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Section
1
Credit: 3 Hours /
Jenny Moore
205
Spring 2009 Tuesdays through Thursdays
Time: 8:40 -10:10
am
Dr. Rearick's Office:
Founders Hall 219G
(Within 219: Lit., Lang., & Comm. Dept.)
Office Hours: Mon, Wed and Friday 1:50-4:30 / Tues - Thurs 1:50-2:50
Office Ext. 3508
Joyce Applegarth School Secretary Ext. 3500
Home Phone 392-3738
(but please do not call after 8:00--Andy and Laura are hopefully
in Bed)
email: anderson.rearick@mvnu.edu
(checked twice, daily)
Be aware that appointments will become more tight towards the end of the
semester during personal reviews with Research Students
(Please note that in foul weather Prof. Rearick must catch the 4:00 MOTA
bus)
Please Note:
Please remember that this hypertext syllabus is just a
convenience. If there is a conflict, the hard copy you
received in class is the ultimate authority! |
Course Index:
Course Description:
ENG. 3023, Creative Writing [3], emphasizes the creation and self editing of short stories. Pre-requisite: ENG. 1053G. Typing skills mandatory.
As described in the catalogue: ENG3023 Creative Writing [3]. A study and practice in the writing of short fiction and poetry. Prerequisite: ENG1053G. However writing poetry is a skill unto itself (and should be treated in a separate class). If students wish to share their poems they are welcome but it will function as extra credit.
Required:
Recommended:
ENG. 3023 (Creative Writing) meets twice a week. Class time will be divided between discussion on how to write and edit short stories, the examination of how these principles are manifested in the different short stories assigned for the class, and the practical application of those concepts in student writing. Students will be required to write at least two short stories during the semester. There will also be a series of assignments, four tests, a midterm and final.
Evaluation:
Each student will be responsible for a portfolio which will be collected both just before midterm and at the end of the semester.
- Submissions 30%
- Tests 20%
- Editing 20%
- Online Discussions 10%
- Mid-term 10%
- Final 10%
Grading Scale:
As a sophomore level class there will be plus (+) and minuses (-) in the grading system this year
Peer Evaluation:
On primary due dates (after being confirmed by the instructor) each student will exchange papers with a classmate, referred to from now on as a "peer." That peer will check the typed draft for mechanical difficulties (comma use, fragments, etc.) as well as stylistic elements covered in class, He or she will then return the paper with corrections after signing the draft with his or her class number on the lower left-hand side of the first page. The corrected manuscript is due by the following class. A standard list of revision symbols (pg. 10), taken from The Scribner Handbook, has been included in this syllabus. Also you will find a section on "Tad bits" (pg. 7), pet peeves that I hate to find in student papers. Take note, in the real world if a superior tells you the things that bugs him or her it's very politically wise to avoid such habits.
When the portfolios are handed in on the 11th and Dec 6th due dates, the drafts must be included. No student should edit more than one paper for an assignment. However, peers may be and should be different for exchange dates.
Class
Wisdom:
The final point in the above paragraph may seem frightening to some since one's grade will at times hang on the ability and maturity of a fellow student. This is why it is vital to cover oneself. Always make a back-up copy of one's work both on disk and on hard copy. . If in the shuffle of papers your work is mislaid by the instructor or a peer, it is your responsibility of have a backup copy. MAKE A BACKUP OF ALL YOUR WORK! SAVE IT ON DIFFERENT DISKS!
What I am about to say is a difficult truth not often voiced in either secular or religious circles: Contrary to popular belief, God did not create us all equal.
Often I have heard teachers, especially those being celebrated, say things like "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise: you can be whatever you want to be! All it takes is effort!" From the pulpit I have heard the claim that the church is in the business of creating spiritual leaders. But the simple fact is that there are many things we as individuals will find we are not capable of being, just as many of us will find that taking leadership roles is not God's will for our lives. True we can "soft peddle" it so that even a worker in the church nursery has taken a leadership role forming the future, but we know that this is not the image of leadership usually suggested nor celebrated.
