Creative Writing (CRWR-SHU)

This workshop course offers a broad introduction to the art of capturing the world around you in your own original fiction and poetry. Through close readings of classic and contemporary examples, intensive in-class workshops, and vigorous revision, students will learn to make their stories and poems live on the page through attention to plot, character, dialogue, language, heartbreaking images and the mystery of the perfect line break. Pre-requisites: None Equivalency: This course counts for CRWRI-UA 815 Creative Writing: Introduction to Fiction and Poetry Introduction to Creative Writing is a requirement for all intermediate/advanced workshop classes. Fulfillment: Humanities Introductory course (18-19: survey).

Creative writing and literary translation are deeply connected. Many of our greatest literary texts come to us through translation, and writing your own fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry often means writing with a sharp awareness of cultural and linguistic richness and diversity (in other words, writing with an awareness of how translation shapes us and our writing). In this course, you will explore creative writing and translation together, working to translate exemplary samples of poetry and creative prose as a way of learning and practicing craft in several fundamental genres and forms. You will then take what you learn about craft and form to write and workshop your own original creative writing and co-translations of fellow students’ creative work. We will work primarily in English and Chinese, though texts written in other languages will provide models and examples for discussion and practice. This course may be used to fulfill the prerequisite requirement for intermediate Creative Writing workshops. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: This course is designed to fulfill the same fundamental requirements as Introduction to Creative Writing with the key difference being that, in addition to writing their own creative works, students will also study form and genre by translating exemplary works of poetry and narrative prose. Pending further discussion, development and approval, students would be able to take an intermediate literary translation course to complete a Creative Writing Minor with an Emphasis in Literary Translation.

This introductory course welcomes all students with an interest in language as a medium of creative expression. Unlike other creative writing classes, here the emphasis is on writing in and across multiple languages rather than on writing in one language. This does not mean students must be competent in more than one language or have previous creative writing experience, only that students have both a strong interest in creative writing and a deep curiosity about how much of the great writing that helps shape our experience of the world comes to us through translation in one form or another. Students will work individually and in small teams to translate exemplary short works of prose and poetry into English (primarily but not necessarily exclusively from Chinese; depending on student interests and backgrounds we may also translate into Chinese or other languages). Students will also write their own short creative poetry and prose, and work together to translate one another’s work into at least one other language. We will often work with cribs — basic rough translations that require further careful work as a reader, researcher and a creative writer to render as texts that succeed in a new language. Students will study basic translation theory and concepts, then work to put those concepts into practice as translators and as critical readers. We will discuss ethical questions that arise when we bring work from one culture into another, as well as the increasing importance of helping people from different cultural backgrounds understand one another. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: This course counts as an elective class towards the creative writing minor.

The ability to understand "what makes a good story well told" is a critical skill for the visual storyteller. Storytelling Strategies considers dramatic narrative through an examination of the structural and mythic elements first established by the ancient Greek playwrights and recognized by Aristotle in his "Poetics" thousands of years ago. The course continues this examination up to and including the current Hollywood paradigm, "the three-act structure." We will seek to identify those principles that form the backbone of successful narrative screenplays and contribute to a film's ability to resonate with an audience. The lecture is for analysis. The recitations are for applying what you have learned, through writing exercises leading towards a completed short screenplay. Prerequisites: none. Fulfillment: IMA/IMB elective

A collaborative writing course where students work in groups to create polished television (or film) scripts and learn the fundamentals of dramatic writing. Creativity and the group dynamic is explored. This course is appropriate for both beginning and advanced writers. This course covers the material of a traditional narrative writing class and also puts into action theories of Organizational Behavioral Management such as: communication, motivation, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, group dynamic, stress, and the influences of gender, race, age, and class on power within a group. Interpersonal skills and the ability to navigate the group dynamic are, perhaps, 75% of what it takes to be a working writer. But they also can be applied to ANY FIELD and any work environment. Prerequisites: none. Fulfillment: General Elective.

