WRITING FICTION I-II-III
TTH
12:30-2:40 C140
Jeffery White Office
Hour: 8:30 - 9:20 M-F
R230
(425) 564-3084 (Also available by
appointment)
jwhite@bellevuecollege.edu
Required
Materials: Writing Fiction, Janet Burroway
3-ring,
loose-leaf binder (1-2")
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Content:
This course will be an introduction to the fundamentals of writing
fiction. Each week, through discussion, writing exercises and the writing and
critiquing of our own work, we will explore a different element of effective
fiction writing (characterization, plot, dialogue, imagery, etc.). Your final grade will be based on five
elements: preparation for and participation in class activities, formal
critiques of your peers' writing, formal writing exercises, a final fiction
project of 2500 words (approx. ten pages) and your attendance. The course will
be conducted in an informal, workshop atmosphere with the success or failure of
each meeting depending on the degree to which all thoughtfully engage the work
at hand. There are no tests, or quizzes.
This course assumes you have enrolled because of an interest in developing your
fiction writing skills. What you gain from this class depends entirely on your
level of engagement.
Objectives:
Expressive writing serves different people in different ways. Much
writing comes from the author’s need to make sense of experience and try, in
the process, to reveal to others the significance of some aspect of existence. This course is designed to introduce you to,
or remind you of, some fundamental tools, techniques and strategies to shape
raw experience into something meaningful. We’ll be working from the premise
that the strongest fiction is a balance of art and craft—inspired vision and
mastery of the medium. We’ll be focusing primarily on the craft aspect of this
equation. To do so, we will need to concentrate on the particulars of everyday
life, while avoiding the supernatural, fantastic and the gratuitously violent
and sexual. All effective fiction, no matter the genre, is built on solid
execution of a handful of basic skills. Poor fiction attempts to hide its
deficiencies with various distractions and pyrotechnics. This class asks you to
develop that handful of basic skills which you can later apply to make the
fiction of your choosing. While you may find some of our work stimulating and
immediately applicable to your final project, you may also wonder at the
necessity and relevance of other aspects of our work. At such moments, try to
keep in mind that each sentence you write prepares you for the next. Each
exercise strengthens your understanding and execution, regardless of the
subject and your engagement with it, regardless of your skill level and talent,
regardless of whether you’re having fun at the moment or not.
It’s all practice.
Most of what you produce will be
nothing more than compost for future writing. And some of what you produce may
hold up to scrutiny to stand on its own. Both types of writing deserve your
respect and attention; they both teach you about what works and what
doesn’t.
The course calls for you to practice
with these tools and techniques in writing exercises and critiques and apply
them to an on-going fiction project that you identify and commit to at the
beginning of the quarter.
Grading Final Project Portfolio - 30%
Formal Peer Critiques - 20%
Formal Writing Exercises - 20%
Attendance -15%
Participation/preparedness
-15%
As the above outlines, your final grade
will be based not only on the quality of your final writing but, to a larger
extent, upon the degree to which you meet related obligations to your writing
and the other members of this class. Those of you who do all or most all your
work, who participate and are reasonably committed to your work will receive a
"C" for a final grade. A "C" grade represents average work.
Those of you who do something less will receive an appropriate lower grade.
Those of you who do exceptional (pick a superlative: outstanding, remarkable,
superior) work and/or who show notable commitment and progress will receive an
"A." "B" work is
something, as you might guess, between an "A" and a "C," that is, above average but not remarkable.
Remember: You are responsible to the other members of
this class and your writing equally. Offer them nothing but your most sincere
efforts and you may justly expect, from the others in class at least, the same
in return.
Preparedness/Participation: This is a writing and discussion
class. With few exceptions, this period
will consist of you voicing your thoughts on the material at hand. Therefore, the quality of this class depends
upon how prepared you are and the degree to which you participate. Each person in this class -- and 30% of your
overall grade -- depends on it. All students will also need to present at least
twelve formal critiques that meet
certain standards (I will drop the two weakest from your record). Any student
who fails to turn in these twelve formal critiques or who misses FIVE classes fails to meet the minimum
requirements for credit in this class and, consequently, will receive NO CREDIT for this course.
Absences: Should you miss more than half of a class period (60
minutes), you’ll receive an absence for that class meeting.
1. Miss
the first week of class: no credit for
the course.
2. Attendance is part of your preparedness
and participation grade. Three or fewer absences should not negatively affect
your overall grade in the course. Should you acquire 5 absences (10 sixty-minute periods), you have missed 25% of our
class meetings and failed to meet minimum attendance requirements. You will receive no credit for the
course.
3 If circumstances prevent you from
meeting these guidelines, discuss them with me before they impact your work so
that we might explore acceptable options.
Tardiness: Please be warned that I consider lateness both disrespectful
and disruptive, particularly to those who may be speaking to a point or reading
from their work. Arriving late too often
halts group or class activities while someone catches you up. You're tardy if you're more than five (5)
minutes late for class. I consider three late arrivals acceptable. Beyond that,
you will receive an absence for each pair of lateness’s that follows.
Gadgets:
Cell phones, pagers and watch alarms will be turned off during this
class and kept out of sight. Any
interruption due to these devices is an unreasonable imposition on the members
of this class and will foul the instructor's usually sunny mood. Those with reason to be exempt from this
policy should speak to me in person outside of class before we are faced with
an unexpected interruption.
If
you have medical information to share with me in the event of an emergency, please
contact me via email or come to see me during office hours. Emergency
preparedness is important!
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array
of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a
disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen
someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to
be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible. If you
are a student with a documented autism spectrum disorder, there is a program of
support available to you.
If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an
emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your
individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the
quarter.
The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception
desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025
or by TTY at 425-564-4110. Please visit our website for application
information into our program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc
A
FINAL NOTE: I consider myself and those in my class
members in a learning community. As in any community, the health and prosperity
of that community depends on each member contributing all they can to make this
an enjoyable and constructive experience for everyone. Our job is not to judge
or criticize the other members of the class.
We are here to offer insights and to encourage inspired writing and
dialogue. True growth comes from risk
and discovery and from making mistakes. In fact, in this environment, I value
risks and mistakes over cautious success. None of this is possible, however, if
we don't trust our imaginations and each other.
Please understand that I am here to
serve as your guide and then to evaluate your work. My primary interest is in helping you do as
well as you are able to in this class. If you're having difficulty, speak to me
about it. If you show me that you're concerned with doing good work, I'll do
what I can to help you around the obstacles.
Communication is the key here. Keep me informed of your circumstances, and
you should do fine. However, if you
don't discuss these matters with me until after things have fallen apart, I may
be able to offer little beyond sympathy. It will also benefit you the read the Arts and
Humanities “Student Procedures and Expectations” page located here: http://bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/policy.html