Fiction and Poetry

This is a writing course with no prerequites. It is offered at Carlisle and Lancaster, both sessions.

Description found on CTY Website (http://cty.jhu.edu/summer/catalogs/os/oswriting.html#incw):

Introduction to Creative Writing

E. L. Doctorow says, “Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” In this class, students draw inspiration from published works, journals, and rough drafts of authors such as Flannery O’Connor, John Updike, Rita Dove, and Li-Young Lee. Examining a range of content, techniques, styles, and structures, students use discussions and workshop techniques to discover what it means to read like a writer. For instance, they may debate the distinction between the realistic and the fantastic in García Márquez’s short story “I Sell My Dreams” or the value of concrete imagery in Bishop’s poem “The Fish.”

Beginning with a spark of an idea and moving through the drafting and revising stages, students write three short stories. They also craft a number of poems in various forms, such as the villanelle, a sestina, and iambic free verse. Throughout the writing process, classmates and the instructor provide frequent feedback on each student’s drafts, often in a workshop format.

Class presentations, frequent close reading activities, and writing exercises help students identify and practice the elements of lively, powerful creative writing: vivid, precise diction and specific details; deft control of tone; figurative language, including metaphor; careful use of irony and point of view; and variety in structure.

Note: This course focuses on realistic, literary fiction and poetry. The genres of science fiction, fantasy, romance, and mystery are not part of this course.

Sample texts: Materials compiled by the instructor; supplemental texts such as Best American Short Stories of the Century, ed. Updike and Behind the Short Story: From First to Final Draft, Van Cleave and Pierce; Poetry: Pocket Anthology, Gwynn.