Required Texts and Supplies:
Carol Burke and Molly Best Tinsley The Creative Process
One issue of The Literary Review and one copy of another literary magazine of your choice
A flat notebook or composition book for use as Writing Journal

Description:
EN 312 introduces students to the process of writing poetry and fiction. The emphasis will be on the craft of writing: we will discuss the role of both creative vision and the necessary work of revision in the writing process. In the first weeks of the course we will discuss issues related to the creative process. Students will work on a number of exercises designed to stimulate ideas for writing. As the course progresses, we will discuss the craft of writing in more detail, working our way to a discussion of the short story and lyric genres. At the same time we will begin discussion of student writing on days marked “Writing Workshop” on the schedule. In the first few sessions we will practice, using poems and stories from The Literary Review.

Goals:

• to gain a better appreciation and use of language and style
• to understand and use literary terms associated with poetry and fiction
• to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of contemporary literature
• to respond to and critique the writing of others in an informed manner
• to develop a critical eye and improve your writing through revision
• to develop and polish a portfolio of your own short stories and poems
• to learn about the process of writing and publishing literature

Requirements:
Writing Journal: You will be asked to keep a writing journal in which you record ideas for writing. I will assign a number of specific exercises, which must be included. You should also use the “Notebook Options” at the end of each chapter in The Creative Process to develop ideas for your journal. Also feel free to write down any ideas that come to you for stories or poems. You should write at least four times a week for at least a page at a time.

Magazine Review: As part of learning about the publication process, each student will research a literary magazine of her or his choice, obtain a sample copy, and review it, describing the kind of writing the editors favor, the stature of the authors, and the magazine's market. You might focus your review on whether the magazine is a good outlet for your work or discuss what other purpose you might have for subscribing to it. You should also tell how you found out about the magazine and what drew you to it. The review should be 3-5 typed pages. (Due November 19)

Midterm Portfolio: In order to encourage you to move from the experimental stages of your work in your journal and early drafts to more polished drafts, and in order to give an accurate assessment of your work for midterms, I require you to turn in a portfolio of work in progress. This portfolio should be 8-10 typed pages, and should include at least 3 poems and one story. The drafts you turn in should be polished in terms of being neatly typed and proofread for errors; however, they do not need to be finished or even complete. Your work should demonstrate significant progress and should represent your best work in the course so far that has been revised and reshaped after discussion in class or conference. (Due October 15)

Final Portfolio: The main assignment for the course will be the completion of a 10-20 page portfolio to include a minimum of 3 poems and 1 short story. Students who concentrate on poetry should include 6-10 poems. Long poems (over 1 page) may be considered as more than one poem when counting. Short poems should be combined so that a total of 14 lines equals a poem. Students who choose to concentrate on fiction should include at least two stories or ten or more pages of a long story. A chapter of a novel may be substituted for a short story if it is relatively self-contained. The final portfolio should include your best work for the course. It should contain revised work from the midterm portfolio, though not all work from the midterm portfolio need be included and new work may be added if it has been seen in class or conference. Your grade on the final portfolio will be based on both the inherent quality of the work and the quality of the revisions. A great poem or story that has never been revised could be worth less than a good one that has shown significant growth over successive drafts. (Due December 10)

Midterm Tests: During the course of the semester there will also be three tests. These will cover concepts discussed in your textbook, in handouts, and in lecture. You may be asked to define specific terms we have covered or to explain in your own words concepts we have discussed, relating them to the act of creative writing. Students can earn extra credit towards these tests by participating in the online forum for the class. Substantive comments that do not repeat what we have said in class will be awarded up to 3 points extra credit on the next test. A student can't earn more than 110 on each test, but I will allow you to carry over up to 10 points for the next test.

Final Exam: The final will cover terms and concepts discussed in your textbook, handouts, and lecture. Some material from the midterm tests may reappear. The final may also include a creative section in which you complete an in-class writing exercise. The number and importance of essay questions will be determined by how well the class has done on the midterm tests.

Attendance:
Since discussion of each other's writing is essential to the success of the course, attendance is mandatory and will be recorded at the beginning of each class. If you arrive late, please inform me after class that you were present, or you will be counted absent. I record late arrival or early departure as such, and it is considered in your final grade for the course. Students are required to attend a minimum of 75% of scheduled classes to receive a passing grade. Excessive absences (more than 4) will be considered due cause for lowering your final grade. Work for Writing Workshops must be turned in two classes before the workshop so it can be handed out one class before. If you must miss class, be sure to get a copy of the text for the next workshop.