Within the spiritual we may take comfort that God loves us all equally and seeks for the development of our special value. In the secular we may take pride in the ideal that we are equal before the law. However, in the giving out of gifts and talents we must recognize the unique and varied distribution which makes up the human experience.
Why am I dwelling on this in a Creative Writing syllabus? Because Creative Writing, unlike other classes, is not just a class of information; it is a performance class of a talent. Hard work and consistent participation, while certainly helpful, can not guarantee superior achievement in this field.
I learned this difficult reality at ENC. in the field of voice. Through effort and grit I had managed to get into the traveling choir. But I was never able to get into the smaller singing groups. My professor once explained that although my notes were true and I could blend in well with a group, when it came to singing solo I had "a character voice not a solo voice." I was a B singer not an A. The same will be true for many of you in creative writing.
All papers, both first draft and final, will be typed. Also please increase the font from the default setting of 12 to 14. They will also be in MLA style and double spaced. For an example look at The Scribner Handbook on page 745.
Margins should be an inch (although our computers default to an inch and a quarter (1/4). If you choose to use a computer don't bother changing the default margins but you will need to alter the spacing and be certain that your text is no smaller than 12 point and no larger than 14 point.
Attendance:
Since this class is strongly based on student involvement, in fact since
20 percent of the grade is centered on editorial work given to peers as they
read their work in class, regular and faithful attendance is vital.
This fact is acerbated by the fact that our class meets only twice a week.
Students who miss three classes have missed a week and a half of work.
More than this makes catching up highly unlikely and the student will be asked
to drop this course.
Electronic Submissions and email:
This semester I am going to experiment with submissions via email. However, the student must be certain that he or she can do this task and do it well before handing in work to me. Here are some guidelines
There will be four tests given covering mechanics, class discussion, and the technical, and illustrative readings throughout semester. Usually these will be made up of 25 questions in either true or false or multiple choice type. A student will be allowed to make up an test for an excused absence. However, this make up must be achieved within two class days.
Midterm
and Final:
The midterm and final will be similar in format to the tests. The Midterm, which will occur on March 18 the Thursday before the midterm break, will draw from the first half of the semester. The final, meanwhile, will draw heavily from the second although there may be some questions on the final taken from the first half of the semester. It is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19 at 10:00-11:50.
Your journal is IMPORTANT! You should write in it two times a week (including this first half week). It is your personal repository for what you think about the works you are reading and about the material being covered in class.
I will be looking for the following in your journal and what
I describe is my minimum expectation--it means you do all that I ask
and get a "B+" For an "A" the student must go beyond the instructor's expectations.
2. A table of contents made from the thesis sentence found in each entry.
3. Journal entries must be at least 2/3 of a page long.
A. Furthermore, if you are one of those individuals like St. Paul with BIG handwriting-- "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand" (Gal. 6:11)--then you should plan to write more than what I have suggested. I've seen some fill up 2/3 of a page with "I've been thinking about our reading." I should also note that I do give extra credit for typing. However, it is not required.
B. If you are handing in a typed entry take note of the number of words (there is a "word count" function under the tools task bar of Microsoft Word. I will be expecting no less than 330 words.
C. Finally please begin each entry on a new page. The squeezing together of more than one entry on a page or the running from one page to another makes the evaluation described above difficult.
4. All entries should be numbered and dated
(For Example: Entry # 10; Feb. 21).
5. Although I will not be grading the journal harshly concerning mechanics and restarts of thought (which require a single line to cross out some material), I do expect the final product to be neat and legible. Also you should write full sentences within paragraphs--no fragmented stream of consciousness experiments. "Split from society--bad." To be specific, I will be especially looking in your journal for. . .
A. Development of ideas. Remember that it is not necessary to finish a work to have a good idea. In fact waiting till you have finished can be overwhelming. Keep your journal handy while reading
.
B. Interconnectedness of journal entries. This means that an idea you examine at one point in your journal might have relevance to another work discussed later. Readings should not be thought of in a vacuum.
1. A diary:. Your entries should be a mixture of commentary concerning what you read and what you discuss in and out of class about literature. I do not want to read (as I have in the past) what you had for lunch or who is presently percolating your hormones.
