Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction: Form, Content, Publication

Semester and Year	SP 2011
Course Number	ELEC-GG2540
Section	001
Instructor	Steven Rinehart
Days	Tue
Time	6:20 PM - 9:00 PM
Units	4.0
Level	G
Foundation Requirement

Description

Narrative, whether it's via fiction or creative nonfiction, presents challenges all throughout a piece's lifecycle, up to and including publication. In this course, which is designed for writers of both fiction and non-fiction, we'll look at three specific aspects of the fiction and nonfiction writing process; form, content and publication. In our formal studies we'll concentrate on specific areas of mastery, including the development of strong scenes and effective dialogue. We'll also use specific techniques to discover what early drafts indicate about your piece that a reader picks up on and you might not, and throughout the semester we'll survey the changing world of publication, with some trips, related assignments, and guest lecturers. Readings will include many contemporary masters of the forms, including Joan Didion and George Saunders, although most of the texts discussed will be student work, via submissions of current projects and also through assignments and in-class exercises. Students will be expected to submit for workshop at least two separate current projects for class discussion.

Course Type

Graduate Electives (ELEC-GG)