (and why), along with any suggestions you might have on revising the work.

Because of the structure of the workshop, where everyone will not necessarily be required to speak, you will need to give me, on the night of the workshop, a hard copy of your critique for each manuscript that night, so that I can see your thought processes and read your critique.  If I don’t receive a copy of your critique, I will asume you didn’t read or critique the work, and will give you no credit for that workshop.

If you must miss a class, to receive credit for that week’s workshop participation you must do two things: you must give a copy of your critique and the marked-up manuscript to the student when you’re next in class, and you must also give me a hard copy of your one-page critique -- you will then receive half-credit for that workshop. 
If you don’t give me a copy of your critique of the work, I will assume you didn’t read the work or do the critique.

Your one-page summary critique to the student must be typed or printed!  Handwritten critiques tell me that you didn’t do the critique until the very last minute and probably gave it very little thought (and besides, then you have to write it twice -- once for the student and once for me.  Allow time for you to organize and type up your thoughts!

My expectation is that every student will have at least two workshop sessions during the course of the semester. Some may get more. We'll hand out the initial sign-up sheet the second day of class; you'll receive a copy of the schedule the third week, and it will also be posted on the class Web site. You are responsible for making certain that you have your manuscripts to be passed out on the correct evening, and that you're present in class the night of your critique -- we will not workshop your work if you're absent!

You will also have short exercise pieces which will be assigned. These may be individual or group projects, and most (if not all) will be done in-class. You will include these in your final portfolio (see below).

Your Grade:  
A = 4.000 (corresponds to a class grade of 930 - 1000 points)
A- = 3.667 (class grade of 900 - 929 points)
B+ = 3.333 (class grade of 870 - 899 points)
B = 3.000 (class grade of 830 - 869 points)
B- = 2.667 (class grade of 800 -829 points)
C+ = 2.333 (class grade of 770 - 799 points)
C = 2.000 (class grade of 730 - 769 points)
C- = 1.667 (class grade of 700 -729 points)
D+ = 1.333 (class grade of 67- -699 points)
D = 1.000 (class grade of 600 - 669 points)
F = 0 (class grade below 600 points) 

Be here, participate, have a great attitude, do the required work to the best of your ability, and you won't need to worry.
            Incompletes:  A grade of “I” (Incomplete) will be given only in serious and well-documented circumstances, such as medical emergencies, and only if the student has completed the majority of the course work.  The student must be able to give me a reasonable expectation that the work will be completed within the following semester.

Formatting your work: For your final revised fiction and creative non-fiction in the portfolio, you will use the proper format for submission of a manuscript to publishers. Don't worry, we'll go over that in great detail...  Since the spacing and line usage of poetry is important, you may submit your poems in any format. However, please use a 12 point plain typeface (such as Times) for your poetry -- good poetry is not dependent on fancy fonts for effect.

However, to save copying costs for everyone, fiction submitted for the workshops may be single-spaced and double-sided. In-class exercises will be submitted handwritten... however, to save my poor, tired and aging eyes, please write legibly!

TABOOS AND ADMONITIONS:
Given that my own stories have contained pretty much everything, I'm open to nearly anything in the way of content or subject matter or genre. But… given that the focus for this class is on writing good, publishable fiction, here are some exceptions and guidelines:

• Avoid blatant erotica. You can sell erotica -- there's a thriving market for it, in fact. But I don't want to see it in this class. Sexual content must be integral to the story and not be intended to titillate or shock the audience. If your story needs copious amounts of sex to make someone read your story, you haven't done your job as a writer.  Who gets to decide if you’re overstepping the bounds here?  I do…
• Avoid gratuitous violence. A certain amount of physical confrontation is fine in a story, but again it must be integral to the plot and not glorified for its own sake or the sake of shocking the audience. If your story needs copious amounts of violence to make someone read your story, you haven't done your job as a writer.  Who gets to decide if the violence is gratuitous?  I do…
• Avoid gratuitous profanity. I have no personal taboo against 'bad language' in your work -- we're all 'adults' here, and I've certainly used coarse and frank language in my own writing when appropriate. If characterization and plot require such, fine, but as with sexual content and violence, if you're using profanity because it's the only way you can shock the audience, you're not doing your job as a writer.   Who gets to decide if there’s too much foul language?  Yes, you’re right…  I do.
• No game/media fan fiction (Buffy, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, etc) or fan fiction of any popular book/TV/movie series. Why? 1) there's a very limited market for this type of fiction, and in fact it can be construed as violating the copyright of another person; 2) it assumes a knowledge from its readers that the general audience doesn't possess; 3) part of learning to become a writer is the process of creating unique characters, worlds, and settings -- this aspect is lost (or at the very least, much diminished) in writing fan fiction.
• As they say in every book, all characters are fictional -- please do not use the names of your classmates, friends, family, etc. unless you have 1) a very good reasons and 2) have obtained their permission to do so.

