I need to write short- short story for English class!

WEEK ONE: SHORT-SHORT FICTION

T. Aug. 29: Fun in-class writing and interaction!

Due for R. Aug. 30:

· Read at least three of the short-short samples from Starkey, pages 145-169. (These are on D2L if you have not yet purchased the book.)

· Purchase your book, if you haven’t already.

· Type a response to the readings. Please use a two-column format, with your written response on the left and a blank column on the right to accommodate comments. In your response, summarize the story quickly in two ways: topic and meaning. Ex: This is a story about a woman who looks for love. But it’s also a story about how we discover what we NEED in love.”

Then, what did you learn from each story about dialogue, plot structure, setting, and character development? THINK LIKE A WRITER! Writers say to themselves, “Gee, this really pulled me in, no matter how weird it was! How did that writer DO that?” So you might say, “In this short-short, the writer only gave a name to one character, which kept me focused on only him. By not naming the main character, it created a bit of mystery.” You are thinking about TECHNIQUE and EFFECTS. (How long should these be, you ask? They should be rich in thought and curiousity and clear in summary. How long will that be? Up to you, but you can revise this response!). RESPONSE ONE: 15 points.

· Be sure to staple pages together and put your name, date, and title on this: the title might be “Response to three short fiction samples” or something like that.

R. Aug. 30: We’ll share your responses for feedback, talk about the stories, and do some in- class writing to being to generate ideas for your own short-short.

Due for T. Sept. 5:

· Remember: Drop/Add ends today.

· If you are new or a procrastinator, please be sure to have read the syllabus and schedule of work for this class. You will have been emailed a copy and you’ll also find them on D2L in a module called “Course Basics.”

· Read Starkey, pages 98-123.

· Read two more short-shorts from the collection that is at the end of this unit and also on D2L: Starkey’s pages 145-168. Maybe something you didn’t read before but which a classmate discussed now interests you!

· Read on D2L, module Ann Lamott, “Plot” and “Character”.

· Type a columned response and apply what Lamont and Starkey have to say to the two short-shorts you chose to read. Be sure to summarize the main points/advice Lamott and Starkey offer, and then, thinking like a writer, look at how the short-short authors did/didn’t do what Lamott and Starkey suggest. (Not every story, even if it’s published, is perfect! Nor do writers apply every single piece of advice!)

· Type up three prompts for a short-short, putting each on a separate small sheet of paper. For example, “An elderly couple from Yugoslavia go to the dog pound to adopt a dog” or “A college student has to confess to her mother that she majored in theater, not business.” (Note that these prompts offer a character and a plot trigger!)

WEEK TWO: SHORT-SHORTS CONTINUE!

T. Sept. 5: In class, we’ll share responses to Lamott and Starkey and then start writing from your prompts.

Due for R. Sept. 7:

· Read Starkey, pp. 123-144.

· Read on D2L Ann Lamott module, “Set Design” and “Dialogue.”

· Write three separate prompts, each on its own sheet of paper. Focus on dialogue and setting, for example: “A young man talks in a crowded restaurant with his elderly grandfather about why he needs to stop driving” or “Three young teen girls plan how to sneak out of the house that night, even though two of their mothers are in the room with them.” Note that your prompts should help the writer with a setting. You want to make sure the writer will help us SEE as well as HEAR this scene.

R. Sept. 7: In class we’ll discuss how setting and dialogue affect stories, and we’ll start some more short-shorts using your prompts.

Due for T. Sept. 12:

· Draft a short-short. Use what you’ve learned from Lamott and Starkey about tension, character, setting, dialogue to put this together.

· Print two copies.

WEEK THREE: SHORT-SHORTS (LAST WEEK)

T. Sept. 12: In class, we’ll share the short-short you brought in for feedback. We’ll also discuss how you can offer the best feedback at various stages.

Due for R. Sept. 14

· Write another short-short! You can start from scratch or go back to something you started in class from a prompt. Print out TWO copies.

· Read the guidelines for critiquing short fiction and the sample fiction critique on D2L (Written Feedback module).

· At the end of the class, you will be giving a copy of one of your short-shorts to a peer to take home and write a critique for, and you will give ME a copy for feedback.

· To be safe, you might want to bring back the two copies of your draft from the class before. That way, you can decide WHICH short-short you want more feedback on.

· SO: BE SURE TO ATTACH a sheet to each copy with your questions and concerns. This is important, because you will give ONE copy of ONE story to a peer at the end of class and ONE copy to me. (So if you are really not sure which one you’ll hand off for more, add questions and concerns to both stories!)

