Rogers State University
Fall 2005 Dr. Nat Hardy
Class Time: T/TH 9:30-10:45AM Office: BH 102A
Class Location: BH 205 Office Phone: 343-7588
Email: natwhardy@hotmail.com
Office Hours M 8:00-11:30 / T 11:00-12:30 / W 8:00-11:30 / TH 11:00-12:30
Required Texts (available at the University Bookstore in the Student Union)
• Knorr, Jeff and Tim Schell, Eds. Mooring Against the Tide: Writing Fiction and Poetry. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
• Please budget approximately $20.00 for photocopies of your work.
• Our objective in Introduction to Creative Writing is to immerse ourselves into the work of reading and writing, and to create our own community of writers. We will read a wide variety of novels, short stories and poems and discuss them. As the course progresses, we will be examining how craft transforms the source material for writing, how working at the craft of writing brings raw instinct and critical understanding into some sort of equilibrium. We will have writing exercises in class and homework assignments designed to serve as catalysts to begin writing, to sustain writing, and to help you develop your work into crafted works of fiction or poetry. Writing is about self-expression, but it is also an art with a craft and a philosophy; writing well is a matter of both passion and strategy.
• In this course you will learn how to workshop your peers’ poems and stories in informal group discussion. You will learn the protocol and vocabulary that will help you keep learning about writing long after the course is over. We will study certain forms and genres and you will learn some philosophical concepts about reading and writing and life itself.
• One poem or prose piece every week, at least one to two pages in length, for a total of nine to twelve poems and/or prose pieces for the semester.
• Writing exercises and/or reading responses on assigned readings.
• Class attendance and participation, and attendance at local poetry and fiction readings.
• Book Review
• Midterm Poetry Portfolio (nine to twelve original poems and revisions) to be turned in at the midterm of the semester.
• Final Fiction Portfolio (two to four original works of fiction and revisions) to be turned in at the end of the semester.
• Please note: The attendance policy is further qualified by this restriction: if you miss more than three classes, you will not receive an A.
Because this course consists primarily of creative work, no letter grade will be affixed to creative work. The quality of your work will be evaluated not one assignment at a time, but by your level of writing as a whole (in other words, your body of work during the semester will be evaluated at the end of the course). Generally speaking, the truly outstanding writer who is present for classes, who excels at homework, completes all assignments, is conscientious about critiquing the work of fellow students may receive an “A” for the course; the good or competent writer who attends classes regularly and completes all assignments will probably receive a “B”; the student who misses classes or assignments or whose work remains sloppy or seriously flawed may receive a “C”; the student who does not come to class or does not complete the course work may receive a lower grade than a “C” -- this is usually a rare exception as students are often eager to participate and enthusiastic about their reading and writing.
Grades will be determined according to the following percentages for each component of the course requirements:
• Poetry Portfolio with revisions: 30%
• Fiction Portfolio with revisions: 30%
• Attendance/Participation/Preparedness/In-class exercises 10%
• Workshopping (actively participating in workshops and commenting in detail on drafts) 15%
• Book Review 10%
• Presentation/Performance 5%
• Total 100%
Because your grade in this course is not derived from your performance on tests and essays but is more holistically determined from your progress over the semester, this course demands self-motivation.
90%-100% A
80%-89% B
70%-79% C
60%-69% D
01%-59% F
Attendance is mandatory for this course. I will take roll each class and each student/writer to be present. If you must miss class due to illness, please call me or email me during office hours if possible, to let me know you will not be present. If you miss class, please telephone a fellow student to see whether an assignment was given, so that you may be prepared for the next class. Three tardies count as one absence. Missed classes or tardiness will be noted during the final evaluation process. Students not attending regularly will find that their grades will reflect their lack of involvement.
Our approach to all that we see, read, or discuss will center on its instructive or intellectual potential. Since literature and film, like other arts, has the power to amuse, challenge, and offend, you may be disturbed at various times during the semester by the films we watch and the literature we read. Those students who wish to ensure against exposure to or discussion of such materials should enroll in another course.
The creative writing workshop is an open discussion of student work that has been polished then photocopied and distributed to class members the class before it is scheduled for commentary. Although you will submit a piece of writing each week (more or less), your work will not be discussed that often. I will do my best to ensure that each student is worked into workshop rotation as equally as possible. The success of this course depends on your timely involvement, so please ensure you submit your work when you are supposed to.
