ENGL 3375: Fiction Workshop
Description:
Craft - Learning by Doing
The Creative Writing Workshop in Fiction will focus on the craft of writing through exercises, discussion, readings, and the creation of stories of your own. The point of a workshop is to learn by doing. This is a writing-intensive course. Everything we learn will be through practice. You will get the most out of your time during the workshop by allowing yourself to experiment, explore, and expand on your own ideas and techniques. Don't be afraid to try new things.
Creative Community
Perhaps just as important to the success of the workshop is the respect and attention we give to one another. Because a workshop operates differently than a seminar course, the majority of your development as writers will be through the conversations and work you do with one another (even more so than the through the feedback you receive from your instructor). Your responsibilities are primarily to one another; what you get out of the course will be dependent on the intensity and generosity you provide your fellow writers in your work and discussion.
Finally, A Personal Note
Fiction is not only a course I teach, it's a craft to which I have dedicated my life. That means that I consider it a true honor and privilege to get to read your work and commit our time and energy to this art form. I do, as a result, take all the work you do very seriously, and want to help you reach the creative vision you see for your writing. That means I will listen, always try to learn from you, and champion your endeavors in this pursuit. We are in this "writing thing" together, sharing in our deepest imagination, pushing our artistic abilities, and that is one of the most magical things I can imagine getting to do.
Welcome to the Fiction Workshop.
—dm Armstrong
Highlights:
—Character Development: Use craft techniques and workshop discussion to build deeper, more intriguing, “round” characters.
—Plot: Deepen your understanding of story structure and broaden your capacity for telling a diverse array of compelling stories.
—Pacing: Explore techniques for slowing and focusing on key emotional moments while also finding ways to quicken your prose when you need page-turner action.
—Voice: What makes your story your story? In the workshop, we’ll help you shape your voice at the sentence level and tell the narratives that matter to you most.
—The Writing Challenge: Short exercises each day get you into a strong, writerly routine and challenge you with prompts that stretch your skills and help you practice everything from setting to writing in new genres.
—Workshop: Share your work with fellow writers in a safe, supportive, creative community. Your fellow workshop writers will not only help you refine your work, they’ll also support you as an artist.
—Critique: Receiving and learning to give insightful feedback will not only create a stronger community of writers, it will also help you see your own work in new ways.
—Anthology: Each fiction workshop will see the publication of your revised, final short story in an anthology of the workshop’s best.