R. Sept. 14: In class hand-around for feedback. We’ll also discuss the written feedback.

Due for T. Sept. 19:

· TWO printed copies of your written critique. One will go to me, and one will go back to the short-short author along with the draft you commented on.

WEEK FOUR: SHIFTING TO POETRY

T. Sept. 19: In class, we’ll do some writing exercises, based on what I’ve seen in your drafts. We’ll also do some reflection on what you’ve learned so far about writing fiction generally and about your own short-shorts. We’ll also do some read-alouds.

Due for R. Sep 21:

· Read Starkey, 14-30.

· Read on D2L in the module Poetry Resources “Poetry Does What You Do.”

· Read at least five sample poems choosing from Starkey’s anthology (71-97) and from D2L, in the module “Poetry Resources.”

· Type a columned response in which you summarize Starkey’s major points and apply them to the poems you read. Be sure to tell us quickly what the “surface story” of the poem is (ex. A man misses his grown-up daughter) and what you think the deeper story is (ex. The poem explores whether parents “stop knowing” their children after they have grown up and always want the young child back). Be sure readers can find the poems you chose—use titles and authors!

· Remember to think like a writer. Consider how carefully crafted each piece is. Focus on lines and stanzas or other elements of poetry (19-20).

R. Sept. 21: In class, we’ll discuss those poetic elements, how poetry “works,” and share responses.

Due for T. Sept. 26:

· Read Starkey pp. 30-54.

· Read six more poems, three from Starkey and three from D2L.

· Write four poems (no haiku!) Pay attention to the music, the sound of your poems! (By sound, I don’t mean that you use the “blare of a car horn” but you listen to consonance, assonance, and alliteration.)

· Try to use imagery and figurative language. These are the elements that move us from a “surface” story to a deeper, more complex meaning.

· These poems should be “free verse.” You aren’t using a “formal” form and you are avoiding end rhyme and a “pounding and insistent meter.”

· Type each poem on a separate sheet and be sure to put your name on each sheet. Bring all to class.

WEEK FIVE: POETRY

T. Sept. 26: In class, we’ll discuss your poems—and we’ll do some focused feedback. We’ll do some reading aloud as well.

Due for R. Sept. 28:

· Read Starkey, pp. 55-70.

· Read 6-8 poems from Starkey and D2L that are in “form.” That is, they are following rules for their construction (rhyme, number of lines, stanzas, meter, even typical subject matter[sonnets about love!]).

· Write three poems using three different “forms.” You need to use #8 (p. 69) for one poem, but note that you don’t have to use any of the three forms Starkey gives you as examples—there are hundreds of forms! Once again, please do not use the haiku form.

· One other poem must be a revision of one of your previous poems (free verse), now put into a form. Please staple the two versions together.

· Note that there are some additional forms and examples on D2L, in the poetry module, under “Some Forms…”

· Print each poem separately, and indicate what form you used on each sheet so that readers can look at that in the book. For the poem you wrote using a form NOT in the book, please print out the “directions” for that form and its name. Pages for poems over one page in length must be stapled together. Be sure to put your name on each poem you are handing out.

· (NOTE: If three poems seems like a lot, remember that many forms are very short!)

R. Sept. 28: In class we’ll share poems, discuss forms, do more writing!

Due for T. Oct. 3:

· Write two new poems, one in a different form than you used last time and one inspired by one of the poems in Starkey or the group on D2L. Focus on IMAGES, on layering those images to develop the deeper, inner story of your poem. (Note: free verse is an option here!)

· Attach notes to each of these two poems with your questions, concerns, and some background. For example, why do you think THIS form and THIS content and YOUR PURPOSE are a match? (Or not…) What poem inspired you and how? What did you borrow or work from: style? Topic? Line and structure? What concerns do you have about your poem? What do you most want to know about?

· Feel free to write more poetry, as it will give you more to include in your portfolio. Haiku is okay if it is one of these “extra” poems.

· Revise any previous poem you have written for class. Attach the revision to the older draft, with the newer version on the top. It’s okay if the older draft has comments written on it.

· Select a long poem or two short poems for feedback. Make sure you have attached a sheet with your questions and concerns. (These could be the newest poems you’ve written—see bullets one and two above. Print TWO copies of this poem or set of poems. These can be new or shared in a previous class or revised.

· Be sure your name is on all of your poems. Bring them all in.

· Read the guidelines for critiquing a poem and the sample critique (D2L Written Feedback Module).

WEEK SIX: POETRY

T. Oct. 3: We’ll share in class and exchange for written critiques.

Due for R. Oct. 5:

· Due: Your critique, two copies.

R. Oct. 5: In class, you’ll read critiques and we’ll do some writing exercises based on what I’ve read. We’ll create some prompts for poems to write.

