Fall 2007 Courses

English 281-01: Crafts of Writing: Fiction (Lee)

M/W/F 9:40-10:40am, Old Main 001
Prerequisite: English 120 (Introduction to Creative Writing) taken at Macalester.

This course will be run as a workshop in writing short stories. We will begin with brief exercises and the examination of two contemporary story collections to discuss technical issues of craft, such as time and place transitions, points of view, tenses, syntax, mood. After we have developed a critical vocabulary, together we will map out possible templates for the plot and characters of a short story by extrapolating newspaper clippings. Everyone will take a turn at producing a story based on the template, with inventive variations on the theme strongly encouraged. Thereafter, students will be free to experiment with subject and form.

Fall 2007 Course Listings