This class exposes students to a wide range of dramatic writing (script writing) for film, television, playwriting, adaptation, documentary “writing,” and new media. You will become a more confident and well-rounded writer by the end of this course. We will explore essential building blocks of writing for the screen – character, visualization, dialogue, scene structure, conflict, and sequence. You will learn techniques and be led through in-class writing exercises that let you tap into inspiration at will and not wait for it to haphazardly or infrequently strike. The class will culminate in your own individual script project (short or long), and the course can be adapted to address individual student’s needs. Critiques will be done in the workshop setting, which can handle writers of different levels. Thus, this class is appropriate for both beginning and advanced writers. It can be taken in conjunction with Collaborative Writing. Or it can be taken independently. Prerequisites: none. Fulfillment: General Elective.

What can close attention to literary translation teach you about your own writing? How can close reading and creative translation among and between languages sharpen your skills as a creative writer and critical reader? And isn’t all reading and writing fundamentally an act of creative translation, even within familiar languages? In this class, students will explore literary translation as a practice that goes far beyond simply translating a text from one language into another. Working individually and in groups, students will not only translate classic and contemporary literary texts between Chinese and English, English and Chinese, but will also be invited to write creatively in whatever languages they bring to the class and then work collaboratively to produce translations into English and/or Chinese. We will also explore texts that introduce key concepts from the philosophy of language, from the discipline of translation studies, and from related fields including history, cultural studies, and linguistics to help us think more deeply about the practice and challenges of literary translation. For a final project, we will work to produce an anthology of student work — both original creative writing and collaboratively produced creative translations into English and Chinese from the languages that students bring to the class and write in. Prerequisite: CRWR-SHU 159 Introduction to Creative Writing, or junior/senior standing Fulfillment: Intermediate Workshop for Creative Writing minors; Humanities Advanced course

Introduction to Screenwriting examines the principles of story structure through the close analysis of classic and contemporary screenplays. Using Robert McKee’s Story and Paul Gulino’s The Sequence Approach as primary texts, students will learn the basic mechanics of character, genre, theme, act design, scenecraft, and dialogue. Lectures will blend dramatic theory with practical examples from each week’s screenplay. Students are expected to complete a logline, a synopsis, a scene by scene outline, and the first act of a feature-length script. Writing workshops and peer review are integral to the development of the course. Prerequisite: Introduction to Creative Writing (CRWR-SHU 159 or CRWR-SHU 161) OR Junior standing. Fulfillment: Humanities other Advanced course.

In this intermediate creative writing workshop, students will explore how writers articulate a unique “I,” drawing directly from personal experience. Students will write their own narratives across several genres and in several modes, working at times from immediate observation, at others from memory, sometimes drawing upon research, and often using techniques of fiction and poetry to inspire creative writing that can push the personal essay and memoir in the direction of inspired fiction, poetry, and cross-genre experimentation. In addition to developing their own writing projects, students will read and analyze a range of exemplary texts in which writers use the “I” as point of departure for writing about the world--moving beyond narrow exploration of the “self” into dynamic engagement with others and with the environment, with history, the city, travel--and anything and everything else a great writer can make us care about. Prerequisite: CRWR-SHU 159 Introduction to Creative Writing OR WRIT-SHU 201 PoH. Fulfillment: General Elective.

Welcome to The Art of Linked Collections. This course explores the art of writing short fiction with a focus on linked stories. In discussing what compelled him to write two linked short story collections, Junot Díaz muses, “Maybe I could have written conventional novels from both sets of material but I’m not convinced I could have gotten the same jagged punch, the same longing and silences that rise up from the gaps in and between the linked stories. I guess I’m just hopelessly fascinated by the realities that you can assemble out of connected fragments.” In this course, geared toward intermediate and advanced fiction writers, we explore the jagged power of the linked story collection and what can be gained from the points of connection as well as the narrative gaps between stories. Students will read linked collections by such writers as Junot Díaz, Denis Johnson, Haruki Murakami, Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Jenny Zhang and will complete several linked stories of their own, gaining appreciation for a form Sonya Chung aptly characterizes as “compression and vast heterogeneity in one!” Students must have completed Introduction to Creative Writing or be of junior or senior standing to enroll in this course. Exceptions by permission of the instructor. Prerequisite: Introduction to Creative Writing (CRWR-SHU 159 or CRWR-SHU 161) OR Junior standing. Fulfillment: General Elective.