Plots I prefer not to see at all because they are clichés:

• Anything with vampires or zombies -- they have both been used to utter death, if you’ll pardon the pun. 
• “…And it was all just a dream…” -- and thus the entire story was entirely pointless.
• the re-telling of a Shakespearean plot in the present time, the future, the past, or an alternate universe
• re-telling of the movie you just saw with the names and sundry details changed
• the historical character transplanted into another time (as in, the serial killer turns out to be Jack the Ripper or Adolf Hitler)
• the person lost in a virtual reality (can you say The Matrix?)
• the hard-boiled, wisecracking detective with a drinking/drug problem
• 'surprise' endings and 'joke' endings -- these rarely-to-never work.
• the “abused child as excuse” story -- abuse in childhood as the excuse for the character turning out to be a serial killer, rapist, etc. This is overdone.
• The “abused child/wife who gains his/her revenge” story.  Again, it’s been done thousands of times.
• The “I’m a young person who uses a lot of drugs” story -- done so often that it’s no longer either poignant or amusing.
• The “I have cancer but my faith saved me” story or its many variations -- sorry, but miracles make for bad fiction.

If you think you have something like this that nobody has ever seen before, ask me first.

Plots you can use but must be very careful with (especially since many of them require a much longer form than the short story to work well):

• The ‘plot-less’ literary story (there’s a difference between an exploration of character and just moving your characters around randomly…)
• time travel (the paradoxes will eat you up… and the basic plots have already been used to death)
• alternate histories (you'd better have done your research, it had better be something people actually know, and you'd must be able to make it interesting.   Please leave Hitler and Caesar alone.)
• The “Civil War” story, or any other popular time period (again, you'd better have done your research, and you must find a period that people will be interested in)
• Police Procedural mysteries (these can be interesting when well done, but you'd better know the real procedures… and have some interesting characters to boot.)
• The “It’s all a  Big Conspiracy” story (not everyone is as paranoid as you think, and again you'll need a fresh, interesting conspiracy)
• Terrorists from the Middle East -- there absolutely are terrorists from the Middle East, as we know all too well... but everyone's writing about them, so unless you can do it better...
• Spy stories (unfortunately for writers, Russia has imploded and left us without a handy adversary... and James Bond is old and tired)
• The ‘Haunted House’ or ghost story (a familiar subject for horror writers, but…  It's difficult to come up with new and interesting angles here. Shirley Jackson did it best long ago in the "Haunting of Hill House." And there are only so many Indian burial grounds...)
• Dragons, elves, wizards, dinosaurs, mutants, cute and cuddly aliens or familiars:  these have been (over-)used so many times that you're advised to avoid them unless you have some absolutely new twist and you really know the genre inside and out.

Student Honor Code. The work you will do for this course is subject to the Student Honor Code. The Honor Code is a commitment to the highest degree of ethical integrity in academic conduct, a commitment that, individually and collectively, the students at Northern Kentucky University will not lie, cheat, or plagiarize to gain an academic advantage over fellow students or to avoid academic requirements. It should go without saying that plagiarism will absolutely not be tolerated. Plagiarism will result in an “F” for the work in question, or even an “F” for the course depending on the severity of the offense.

Special Needs & Disabilities. If you are experiencing any roadblocks to your success in college—financial, academic, or personal concerns—NKU has dedicated people in the Early Alert Center to help you find solutions: http://earlyalert.nku.edu. If you require accommodations for a disability, then at the beginning of the semester, before you do any work for the course, you must contact Disability Services. They will provide documentation authorizing accommodations. You must give that documentation to your professor as soon as possible, before you do any assignments that require accommodations.

Course Evaluations. Northern Kentucky University takes course evaluations seriously. The information they provide helps us improve our teaching and the courses we design. Please participate in the course evaluation process. During the two weeks before the end of the semester, you will be asked to complete the online evaluations. Be assured that student evaluations of courses and instructors are kept strictly confidential. They are not available to the instructor until after final grades are submitted, and precautions are taken to prevent your comments from being identified as coming from you. If you complete an evaluation for a particular course (or opt out of doing so in the evaluation) you will have access to your final course grade as soon as it is submitted by the professor. Otherwise, the MyNKU system will not post your final course grade for two weeks after the university's official date for grade availability. To complete online evaluations go to http://eval.nku.edu, click on "student login," and use your usual username and password.

Important Final Note:  By deciding to stay in this class, you are agreeing to all parts of this syllabus.  In fairness to everyone, the syllabus must apply equally to all students without exception.  However, this syllabus may change in response to class needs during the course of the semester; should that occur, you will be notified of the change in writing, and the change, if at all possible, will be in your favor.