English 202

Introduction to Creative Professor Ostrom

Writing (Short Fiction) Office: Library 269

Phone: x3434; x3235

Office hours: T-Th, 9:30-10:30; M, 1:00-2:00; appointments, too. I teach five days a week, so I'm around quite a lot.

The short story has roots in ancient oral and written narrative traditions, but in a sense it was also reinvented about 150 years ago. It shares some characteristics with the novel and with poetry, but it is also very much its own kind of writing.

Most of you will not go on to become professional writers of short fiction, nor is training you to become professional an aim of the course. However, one aim is to let you study a form of literature as both critic and writer--from the outside and the inside, if you will. Other aims are to give you a sense of the short story's history, to introduce you to narrative theory, to give you some strategies for discussing and writing about literature, and to introduce you to the process of producing successful stories. Short fiction is one kind of literature you might well read throughout your life. So studying and writing short stories now should bear gifts with substantial shelf-life.

Along the way, you will learn things that will apply to other kinds of reading and writing--and to other art forms, especially ones that use narrative; you will assimilate things you've learned elsewhere in college; you will learn more about your values and preoccupations (fiction reveals these whether you intend it to or not); and you will learn a lot about collegiality--giving and taking criticism, helping each other become better readers and more imaginative writers.

In a book about Zen Buddhism, Shunryu Suzuki writes, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few." The beginner, in other words, has it better than the expert; that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. One of our main tasks, therefore, will be to emphasize all of the possibilities open to writers and readers of short fiction. Enter the class with a spirit of adventure, even if you are a jaded junior or senior.

I use an array of classroom formats: full-group discussions of stories, terminology, and technique; small-group work on stories-in-progress; lecturettes (this is not the name of a former Motown group); pre-planned, oxymoronic spontaneous writing exercises; and, when your stories are completed, formal work-groups (black-tie optional). Beware: I will frequently ask you to write with no notice--and to read aloud what you or someone else has written; mortification may ensue.

Some other expectations and "fair warnings":

1. Come to class every session and come on time. Chronic absence can affect your grade severely and may result in disenrollment.

2. Keep up with the reading and the writer's notebook.

3. If you get behind or don't understand something I've said or assigned, see me sooner rather than later.

4. Do not eat in class.

Bring the writer's notebook to class every day.

If you submit work late or miss an in-class assignment, do not assume that I will accept the work or allow you to make up the assignment. You should probably assume the opposite.

You will often be required to make photocopies of your work at your own expense.

Take writing exercises and due dates for drafts of stories seriously. Exercises and drafts are not intended as busy work but as crucial steps along the way to writing more powerful stories and finding out more about the genre.

Between now and December, I will give you several UNANNOUNCED quizzes on the reading and discussions. If you miss a quiz, you cannot make it up in this time-space continuum.

Joyce Carol Oates, ed. Telling Stories: An Anthology for

Writers. New York: Norton, 1998.

Hans Ostrom, Lives and Moments: An Introduction To Short

Fiction. Ft. Worth: Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1991.

One story collection by one author; you will select this book from a list I provide, borrow the collection from the library, read and analyze it. More on this later.

The following percentages are approximate:

Writer's notebook: 15 per cent.

Three stories or two stories and a substantial revision: 55 per cent (total).

Participation, attendance, contribution to the workgroup:

20 per cent.

Reading quizzes: 10 per cent

Since we are exploring the possibilities open to the beginner, what you write about is essentially up to you, though of course we will spend time on how to get and develop ideas for stories.

Experience has led me to impose a couple of restrictions, however. Anyone wishing to write science fiction or fantasy must check with me first, and no one may write more than one science fiction or fantasy story. Really, the same goes for any "genre" or "category" story, something we'll discuss in class. ("Genre" or "category" fiction confronts writers with special problems and challenges.) Also, one of the attractive but dangerous possibilities open to beginners is the story about (and even from the point of view of) animals. I advise against this type of story. You can imagine how I feel about stories concerning animals in space. Try not to begin a story with someone waking up; do your utmost to avoid ending a story by suggesting that "it was all a dream."

HOW TO SUBMIT STORIES TO ME

Stories must be typewritten (or word-processed), double-spaced, with adequate margins. Make sure your typewriter or (more likely) printer has a fresh ribbon/cartridge.

Put your last name on every page. Clip, don't staple, the copy you turn in to me. Always keep a copy of the story for yourself.