2. A place for notes. Class notes belong in the section provided for them in your loose leaf. I should not see your actually writing in your journal during class. This also means that a journal is not a re-hashing of what is covered in class ("today in class we talked about. . .etc etc.").
To see an example of a possible journal entry see text included at syllabus' conclusion.
REMEMBER: Your journal accounts
for 20% of your grade. That's the same as your final: DO NOT PUT OFF
TO THE LAST MINUTE: DO NOT "BLOW IT OFF!"
Feb. 11th, 2003 Entry # 3 Why Don't Christians Write Creatively and Get Published?
One of the interesting
and troubling truths about Creative Writing is that Christians do not seem
to be making much of a contribution to this area of art. It's not that
Christians don't write. There are many "how to pray" or "how to study"
books, there are scads of practical day-by-day insights into spiritual living.
But when it comes to sitting down and writing a good story, there just does
not seem to be much around..
Of course it is possible to pass this off as just another case of Christians
are at odds with so much of the media. Thus Christian writers are just overlooked
and editors and publishers dismiss their subject matter. Certainly
there is some of this, but again I do not see this as the entire story.
One basic quality of creative writing with which many Christians are uncomfortable is the nature of taking one's hands off the steering wheel of one's mind and letting the story develop on its own. Most worthy authors admit that in the process of writing, they were often as surprised by the developments of their work as later readers. Joyce Carol Oats, author of "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and other disturbing works noted that she did not know that the Bible salesman was going to steal the artificial leg of the woman until just a page before it happened.The trouble is that where the mind goes may not always be acceptable politically nor may it be appropriate for all readers.These are surprises that many Christian authors would prefer to avoid.
The difficulty is that forcing a story to follow a pre-planned Christian theme creates didactic and ponderous prose that neither moves nor convinces. Better by far to let the steed of imagination go and later—in editor mode—decide whether or which kind of reader can handle the material.
Final
Option
As the class draws to a close, many students wonder what might be done with the edited work that they receive from the instructor.
The answer is that--if you wish--you may choose to do a final re-write, choosing one of your projects (not a new one) which will itself include another paragraph describing what was done to improve the work.
Please understand that improvement will vary, and that therefore guarantees of dramatic grade raises are impossible. Still, solid revision usually translates into half a grade improvement (B to B+ for example).
This final rewrite will be due by Tuesday May 19 (the day before our final)
The Unofficial MVNU School of Arts <http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/index.html>
This page has a link to. . .
Dr. Rearick's Office: <http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/office.htm>
Dr. Rearick's Readings' Corner: <http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/re_intro.htm>
This is an extensive list of literary links on the web
Ferris State University Literature Web Links <http://www.ferris.edu/weblinks/arts/writing/authors.htm>
"Tad-Bits"
My Pet Peeves in
Student Writing
1. There is no such word as "alot." It's a lot.
2. When describing the past avoid the overuse of "would."
Weak: We would often have lunch by the sea and would go swimming afterwards.
Stronger: We often
had lunch by the sea and went swimming afterwards.
3. Avoid the "impersonal you." Not only often wordy but also often inexact.
"When you get pregnant your ankles sometimes swell as much as your breasts."
"Not me" says the male reader.
4 Similarly do not use the inclusive "we" In most essays the writer do not have the right to speak for anyone but him or herself.
"As Christians we know that whenever we go through hard times that God has a particular purpose for these experiences."
"Um, I'm not so certain" says the Process Theologian.
5 Avoid absolute phrases like "Everybody knew everybody else," or "Mom and Dad always argued about who was going to drive." Temper your writing:
Nearly everybody knew one another."
"Mom and Dad often argued about who was going to drive."
Save absolutes for absolutes. "Death comes to everyone.
Spring always returns."
6 Be as concrete as you can be before making general statements. Another problem with words like always is that it often introduces an example that is vague because there are no particulars. General points may begin a paragraph but use specific moments in time with details to prove that point.
7 "Awesome" is not a universal adjective. Mountains are awesome; the cosmos is awesome; God is awesome. A mechanical pencil, no matter its level of excellence, is not awesome.
