Advanced Creative Writing (307-0-20)

Topic

What Happens Next? Structure, Plot, and Suspense i

Instructors

Sarah Kokernot

Meeting Info

University Hall 118: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

You can write a beautiful sentence, bust out of the gate with an enticing premise, and clairvoyantly reveal your character's rich interior life to say something profound about the human condition---but at some point your story loses momentum and fizzles out. Answering the simple question of "What happens next?" is a powerful impulse that drives us as readers, and it should likewise, drive us as writers. Learn to grow your brilliant ideas into tense, invigorating stories. Put your beautiful sentences to work in the service of plot and character. And dive deep into a character during moments of conflict.

Students will explore structure, plot, and suspense through a variety of interdisciplinary, playful writing exercises that employ visual media and also other texts, encouraging spontaneity while adhering to constraints of form. Be prepared to write at least one full-length story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Class Materials (Required)

Thrill Me by Benjamin Piercy. PDFs of short stories and excerpts from longer texts available on Canvas.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-Requisite: Students must have taken & passed English 206-0 to enroll.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required