Due for T. Oct. 10:

· Write two poems generated from the same single prompt you took home. Try to consider different aspects of the prompt and look back at the elements of poetry in Starkey and some of the forms that are available to you. Prepare to read aloud some of your poems.

· Read ahead in Starkey: pick one of the creative non-fiction models (176-185) and one of the plays (249-261).

· Write a response to these two readings. Apply what you’ve learned from fiction and poetry to these two new genres. What do you see the writer doing to have an effect or move the piece along? Why does s/he do this? What do you admire about each piece that you’d like to try yourself? What would you have done differently with each piece, either tweaking it here and there or going radically different and why?

WEEK SEVEN: ENDING POETRY, TRANSITIONING TO GENRE THREE

T. Oct. 10: In class, we’ll share your last round of poems and do a short read-aloud. Then we’ll discuss what you read and your reactions and begin to sort out what you want to do for your final genre.

Due for R. Oct. 12:

Ah, Grasshopper—you must follow your path…

If you chose to do creative non-fiction

· Read 170-176 and 185-199. Then look through the “kick-starts.”

· Write up some of your ideas for your own creative non-fiction, and as you do, consider some of the main points Starkey makes. For example, will you have difficulty with truth? With developing a character? Can you remember enough of the setting? Do you feel it will be difficult to organize?

If you chose to do a ten-minute play

· Read pages 233-240 and 261-280. Then read through the “kick-starts.”

· Write up some of your ideas for a play, and as you do, consider some of the main points Starkey makes. Is there enough conflict in your play to satisfy the readers’ (audience) need for drama? Are your characters convincing in ways that matter? Is your dialogue crisp, does it sound realistic, does it develop the character? Will you have trouble creating dialogue? Are you basing this on something that will create inner conflict for you—real people you may not want to injure?

R. Oct. 12: In class, we’ll work in our two groups, sharing responses and helping each other refine our next piece.

Due for T. Oct. 17:

If you are in the CNF group:

· Read in Starkey 199-210.

· Write a couple of paragraphs to a page from anywhere in your CNF piece. Then re-write it after you think through poetic language (not just the events but the presentation of events, the use of figurative language, description, etc.) and where YOU are in this section—have you backed away to see something from a different perspective? Are you in the middle of what is happening? Are you stopping the development of the theme to provide information before “diving in” again?

· Staple the two pages together. Be prepared to discuss them with a partner or partners.

If you are in the playwriting group:

· Read in Starkey 280-295.

· Write a page (or two at the most) of your likely play. It can be from any part of the play.

· Then rewrite it. This time, think about how this portion develops the theme. Are you using (sadly) a straw man to simply say what this is about? Can you use action to develop the theme better than dialogue? This time, include some setting that will help develop your characters or the theme.

· Staple these two portions together. Be prepared to discuss them with a partner or partners.

WEEK EIGHT: GENRE THREE

T. Oct. 17: In class, you’ll work in your groups to share and discuss your first writing. We’ll discuss in class some of the overall techniques that you may be using. If you want a conference over the next few days, we’ll have a sign-up sheet.

Due for R. Oct. 19:

· No formal class. Use this time to write your first full draft of your CNF or play. Remember: you have up to 25 pages for your CNF. Starkey prints shorter ones to include more in his book. For a ten-minute play, you have roughly ten pages.

· You may sign up for a conference with me during class time. These will take place in the classroom. You may also sign up for conferences during my office hours (always available!).

R. Oct. 19: No formal class: conferences.

Due for T. Oct. 24:

· Bring in one copy of your piece. Be sure that at the end of it or on a separate piece of paper stapled to the piece you have included your questions and concerns.

· Put one copy of your piece into the Discussion Thread (under “Communication” on D2L) for “Play or CNF Draft”). This is what I’ll be looking at, and if someone needs to do an extra critique, what they’ll access.

· Read on D2L in the Written Feedback module the critique guidelines for the CNF and the play, and please read the samples.

Week NINE: GENRE THREE

T. Oct. 24: In class we’ll share these for feedback. You’ll give me one copy and give one to a classmate for written feedback, following the guidelines on D2L. NOTE: If you are making up an absence, this is an EXCELLENT time to do an additional written critique.

Due for R. Oct. 26:

· Two copies of your written feedback.

R. Oct. 26: In class, we’ll go over the feedback and do some exercises based on what I’ve read so far in your drafts.

Due for T. Oct. 31:

· Revise your CNF or your play based on the feedback you’ve been given.

· Select a 5-minute (no longer—practice!) section to read aloud.