Stories must be accompanied by a rough draft and notes or I will not grade them. If you use a word-processor exclusively, print drafts as you work on the story.

Submit stories in a plain manila FOLDER, not an envelope that bears your name. When you make copies for your workgroup, do not count the copy you will give to me. No plastic folders, please.

All stories must have page numbers and an interesting title. "Story Number One" is, in most circumstances, not an interesting title. Do not use a title page.

THE WRITER'S NOTEBOOK

The writer's notebook is a crucial feature of the course. It is designed to improve your powers of observation, your ability to see and hear incidents, objects, dialogue, and the other "raw material" of short fiction. It will also help you respond to and analyze short stories, and to apply discussions of theory, technique, and terminology. In this sense, it is also a reader's notebook. THE WRITER'S NOTEBOOK IS DIFFERENT FROM YOUR EVERYDAY CLASS NOTEBOOK.

Here is what is supposed to be in your notebook at the end of the term:

1. "Picked-up Pieces": Practice pieces, imitations, parodies, sketches, and so forth. Some will come from me and from teachers and writers I know. Some you will think of on your own. Basically, the purpose of these is to keep you writing, to allow you to try new things, and to give you a shot at a piece of writing without worrying about a grade. How many? I don't know, but we'll keep a running tally.

2. Responses to each story we read for class. I cannot give a number because I usually add stories to the ones listed on the syllabus. Responses should be about a page in length. Start with a "gut reaction," if you like. But then zero in on different aspects of the narrative--something that confused, intrigued, pleased, or disturbed you. Do not write plot summaries. Analyze, evaluate, question. One important task is to incorporate the terminology as we develop it during the term--to think about conventions of narration. Also, copy sentences you love into your notebook; this is important.

3. Responses to 15 so-called "classic" stories. Write a one-page response to the following stories, most of which are considered "classics." In your response, feel free to question this status, however. If you think the emperor has no clothes, say so, say why. If you have read the story before, then analyze it from a new angle, or explain how your reaction to it has changed over time; we never step into the same narrative river twice, after all. Here are the stories, all of them in Lives and Moments (read them in any order you wish):

Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Young Goodman Brown"

Ivan Turgenev, "Bezhin Meadow"

Herman Melville, "Bartleby the Scrivener"

Anton Chekhov, "Gooseberries"

Henry James, "The Pupil"

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper"

O. Henry, "The Gift of the Magi"

Sholem Aleichem, "On Account of a Hat"

Stephen Crane, "The Blue Hotel"

Yasunari Kawabata, "The Mole"

Guy de Maupassant, "The Necklace"

Katherine Anne Porter, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"

Willa Cather, "Paul's Case: A Study in Temperament"

Sherwood Anderson, "The Egg"

Franz Kafka, "A Hunger Artist"

Before you start reading the classic stories, please read the brief "Introduction to Early Voices" in LIVES AND MOMENTS, PP. 37-44.

I recommend that you use a blue laboratory notebook, standard size, lined (not graph) pages with numbers. Bring it to class each session, rain or shine. You may want to keep each category separate, but if not, at least label each entry (Observation #1, Classic Story Response #5, Story response #10, and so forth). If you'd rather work on a computer, that's fine, but keep printing out entries, keep them together, and bring them to class, just as you would the lab notebook.

FAIR WARNING: If you work on the notebook steadily, it won't be a problem. It works out to about one classic-story response per week, for example. But if you procrastinate, the notebook can be big trouble.

The schedule is detailed but also subject to change. Bring it to class every session so you are able to note changes. If something looks out of kilter to you, be sure to ask about it. I will always elaborate upon and clarify assignments that may seem tersely worded below.

Part One: The Story: Precursors, History, Characteristics; Facts Into Fiction, Characters in Conflict, and Stories Springing from "Language Itself."

Monday, August 30. A working definition of "the short story." A discussion of the course and your responsibilities. Some writing. For next time, read Updike's "A & P" and Njabulo Ndebele's "Death of a Son." Read Oates’ essay, "Why We Read, Why We Write." Write responses, list conflicts in each story. READ THE SYLLABUS CAREFULLY AND DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO STAY IN THE COURSE. Notebook assignment: TBA.

Wednesday, September 1. Discussing your inaugural story responses. Interpretation as a lens. The deeper truths of invention. Conflicts in the Updike and Ndebele stories. Some conventions and definitions--conflict, resolution, and so forth. Also read (in Oates) Chekhov, "The Student" and James Wright, "The Turtle Overnight" and "Regret for a Spider Web." A piece on work, perhaps. For Friday, write about a friend or acquaintance.

