Syllabus
MPW 960 – Fiction workshop
3 Units
Section 39215D
Fall semester – 2008
Tuesday 4 p.m.-6:40 p.m.
Classroom: TTH 105
Instructor: Judith Freeman
Email: Scout3@earthlink.net
Cellphone: 213-392-0015
Office hours: If you need to discuss anything, please email me to set up an appointment.
A good reader must fondle the details. A good writer
makes details to fondle. Nabokov
Begin to see who you are instead of calculating what
is to become of you. Kafka
I believe that all writing that has any life in it is done with
the solar plexus. It is hard work in the sense that it may leave
you tired, even exhausted. In the sense of conscious effort it is
not work at all. The important thing is that there should be a
space of time, say four hours a day at least, when a professional
writer doesn’t do anything else but write.
Raymond Chandler
Introduction and Purpose of Class:
This class will explore narrative techniques as applied to the short story, as well as the longer form of the
novel, with an emphasis on reading and writing assignments. It is not a lecture course, but rather a fiction
workshop where students will generate stories and critique each other’s work. We will be looking at
various narrative elements, in particular the development of voice and point of view, the necessity of
creating rich atmosphere and a sense of place and characters that live on the page, with an emphasis on the
importance of vitality, emotional truth, and movement in a story. The course will also focus on developing
editing skills to enable each student to become a better editor of his/her own work.
Course Requirements and Grades:
Each student will be required to write two original stories for the class---one shorter, not to exceed six
pages, and one longer, approximately twelve to fifteen pages. In certain cases I will consider accepting
chapters of novels-in-progress. If there is any indication that the work is NOT original, meaning that it was
written earlier and is being resubmitted for my class, that student’s grade will drop one full letter.
Additionally, there will be a reading assignment each week and a discussion of that work of fiction (please
see course readings section for reading assignments). There may also be short writing assignments in the
form of exercises that focus on a particular aspect of narrative technique. During the first session we will
create a calendar so each student will know when his/her first and second stories (or chapters) will be due.
Each student will be responsible for emailing his/her story to other class members FIVE days before the
assignment is due to give everyone enough time to assess the work and be prepared to discuss it in class.
Participation in these discussions will be a major component of a student’s grade. Students will also be
asked to occasionally read a portion of their work aloud in class as a means of developing an ear for how
one’s writing can benefit from hearing the text spoken.
Required texts:
Alice Munro’s story collection, Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, Edited by Ben Marcus (2004)
Gustave Flaubert’s “A Simple Heart”
Raymond Carver’s story, “Errand” plus excerpt from Henri Troyat’s biography of
Anton Chekov*
Roberto Bolano’s story “The Insufferable Gaucho”*
T Cooper’s story “Swimming”*
Joy Williams’ story “Honored Guest”*
Louise Erdrich’s story “The Plague”*
(* indicates these stories will be xeroxed for students and handed out (or downloaded from internet), as
they may be difficult to locate. All other texts should be purchased by students)
Grading Breakdown
15% of the grade will be based on attendance and participation
35% on quality of the work submitted
25% on critique of others’ work
25% on completion of exercises
There will be no final exam: the second story will serve as a final paper
Class sessions and reading assignments:
Each session will begin with a discussion of that week’s reading assignment. The last half of class,
following break, will focus on the student work to be considered that week.
Aug 25 We’ll lay out the goals of the class, discuss structure, and establish a
calendar for when stories from each student will be due. Be prepared to
discuss Alice Munro’s story “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship,
Marriage”
Sept 2 Story structure: discussion of Alice Munro’s story “Floating Bridge.”
Sept 9 Discussion of Mary Gaitskill’s story “Tiny Smiling Daddy.” We’ll focus on the
subtle weaving of sense of place and landscape into a narrative. Also how a
sense of time functions in narrative.
Sept 16 Discussion of Jhumpa Lahiri story, “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”
The emphasis in this class will be on character, and voice: How do we decide
which voice to use in a story---first person or third?
Sept 23 Discussion of Raymond Carver’s “The Errand” and excerpt from Henri Troyat’s
biography of Chekov. We’ll be looking at how to take characters from real life,
or historical episodes, and transform fact into fiction. (exercise to be assigned)
Sept 30 Reading for this evening will be Joy Williams’ story, “Honored Guest.” Focus
on narrative “voice” and what propels a story.
Oct. 7 Discussion of Deborah Eisenberg’s story “Someone to Talk to.” We’ll
examine ways to incorporate a sense of the “other” into narrative---how our
travels to foreign places can be a rich source of inspiration for our stories.
Oct 14 Reading: Louise Erdrich’s story “The Plague” Discussion will center on the idea
of using one’s own childhood or ancestral landscape for fiction: how do we draw
on our own stories, in a fusion of memory & imagination?
Oct 21 Reading for this evening is the story “Swimming” by T Cooper. What is not
said in a story is often as important or more so than what is, and we’ll look at
this story as an example of this principle. Also folding past events into present action.
Oct 28 Reading: My own short story, “The Death of a Mormon Elder,” from my first book, Family
Attractions. I’ll relate the genesis of that story, how we are often inspired by other writers’ fiction
In a very direct way.
Nov 4 Reading: Roberto Bolano’s story “The Insufferable Gaucho,” which deals in
a subtle form of magic realism and blurs the lines of reality.
Nov 11 Reading: Brian Evenson’s “Two Brothers” will enable us to further
explore the subject of hyper-realism.
Nov 18 A.M. Homes’ story “Do Not Disturb.” Emphasis will be on pacing of narrative,
dialogue, characterization, and endings.
Nov 25 Reading: “The Caretaker” by Anthony Doerr. We’ll consider plot, and the
difference between plot and story, and why some stories require
greater length to realize their power.
Dec 2
Reading: Gustave Flaubert’s long story, “A simple Heart.” We’ll turn to a
Master of narrative to consider a story with a time frame of an entire life.
Neither short story nor novel, Flaubert’s great work falls somewhere inbetween.
We’ll consider the “novella” form as a narrative option.
Optional Texts:
The Artful Edit: I recommend buying Susan Bell’s helpful little book, which was
recently published to help writers become better editors of their own work. It’s
available from W. W. Norton & Co.
The Emigrants, by W. G. Sebald. An original imagining of fictional technique
The Stranger, by Albert Camus. A short, swift, dark story from the existential master
The Loved One, by Evelyn Waugh. A comic masterpiece set in L.A.
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved
accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the
semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Statement of Academic Integrity
USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include
the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be
will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own
academic work from misuse by others was well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All
students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook,
contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in
Appendix A:
http:/www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office of Student
Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic
dishonest. The Review process can be found at.
http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.