WEEK TEN: TRANSITIONING FROM GENRE THREE TO REVISION/PF

T. Oct. 31: In class, I’ll divide you up so that everyone can read a portion of their CNF or play. If we have time, we’ll start discussing the final portfolio and forewords.

Due for R. Nov. 2:

· Read on D2L the materials in the Final Portfolio module and the Forewords module.

· Bring in all your “stuff” in a two-pocket folder.

· Want to be more organized? Go ahead and divide your writing into “I think I’ll keep this in my “Showcase” portfolio and “I think this is on the ‘more work is definitely needed’ side.”

R. Nov. 2: In class, we’ll discuss portfolios, the decisions you need to make, revisions, and forewords. You’ll work with your own portfolio, and, if we have time, with a peer’s.

Due for T. Nov. 7:

· Go back to your portfolio. Revise! Select a flash fiction or a couple of poems or make a radical revision on your CNF or play. Be sure to connect physically your revisions with the originals for readers to look at.

· Think about whose portfolio you would like to write a foreword for.

· Make some notes for yourself about your reflections. Begin to think through what you DID and WHY to create and revise the pieces in your portfolio.

WEEK ELEVEN: REVISING AND FOREWORDS

T. Nov. 7: Bring in your portfolio, rearranged and with revisions. In class, you’ll share with someone for feedback, both quick feedback in writing and verbal feedback. If it is at all possible I will have you work with your foreword partner. We’ll talk in class about what “material for your foreword partner” could mean (see below).

Due for R. Nov. 9:

· Draft your reflection(s).

· Come in with questions and material for your foreword partner.

R. Nov. 9: In class, you’ll have a peer read through your portfolio with the reflections and offer feedback. You’ll work with your foreword partner.

Due for T. Nov. 14:

· Bring in your portfolio with a revised reflection.

· Bring in your draft of your foreword, two copies.

· NOTE: If you have to make up an absence, you may do a final written critique on a classmate’s revisions of a couple of short poems or on a longer piece. This must be a piece that they plan to put in their portfolio.

WEEK TWELVE: PORTFOLIO AND FOREWORDS

T. Nov. 14: We’ll share these for feedback and editing. If you did an extra written critique, you must bring two copies with you, one for the writer and one for me. You’ll sign up for a reading time.

Due for R. Nov. 16:

· No formal class. Use this time to complete your portfolio. I will be reading your forewords to give you feedback on those over the break.

· You may conference with me during class time.

R. Nov. 16: No formal class. Conferences if desired.

WEEK THIRTEEN: THANKSGIVING BREAK

T. Nov. 22: Enjoy your break!

R. Nov. 24: Eat hearty! Enjoy your family and friends. Look for feedback from me by email.

Go to D2L. Put as much of your portfolio, including reflections, as you can into the Assignment (formerly DropBox) section. Put a final copy of your foreword into the Forewords area of the Assignment section.

Due for T. Nov. 28:

· Go to D2L to the Final Matters module. Print out the final course evaluation and the release.

· Put your portfolio together, physically. Put the signed release into your portfolio.

· Complete the final informal course evaluation. I will bring a stapler for you all to staple the pages together.

· Print out two copies of your foreword: one will go to the writer whose work you have been enjoying and writing about and one will go to me.

· If you are reading on Nov. 28, have your materials ready to go.

WEEK FOURTEEN: SHARING

T. Nov. 28: In class, you’ll turn in all the materials. We’ll start listening to the wonderful pieces you have worked so hard on all semester!

Due for R. Nov. 30:

· If you are scheduled to read aloud, be sure your material is accessible to you. I can bring portfolios back to class if you do not have it available digitally.

· Do NOT come late! I will shut the door when we start and you may not come in until the person reading has sat down. To do otherwise is rude. That may make you absent because you are so late.

R. Nov. 30: We’ll listen to more of your classmates reading aloud.

· Do NOT come late! I will shut the door when we start and you may not come in until the person reading has sat down. To do otherwise is rude. That may make you absent because you are so late.

WEEK FIFTEEN: SHARING

T. Dec. 5: More reading aloud!

· If you are scheduled to read, please come prepared.

· Do NOT come late! I will shut the door when we start and you may not come in until the person reading has sat down. To do otherwise is rude. That may make you absent because you are so late.

· I will try to have all your materials graded and your final course grades available to you. Whatever is not done by this date will be available during your final.

R. Dec. 7: We will use this day only if we need to hear from folks who may have missed their reading slots for some reason.

FINAL: Thursday, Dec. 14, 8-10 am. If I have not been able to return to you your portfolio with your final course grade, you should be able to pick it up during the final.

I hope you have a wonderful break! Keep writing, keep putting things in a journal of some kind, and enjoy your life. Thank you in advance for a wonderful semester!

1