In workshop, when your writing is being discussed, you must not speak. I will give you some time to respond and clarify after your peers have finished discussing your work. We will take as much time as possible on each piece as we need in order to discuss all the pertinent questions and issues, this averages around 20 minutes. The more you participate, the more interesting and lively class will be, and the more each writer will be able to receive a variety of responses to his or her work. It is important to be polite, not to interrupt, and avoid talking so much that others never get an opportunity to speak. You are required to comment, not only verbally and face-to-face in class, but also in ink or pencil on your peers’ work. Your comments are expected to be helpful, polite and respectful, but also critical and insightful. Tell the writer what honestly works and what does not.
As this class teaches literary fiction at the adult level, please ensure you do not submit genre fiction, i.e., formulaic commercial fiction (conventional science fiction or fantasy, romance, children’s fiction, etc).
Your poetry should be written for an adult audience, therefore, your best poems should not be about love, God, rainbows, puppy dogs or fairy tales. In this class, you should reflect and write about your experiences with the human condition, whether good, bad, indifferent or even absurd.
Place all first drafts in the portfolio with revisions when due (see Course Outline). Please attach revision(s) to the original with a paper clip. Each portfolio can be contained in a file or pocket folder of your choice.
Poetry portfolios will be thinner than fiction portfolios, but this is not to suggest that poetry is easier to compose. Poems should range in length from a few lines -- if they are short, they had better be good -- to a one or two pages, and should be typed single-spaced.
Short stories will range in length from a paragraph to thirty pages or more, though the usual length for a conventional short story is eight to fifteen pages. Sections of longer stories, “scenes,” are completely acceptable for workshopping, and at the beginning of the course you should only write scenes. When you have a longer piece ready to workshop, do not hesitate to turn it all in at once if you like. Fiction must be typed double-spaced.
Of course you know that submitting writing that is not your own is a form plagiarism and is unacceptable under any circumstance. Committing such a crime will result in a number of unpleasant consequences, the least of which includes failing the course. I have a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism. It is an inexcusable offence and offenders will be punished to the fullest extent. Just say no to plagiarism.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Rogers State University is committed to providing students with disabilities equal access to educational programs and services. Before any educational accommodation can be provided, any student who has a disability that he or she believes will require some form of accommodation must do the following: 1) inform the professor of each class of such need; and 2) register for services to determine eligibility for assistance with the Office of Student Affairs, located in the Student Union.
Students needing more information about Student Disability Services should contact:
Michelle Taylor
Director of Student Development
Office of Student Affairs
Rogers State University
918-343-7579
Cell Phones
If you must bring a cell phone to class, please ensure that it is turned off for the duration of the class.
My 2023 Class Buddy List
Whenever I am absent (which is almost never), I will contact one of my “Class Buddies” to get the information I missed.
Name ________________________________________Phone Number_______________________________
Name ________________________________________Phone Number_______________________________
Name ________________________________________Phone Number_______________________________
Name ________________________________________Phone Number_______________________________
Name ________________________________________Phone Number_______________________________
Name ________________________________________Phone Number_______________________________
Rogers State University
Course Outline Spring 2005
This outline is subject to additions and/or deletions
Week 1
1/10 Introduction to Course;
1/12 MAT Chapter 1 1-28; WP Appendix I Literary Terms 315-320
1/17 WP Chapter 2 29-49
1/19 WP Chapter 3 50-76; Poem Due; Workshopping
1/24 WP Chapter 4 77-99
1/26 WP Chapter 5 100-123; Poem Due; Workshopping
1/31 WP Chapter 6 127-154
2/2 WP Chapter 7 154-184; Poem Due; Workshopping
2/7 WP Chapter 8 185-209
2/9 Poem Due; Poem Due; Workshopping
2/14 WP Chapter 9 210-234
2/16 WP Chapter 10 237-261; Poem Due; Workshopping
2/21 WP Chapter 11 262-289
2/23 WP Chapter 12 290-313; Poem Due; Workshopping
2/28 WF Chapter 1 1-29
3/2 WF Chapter 2 30-74; Fiction Due; Workshopping
3/7 WF Chapter 3 74-117;
3/9 WF Chapter 4 118-156; Fiction Due; Workshopping
3/14 Spring Break
3/16 Spring Break
3/21 Chapter 5 WF 157-197
3/23 Chapter 6 WF 198-253; Fiction Due; Workshopping
3/28 Chapter 7 WF 254-285
3/30 Fiction Due; Workshopping
4/4 Chapter 8 WF 287-323
4/6 Fiction Due; Workshopping
4/11 Chapter 9 WF 325-356
4/13 Fiction Due; Workshopping
4/18 Chapter 10 WF 357-394
4/20 Presentations; Fiction Due; Workshopping
4/25 Chapter 11 WF 395-409; Presentations
4/27 Presentations; General Review
5/2-6 Finals Week