Also, for background, read "The Evolution of the Short Story," pp. 1-8, and "Writing Stories," pp. 25-32, in LIVES AND MOMENTS.

Friday, September 3. A look at what you wrote (Wednesday’s assignment). Staying alert to language itself.

Wednesday, September 8. For today, read Liliana Heker, "The Stolen Party" and (in Oates) Jane Martin, "Twirler," and W.C. Williams, "The Use of Force." Brainstorming ideas for stories: many options. Define "significant" and "detail." A brief word about point of view, first and third.

Friday, September 10. More invention work.

Monday, September 13. Bring in a one-page description of your main character and three pages of a story. We will discuss the protocol for group work. Now is a good time to chat about your story with a writing advisor at the Writing Center.

Wednesday, September 15. Our stories alive in the air.

Friday, September 17. Substantial rough draft due. Work hard on your story over the weekend.

Monday, September 20. Read Jayne Anne Phillips, "Bess," and Fiona Barr, "The Wall-Reader." In Oates, read Grimm’s fairy tales, "Little Red Cap" and "Little Snow White" and the companion pieces, "The Werewolf" (Angela Carter) and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (Anne Sexton). Getting ready for Wednesday.

Wednesday, September 22. Stories due. Review guidelines for preparing and submitting stories. Make copies. Review group-work guidelines. Come on time.

Friday, September 24. Continue group work. (This is a good time to be reading classic stories.)

Monday, September 27. Continue group work.

Wednesday, September 29. For today, read Langston Hughes, "On the Road," and Zorah Neale Hurston, "Sweat" and (in Oates), "How It Feels to Be Colored Me." Also in Oates, read Jack Kerouac, "Passing Through Tangiers" and the narrative poems by Gary Soto starting on p. 358. In your view, what's the most powerful story we've read so far and why?

Friday, October 1. Ways of letting characters talk: for today, read Hemingway, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" and Mansfield, "The Fly." In Oates, read D.H. Lawrence, "Tickets, Please." Make some observations about dialogue, if you please, and be able to explain exactly how it is punctuated. Assignment: listen to your friends talk. (I’ll elaborate on this in class.)

Monday, October 4. Place and memory: Sesshu Foster, "The Street of the Fathers," and (in Oates, Abby Frucht, "Fruit of the Month"). An exercise in remembering/inventing details of setting. Be thinking about your second story.

Wednesday, October 6. List of story collections/authors provided. Some writing.

Friday, October 8. Ideas for second stories. Some narrative theory, including histoire vs. recit.

Monday, October 11. For today, narrow your list of story collections you're thinking of reading. A visit to the library.

Wednesday, October 13. Working on your second stories.

Friday, October 15. Some work on style.

Monday, October 18. Fall Break Day. Get your breaks checked.

Wednesday, October 20. Rough draft due. Sign up for conferences.

Friday, October 22. Stories due. Make copies. Be on time. Group work.

Monday, October 25. Group work.

Wednesday, October 27. Group work.

Friday, October 29. Group work (if necessary).

Monday, November 1. Conferences in Library 269: Bring your notebook and your first story, please. NOTE: THIS NEXT WEEK IS AN EXCELLENT TIME TO CATCH UP ON READING (CLASSIC STORIES) AND THINK ABOUT THE REVISION OPTION.

Wednesday, November 3. Conferences.

Friday, November 5. Some experimental writing. Read Brautigan's "The Ghost Children of Tacoma" and (in Oates) Raymond Carver, "Why Don’t You Dance?" and Joy Harjo, "The Flood" and Maxine Kumin, "400-Meter Freestyle."

Monday, November 8. Revision and editing. In Oates, read the two versions of James Joyce’s "The Sisters."

Wednesday, November 10. More work on style.

Friday, November 12. Ideas for the third story or the substantial revision.

Monday, November 15. More metropolitan writing.

Wednesday, November 17. More metropolitan writing.

Friday, November 19. Draft due.

Monday, November 22. You report on the story collection you read.

Wednesday, November 24. To be announced.

Friday, November 26. No classes.

Monday, November 29. One last look at the third story or substantial revision.

Wednesday, Dec. 1. Stories due. Group work.

Friday, Dec. 3. Group work.

Monday, Dec. 6. Group work. Notebooks due.

Wednesday, Dec. 8. Group work.

FINIS.