In the Book of Job, the voice of God speaks out of the whirlwind. The voice of The Hunger Games is Katniss Everdeen herself. Oscar Wao is not the narrator of his brief and wondrous life: Yunior is. In this intermediate craft course, we will investigate how the teller shapes and powers the story. Along with critical texts, we will read fiction told in a variety of perspectives, including stories that aren’t easily categorized. How does a narrator reveal herself? How is narrative perspective developed, maintained, and broken? When is intimacy created with the reader, or distance from him, and why? Students will write their own stories in an experimental array of perspectives--from the third-person omniscient we associate with Dickens, to the unreliable first-person beloved by fans of J.D. Salinger, to the less traditional second person found in Lorrie Moore’s work. Alongside discussions of narration, we will continue to practice additional craft elements: plot, characterization, and imagery, among others. Students will be required to complete a substantial fiction project, but may also experiment with other or hybrid genres as part of their work for the course. This is a course for students who love to read, who are committed to the practice of writing creatively, and who aim to become better creators and analyzers of stories. This is also a workshop, and we will share our creative work and respond to the work of others in a writing workshop setting. Prerequisite: Introduction to Creative Writing (CRWR-SHU 159 or CRWR-SHU 161) OR Junior standing. Fulfillment: General Elective.

In this intermediate craft course, we will investigate how the teller shapes and powers the story. Along with critical texts, we will read fiction told in a variety of perspectives, including stories that aren’t easily categorized. How does a narrator reveal herself? How is narrative perspective developed, maintained, and broken? When is intimacy created with the reader, or distance from him, and why? Students will write their own stories in an experimental array of perspectives--from the third-person omniscient we associate with Dickens, to the unreliable first-person beloved by fans of J.D. Salinger, to the less traditional second person found in Lorrie Moore’s work. Alongside discussions of narration, we will continue to practice additional craft elements: plot, characterization, imagery, among others. Students will be required to complete a substantial fiction project, but may also experiment with other or hybrid genres as part of their work for the course. This is a course for students who love to read, who are committed to the practice of writing creatively, and who aim to become better creators and analyzers of stories. This is also workshop, and we will share our creative work and respond to the work of others in a writing workshop setting. Prerequisite: Introduction to Creative Writing (CRWR-SHU 159 or CRWR-SHU 161) OR Junior standing. Fulfillment: General Elective.

In this intermediate creative writing workshop, students will explore the possibilities of poetry by writing and sharing their own work while also engaging with exemplary works by great poets from a range of traditions, background and times, with a practical emphasis on contemporary poetry and its many vibrant modes and methods. At times, students will experiment with age-old forms such as the sonnet, haiku and sestina; at other times students will pursue the possibilities of contemporary performance poetry and spoken word, Modernist collage and pastiche, postmodern hybrid poetries, and emergent digital poetics. The goal for each student will be to create a body of work that draws on knowledge of traditional forms while also speaking directly to the unique circumstances of our times -- and each individual poet's experience. Prerequisite: Introduction to Creative Writing (CRWR-SHU 159 or CRWR-SHU 161) OR Junior standing. Fulfillment: Humanities other Advanced course.