8 "Totally" is intensely overused. Students should limit its appearance in an essay to about once or maybe twice and be certain that it really fits the us.
Weak:1."I am totally bored."2."Dave is totally bummed"3."Leslie is totally overwhelmed by her schoolwork
Stronger:
1."I am intensely bored."
2."David is really bummed."
3."Leslie is utterly overwhelmed by her schoolwork."
10 Avoid phrases like "I feel," "I think," "I believe." If an opinion is in a paper and is not credited to someone else, the reader assumes that the feeling experienced. the position held, or the belief described belong to the writer without being overtly told so.
11 "Being" is not the same as the verb "is."
Incorrect:
"Tom is going to lead the team today. Jack being sick."
Either make the last phrase independent by using the verb "to be" or connect the sentence to the first independent clause with a comma.
Correct:
"Jack being sick, Tom is going to lead the team today."
"Tom is going to lead the team today
since Jack is sick."
12. When using "like" remember that this word is meant to compare two things that in most of their characteristics are unlike except for some specific qualities which the writer wants to emphasize.
Weak: One student of mine described his first days on campus this way:
"It was like a major culture shock, very eye-opening."
He should have simply written this:
"It was
a major culture shock, very eye-opening."
Strong: A correct use of like might be something like this
"He ran his class like
a marine drill sergeant, disciplined, organized but with very little room
for the special needs which might surface from individual to individual."
13. Be careful how you use comparatives like "more" or the "er" form of an adverb.
"Tide cleans faster, brighter and deeper." (than what?)
"Dan is working harder this week." (than who?)
"He has worked through people to make me feel so much more welcome." (than where?)
14 font is not the norm. The computer will usually default to 12 or even 10, so you will have to alter it yourself. However, your instructor has a visual handicap, and this small bit of magnification is a big help. (Besides this class I have two expository writing class so that for every assignment I grade I am reading 64 essays)
Remember to use one inch margins on the top and bottom of your page and 1.25 for its left and right margins (MLA requires 1 inch but your computer defaults to the 1.25 so keep it), and don't forget to double space your text:
Taken from the rear of The Scribner Handbook
2004 Spring Class Schedule
Abbreviations Index
The Graceful Lie [TGL]
Self Editing for Fiction Writers [SEFW]
The Writers Market [WM]
Introduction:
Test # 1
Tuesday: Feb. 24
Tuesday March 2
First Journal Set (9 Entries)
Tuesday March. 9
Thursday March. 11 Return Peer Evaluation of Draft
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story One
Tuesday March. 16
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story One
Thursday March 18 Midterm EXAM
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story One
Midterm Break Begins at 9:30 Thursday Evening
Midterm Break!
Tuesday March. 23 - No Class
Thursday March. 25 - No Class
Tuesday March 30
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story One
Thursday April 1
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story One Tuesday April 6
Second Journal Check (At least
18 entries)
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story One
Thursday April 8
We will again be meeting at the Den
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story One and EC Poetry
Easter Break begins at 9:30 p.m., Thursday
Friday April 9 Good Friday
Monday April 12 Break ends 6:30p.m., Monday
Tuesday April
13
(
Please note that some questions from this reading may appear on the test
scheduled for today)
Thursday April
15
Return Rough Drafts
Creative Work for Story Two Due
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story Two
Note: Remember that we will be going to
SIPS today. Bring any extra credit poems with you as well.
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story Two
Tuesday April 20
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story Two
Thursday April 22
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story Two
Test # 3
Creative Work for Story Two Due
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story Two
Tuesday May 4
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story Two
Class Reading and On Site
Editing of Story Two Tuesday May 11
Third and Last Journal Check (At
least 26 Entries Expected--with the last being a closing comment about your
impressions of this class.)
Creative Work for Story
Two Due
Test # 4
Final Story is Due
in Dr. Rearick's Mailbox on May 15 in Founders Hall or hand it in at the
Exam on May 17.
Final Exam for
Creative Writing: Wednesday, Wednesday, May 19 at
10:00-11:50 at SIPS!
This page last updated on
Feb. 6, 2004
