CRWR 3021: Fiction II section 02

An intense writing schedule and a roomful of writer peers is the best forum for encouraging the creative process. This class focuses on the development of your writing through a rigorous workshop schedule.

We will continue to apply the elements and techniques you were developing in Levels 1 and 2. The emphasis will be on writing the novel. It will involve some study of novels and what novelists have written about the craft of fiction, but the primary focus is on the students' own writing.

This course provides an opportunity for students to be writers, to practise the habits of writers, to learn the vocabulary of writers, and to read like writers. Students will be expected to participate fully in the course through attendance, reading, writing and discussion. This workshop-based course focuses on your writing in two ways: learning and practicing.

Learning

• We will engage in discussions about different novels, focusing especially on how longer narratives are created, the structure of a novel, and the differences between the short story and the novel.
• We will read and discuss novel excerpts every week.
• We will learn to give and receive encouraging and exacting critiques.
• We will engage in intensive revision.
• Students will give one mini-presentation each semester.
• There will be several guest speakers throughout the semester.

Practicing

• We will write, write, write!
• Most classes will begin with a writing exercise that will loosen up your writing muscles and help you explore various techniques and develop your own voice.
• Throughout the semester you will develop, write and revise three submissions.
• Each student will participate in a public reading at the end of each semester.