Science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction, alternative histories—all fall under the heading of speculative fiction. This class has three basic components: 1) reading and discussing a focused set of works of speculative fiction framed by a set of creative writing craft, instructional and critical texts; 2) research in support of semester project development and execution; and 3) frequent writing exercises and assignments, culminating in a semester project. You will read and discuss to understand better how speculative fiction works, both in terms of basic narrative techniques common to all fiction as well as with regard to challenges, such as worldbuilding, that may be considered unique in importance to speculative fiction. You will also conduct research necessary to both better understand those texts and their authors’ techniques and thinking, and to do work necessary to support your own creative experiments in writing your own speculative fiction. Research is a big part of the successful speculative fiction writer’s practice, and it will be a significant part of this class. Pre-requisite: Introduction to Creative Writing (CRWR-SHU 159 or CRWR-SHU 161) OR Junior standing. Fulfillment: IMB Interactive Media Elective Courses.

This workshop, designed for intermediate writers, explores the art of creative nonfiction with emphasis on the memoir and personal essay. In Speak, Memory, Vladimir Nabokov observed that the “unique design” pressed upon his life “becomes visible when the lamp of art is made to shine through life’s foolscap.” In this course, we will be shining the lamp of art on our own lives, finding their unique, meaningful patterns as we strive to convey the complexity and truth of our experiences. Students will encounter a wide range of voices and literary techniques by noted practitioners of the genre such as James Baldwin, Joan Didion, Susanna Kaysen, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Virginia Woolf. From our perspective as working writers, we will examine how these authors construct their texts and learn elements of craft through close reading and imitation. In our class discussions and workshop, students will be asked to develop and articulate their aesthetic judgments and to give constructive feedback on their peers’ manuscripts. Our ultimate aim is to write daring, poignant, powerful narratives, working hard to transform our original drafts into memorable and engaging works of art. Prerequisites: Students must have completed Introduction to Creative Writing or be of junior or senior standing. Fulfillment: General Elective.

Too long to be a short story and too short to be a novel, the novella has been described by Stephen King as a country with “ill-defined” borders situated between “two more orderly regions.” The novella’s intermediary length can make it less palatable to magazine editors and book publishers alike, but in spite of its perceived lack of commercial viability many of our most enduring stories are novellas—Heart of Darkness, The Turn of the Screw, The Metamorphosis, Animal Farm, and A Christmas Carol, to name just a few. In this course, geared toward intermediate and advanced fiction writers, we explore the exciting possibilities of the form through our readings and work on novellas of our own. By the end of the course, students will have read a wide range of novellas by international authors such as Saul Bellow, Robert Bolaño, Eileen Chang, Anton Chekhov, Elena Ferrante, Neil Gaimin, Yasunari Kawabata, and Alice Munro. They will also have completed a significant portion of their own novellas, gaining a deeper understanding of what Ian McEwan calls “the modern and post-modern form par excellence." Prerequisite: Introduction to Creative Writing (CRWR-SHU 159 or CRWR-SHU 161) OR Junior standing. Fulfillment: This course will fulfill one of the two the Intermediate Workshop components for the creative writing minor. Humanities other Advanced course.

The premise of this course is that gifted writers highly conscious of their craft teach us more pointedly about creative writing when, juxtaposed to the creative work of each, we hear, see and experience what each identifies as fundamental to his or her writing practice — whether technique, discipline, recurrent battle, avenue of inspiration, self-imposed rule or other. This course looks to such writers as guides from whom we may learn by studying the steps they have taken over time to develop and hone their craft. The course typically (but not always) pairs, each week, one or two pieces of an author’s creative work with another that reflects critically on some aspects of their writing practice, and on the craft of writing. In essence, this is a hybrid course that blends study of creative work with that of writers' critical self-reflection. Students also pursue their own creative writing projects, reflecting critically on their own process along the way. The course readings draw from multiple cultures, literary traditions, and genres including the short story, flash fiction, the novella, the essay, memoir, diary, children’s literature and poetry. Prerequisite: Writing as Inquiry WRIT-SHU 101/102 OR CRWR-SHU 159 Introduction to Creative Writing OR CRWR-SHU 161 Introduction to Creative Writing: Literary Translation Focus Fulfillment: This course counts as one of the three intermediate/advanced creative writing workshops required for completion of the Creative Writing Minor.