Week 1:
Tuesday, 8-27:
· Introduction to Publishing, Decide on and sign up for
Conversational Topics, Opening Exercises
Friday, 8-30:
· Conversational Topic: How Do You Get Published? What are the
odds and how do I deal with them?
· Read Writing in General
and the Short Story in Particular (WIG)
pages 1-4 (plus the introduction)
· Read both the Foreword and the Introduction and Mary Gaitskill’s
“The Other Place”(60-74) from Best
American Short Stories 2012 (BASS)
Week 2:
Tuesday, 9-3:
· Conversational Topic: The Life of a Published Writer
· Read WIG pages 5-16 (“Characters
and Action” through “Recognizing the Crucial”)
· Read Nathan Englander’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About
Anne Frank” (40-60) from BASS
· Do an exercise from the Generating sheet
Friday, 9-6:
· Read WIG 17-26
(“Naming the Moment” through “Enhancing the Interaction of Character and Plot”)
· Read Steven Millhauser’s “Miracle Polish” (108-121) from BASS
· Do an exercise from the Generating sheet
Week 3:
Tuesday,
9-10:
· Conversational Topic: Why is (David Foster Wallace / Toni
Morrison) So Successful? Ben and Seheri
· Read WIG pages 27-36 (“Techniques
of Foreshadowing” through “Foreshadowing and Suspense”)
· Read Alice Munro’s “Axis” (122-137) from BASS
· Do an exercise from the Generating sheet
Friday, 9-13:
· Read WIG pages 37-43
(“Techniques of Suspense” through “Tension and Anticipation”)
· Read George Saunder’s “Tenth of December” (212-235) from BASS
Week 4:
Tuesday, 9-17:
· Read WIG pages 43-49
(“Agreement in Character and Action” through “Character Shift, as Against
Movement of Character”)
· Conversational Topic: Conferences, Colonies, Workshops, and Crit
Groups (Cynthia)
· Read Kate Walbert’s “M&M World” (281-293) from BASS
· Turn in your story a day project (5 stories, each at least 1
page)
Friday, 9-20:
· Read Jess Walter’s “Anything Helps” (294-305) from BASS
· Read WIG pages 43-58
(“Slick Fiction, as Against Quality Fiction” through “The Series Regulars, as
Against the Guest Stars”)
Week 5:
Tuesday, 9-24:
· Conversational Topic: Art v. Commercial Fiction (Jennifer and
Edith)
· Read WIG pages 59-70
(“Types of Characters” through “Differentiating the Types”)
· Read Adam Wilson’s “What’s Important Is Feeling” (306-321) from BASS
Friday, 9-27:
· Read Eric Puchner’s “Beautiful Monsters” (196-211) from BASS
· Read WIG pages 70-79
(“Knowing A Character” through “The Stress Situation”)
· Read Student Stories and Respond for WORKSHOP #1
Week 6:
Tuesday, 10-1:
· Conversational Topic: MFAs and Writer Education: Can Writing Be
Taught? (Thomas and Seheri)
· Read WIG pages 80-92
(“The Importance and Unimportance of Plot” through “Selection in Plot”)
· Read “The Staying Freight” from VOLT (pages 3-39)
Friday, 10-4:
NO CLASS / TEACHER IN SERVICE DAY
Week 7:
Tuesday, 10-8:
· Conversational Topic: Ebooks (Alex and George)
· Read WIG pages 92-108
(“Scenes” through “Ending”)
· Read “Smoke” from VOLT
(pages 41-60)
· Read Student Stories and Respond for WORKSHOP #2
Friday, 10-11:
· Read WIG pages 108-120
(“Sequence and Causality” through “Choice as Technique”)
· Read “Furlough” from VOLT
(pages 85-96)
· Read Student Stories and Respond for WORKSHOP #3
Week 8:
Tuesday, 10-15:
· Conversational Topic: Self-Publishing (Kelsey and Karl)
· Read WIG pages 120-140
(“Point of View Methods” through “Point of View and ‘Involvement’”)
· Read “Fort Apache” from VOLT
(pages 97-114)
Friday, 10-18:
· Read WIG pages 140-149
(“The ‘Moved’ Character and Point of View” through “The Focusing Power of Point
of View”)
· Read “Volt” from VOLT
(pages 179-207)
· Read Student Stories and Respond for WORKSHOP #4
Week 9:
Tuesday, 10-22:
· EVENT WITH ALAN HEATHCOCK
· Bring 1 question to ask Alan Heathcock
Friday, 10-25:
· Read WIG 149-157
(“Monologues, and the Pathological First Person” through “Irony and Point of
View”)
· Read Jennifer Haigh’s “Paramour” (87-96) from BASS
· Read Student Stories and Respond for WORKSHOP #5
Week 10:
Tuesday, 10-29:
· Conversational Topic: Publishing Houses and Editors (Kelly and
Alana)
· Read WIG 158-165
(“Setting” through “Style”)
· Read Taylor Antrim’s “Pilgrim Life” (16-39) from BASS
Friday, 11-1:
· Read WIG 165-171
(“Theme”)
· Read one of the remaining stories of your choice from BASS
· Student Stories and Respond
for WORKSHOP #6
Week 11:
Tuesday, 11-5:
· Conversational Topic: Literary Agents (Shannon)
· Read WIG 171-178 (“The Short Story and the New Criticism”)
· Read “Ghosts, Cowboys,” from Battleborn
(pages 1-23)
Friday, 11-8:
· Read WIG 178-191 (“The American Short Story Today’)
· Read “The Last Thing We Need” from Battleborn (pages 25-42)
· Read Student Stories and Respond for WORKSHOP #7
Week 12:
Tuesday,
11-12:
· Conversational Topic: Trouble for Writers / Simultaneous
Submissions (Jo and Wendy)
· Read WIG pages 191-197
(“Afterword: Writing in General”)
· Read “The Past Perfect, The Past Continuous, The Simple Past”
from Battleborn (pages 63-100)
Friday, 11-15:
· NO CLASS
Week 13:
Tuesday,
11-19:
· Conversational Topic: Why is (John Green / George R. R. Martin)
so Successful? (Erica and Meredith)
· Journal reports due
· Read “Wish You Were Here” from Battleborn (pages 101-119)
· Read “Man-O-War” from Battleborn
(pages 121-152)
Friday, 11-22:
· Journal reports
· Read “The Archivist” from Battleborn
(pages 153-182)
· Read Student Stories and Respond for WORKSHOP #8
Week 14:
Tuesday, 11-26:
· Read Student Stories and Respond for WORKSHOP #9
NO CLASS 11-29 DUE TO THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Week 15:
Tuesday, 12-3:
· Conversational Topic: What Has This Class Taught You?
· Read “Graceland” from Battleborn (pages 265-283)
· Revision Exercises
Friday, 12-6:
· Bring stuff with which
to party
· Read (make-up quiz)
· Revision exercises
· Bring in Final Analysis
letter
PORTFOLIO DUE WEDNESDAY, 12-11-13
by 1:00 p.m. in my office CAC 215