Conferences:
In addition to regularly scheduled classes, each student will meet with me for a 20 minute conference every third week. Students will be divided into three groups, which will meet during the weeks marked A, B, and C on the Course Schedule. In conference, we will discuss your work in progress. Turn in the work you wish to discuss at least two days prior to our conference. If you can not make it to a scheduled conference, please inform me in advance. If you miss conferences or don’t turn in adequate work, it will affect your Journal grade. If you have no new work to discuss, come anyway and we will discuss things you can do to keep writing. However, you should remember that it will affect your grade if you often do not turn in work for conference.

Method of Evaluation:
Your writing journal will receive a check plus or minus each time it is turned in to tell you whether you are on track, ahead, or behind the expected amount of work. At the end of the semester, I will assign a letter grade for journal work, as well as conference and class participation. Tests will be graded on a 100-point scale; the raw score will be used when calculating your final grade. Late assignments will be penalized, unless I have approved an extension prior to the assignment due date. The final due date for all late assignments is the last scheduled class day of the semester. I will assign letter grades to your portfolios, final exam, and magazine review. They will have the following values:

A+ = 98	B+ = 88	C+ = 78	D+ = 68	F = 0-59
A   = 95	B   = 85	C   = 75	D   = 65
A-  = 92	B-  = 82	C-  = 72	D-  = 62

Your final grade will be based on the same system and will be a composite of all your assignments, ranked by the following percentages:

Magazine Review	10%
Midterm Tests	10%
Final Exam	10%
Writing Journal	10%
Conference and Class Participation	10%
Midterm Portfolio	20%
Final Portfolio	30%

Students with disabilities: A reasonable attempt will be made to accommodate students with documented disabilities. Students must first obtain an accommodations plan through Academic Support Services and make a request for accommodations prior to the assignment due date. When an accommodations plan is presented, it will be tailored to the demands of this class to create a plan that is fair to all. Information regarding a student’s disability is confidential.

A final reminder: plagiarism will result in an F (0) on the assignment, and in severe cases is grounds for failure in the course. Plagiarism includes using paraphrased or quoted information from a source without proper documentation. In creative writing special rules apply: for instance, the use of material (usually modified) for parody is allowed and there are different conventions for attributing a source. If you are unsure whether you have used material appropriately, see me before the assignment is due. Once you have turned in your assignment, it is too late to plead ignorance. Refer to the MUW Bulletin for policies on plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

Fall 2004 Course Schedule
Week 1	August 23-27
Mon	Introduction
Wed	Chapter 1 "Envisioning the Process"
Fri	Chapter 2 "Working With Words"
Week 2	August 30 - September 3		All Groups
Mon	Journal Exercises
Wed	Chapter 3 "Coming to Our Senses"
Fri	Journal Exercises
Week 3	September 6-10		Group A
Mon	Labor Day
Wed	Chapter 4 "Remembering"	Writing Journal
Fri	Journal Exercises
Week 4	September13-17		Group B
Mon	Chapter 5 "Dreaming Awake"
Wed	Journal Exercises
Fri	Chapter 6 "Focusing Tension"
Week 5	September 20-24		Group C
Mon	Journal Exercises
Wed	Chapter 7 "Showing Verses Telling"
Fri	Writing Workshop (Literary Review poems)
Week 6	September 27 -October 1		Group A
Mon	Writing Workshop (Literary Review poems)	Writing Journal
Wed	Chapter 8 "Making Connections"
Fri	Journal Exercises
Week 7	October 4-8		Group B
Mon	Midterm	Test #1
Wed	Chapter 9 "Choosing a Point of View"
Fri	Writing Workshop (Literary Review stories)
Week 8	October 11-15		Group C
Mon	Writing Workshop (Literary Review stories)
Wed	Chapter 10 "Shaping"
Fri	Welty Symposium	Midterm Portfolio
Week 9	October 18-22		Group A
Mon	Chapter 11 "The Poem"
Wed	Writing Workshop
Fri	Writing Workshop
Week 10	October 25-28		Group B
Mon	Handout on Poetry	Writing Journal
Wed	Writing Workshop
Fri	Midterm	Test #2
Week 11	November 1-5		Group C
Mon	Chapter 12 "The Story"
Wed	Writing Workshop
Fri	Writing Workshop
Week 12	November 8-12		Group A
Mon	Handout on Fiction
Wed	Writing Workshop
Fri	Midterm	Test #3
Week 13	November 15-19		Group B
Mon	Writing Workshop
Wed	Writing Workshop
Fri	Presentation of Magazine Reviews	Magazine Review
Thanksgiving Holiday November 22-27
Week 14	November 29 - December 3		Group C
Mon	Writing Workshop
Wed	Writing Workshop
Fri	Writing Workshop
Week 15	December 6-10
Mon	Writing Workshop	Writing Journal
Wed	Writing Workshop
Fri	Course Review	Final Portfolio
Final Exam: Wednesday, December 15, 8:00-11:00 a.m.