Writing Creative Nonfiction
Spring 2004
Monday 6:30-9:00
Instructor: Terri Long
Office: McGuinn 100
e-mail: longt@bc.edu
Hours: Before class, by appointment
Texts
Best American Essays 2003, Fadiman/Atwan
Best American Magazine Writing 2003
Grammar Book
Creative Nonfiction: True Stories With A Subjective Twist
Creative Nonfiction, sometimes called literary or lyrical journalism, grew out
of the work of maverick writers—Tom Wolfe and Truman Capote, for
example—who created a new form by adding a subjective twist to their
nonfiction reporting. Over the past five years, the form has come into its
own, with novelists, poets, and journalists adding their voices to the growing
number of practitioners working in the genre. Today, creative nonfiction is
the fastest growing literary form, with pieces appearing regularly in
prestigious publications such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and
Harper’s, as well as in newspapers, literary quarterlies, and online magazines.
Creative nonfiction is more than simply memoir writing or autobiography,
though both certainly fit the description. Essays that adhere to the form
are as likely to be authored by doctors, philosophers, historians, and
scientists, writing within their disciplines, as by poets, novelists, or other
artists. Stephen Jay Gould, Oliver Sacks, Tracy Kidder, and Gay Talese, to
name a few, have all written creative nonfiction essays. According to Lee
Gutkind, editor of the literary journal Creative Nonfiction, people drawn to
the creative nonfiction form have “an intellectual curiosity about the world
around us or a fresh viewpoint or approach to staid and seemingly
inaccessible disciplines.”
This semester, we’ll look with a writer’s critical eye at an assortment of
essays, examining how the pieces are put together and why they work. In our
discussions on craft, you’ll learn the techniques you need to write compelling
essays. You’ll learn to engage your readers by writing realistic dialogue,
building interesting scenes, describing dynamic characters and settings.
Exercises and homework assignments, designed to complement classroom
discussion, will give you the opportunity to experiment with structure and
form, as you learn new ways of exploring and expanding your creativity.
Essay Assignments: In addition to regular short exercises, you’ll write two
creative pieces: a two to three-page memoir and a five-page informative
essay about something you’re passionate about. Because it’s almost
impossible to write a good essay in one draft—as any practicing writer
knows, the “real” writing happens in the revision—you are encouraged to
write multiple drafts. A polished final draft of your workshop essay will be
due the last night of class.
Papers will be graded on creativity, content, style, structure, and mechanics.
All essays must be turned in the evening they are due.
Paper Format: We’ll be using the Modern Language Association (MLA)
standard manuscript format for English and the humanities.
Attendance and Class Participation: A large portion of this class will be
conducted in workshop format. Please remember: workshops help the critic
as much as they help the writer. It’s not fair to you or to your classmates,
who depend on your insight and support, if you don’t show up.
(Extra incentive: attendance and participation count toward your grade.)
Grades: Grade assessments are based on three components, ranked in the
following order: quality of essays, attendance and participation, completion
of homework and exercises.
Conferences: I’d be pleased to meet with you before class to discuss the
essay you’re working on-or to talk about writing in general. So that I’ll be
able to give you the attention you need, I ask that you schedule an
appointment the week before you’d like to meet.
Peer Critique: The peer critique is your response to the pieces presented in
the workshops. Please read each piece carefully, then write an analysis,
describing the essay’s strong points and pointing out areas where you feel
the writing might be improved. Try to make your comments as specific as
possible. Careful analysis of the peer essays will, of course, help the author,
but will also help you to become a better writer and critic.
One final note: One week before your scheduled workshop, you’ll be asked
to bring copies of your second essay to class. You must to bring enough
copies for everyone. Because this class meets in the evening, it’s nearly
impossible to distribute work outside of class. Essays not brought to class
the night they are due will not be reviewed. If an emergency forces you to
reschedule your workshop, you are responsible for: 1) finding a classmate to
switch time slots with you; 2) informing me, so I can update the schedule.
Workshops are to be rescheduled ONLY in emergency situations.
I hope you find this a rewarding and productive semester. I look
forward to sharing your work.
Work Schedule: Writing Creative Nonfiction, Spring 2004
ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS: In addition to regular exercises, you will be
writing two essays, a short, 2-3 page memoir and a longer (5 page) personalinformative essay. Your must turn in a revised draft of your first essay on
3/8; a polished draft of your second essay is due on the final night of class.
Late Papers will not be accepted. You are encouraged to do multiple
revisions. Though it is not required, I suggest that you form peer workshops,
with group members critiquing one another’s drafts.
ALL assignments are to be DOUBLE-SPACED, with 1” margins, and
MUST adhere to page limits. Shorter pieces can be fully developed by
tightening your focus.
Week One
1/26
Discussion: 1) Writers and the writing process
2) Subjectivity and Truth
3) Getting started—what interests you?
4) Brainstorming
Week Two
2/2
Reading: “On Keeping a Notebook,” handout
Writing: 1) One page reflection on writing process.
2) Copy an opening and a closing that you admire
(may be from different sources). Describe, in a
paragraph, what appeals to you and why.
Discussion: 1) Start with a punch; end with a bang.
2) Focus & Narrative form
Exercise: Revise essay open and close.
Week Three
2/9
Paper Due
Reading: “Learning to Drive,” Pollitt, BA 212
“Phoning It In,” Bing, BM 233
Writing: Paper #1 Write a 2-3 page essay describing an
experience in which you experienced an “ah-ha” moment
or learned something new. (Please keep a copy for
yourself.)
Discussion: Voice, Point of View
Exercise: Switching POV
Week Four
2/16
Reading: “Bumping Into Mr. Ravioli,” Gopnik, BA 103
Writing: Write a short (1 page) essay, where the subject
of the piece acts as a lens to expose a larger picture.
Discussion: Point of View, 2; Narrative Distance
Exercise: Altering Narrative Distance
Week Five
2/23
Reading: “Lying in Wait,” Smith, BM 131
Writing: (One page) Describe someone you love or
someone you detest. Make the description come alive.
Discussion: Description
Exercise: You’re MIA: Describe yourself.
Week Six
3/8
Rev. Due.
Reading: “The Love of My Life,” Strayed, BA 291
Writing: 1) Write a short (one-page) dialogue.
2) Revision Paper #1
Discussion: Dialogue
Exercise: Two-person dialogue writing
Week Seven
3/15
Reading: “The Learning Curve,” Gawande, BA 83
Writing: (One page) Write a short, focused story about
something you’ve done—a particular event. Incorporate
thoughts, feelings, dialogue, narration.
Discussion: 1) Focus & Meaning
Exercise: Round the class stories
Week Eight
3/22
Reading: “Horsemen Pass By,” Sullivan, BM 34
Writing: (One page) Using Sullivan’s essay as a model,
divide one of your pieces into sections. Briefly describe
the contents of each section.
Please bring a draft of one of your essays to class.
Discussion: Structure/Organization
Exercise: How Does Structure/Organization Change A
Story?
Week Nine
3/29
Reading:
“Death Isn’t Fair,” BM 292
“A Delivery for Fred Astaire,” BA 174
Writing: (One Page) Describe an issue with two sides, pro
and con, which you care about deeply. What is your
viewpoint? Why do you care about this issue?
Discussion: Setting & Atmosphere
Week Ten
4/5
Reading: “Lucky Jim,” BM 319
Writing: (One Page) Write a brief story about someone
you consider heroic. Put that person someplace specific.
Discussion: 1) Profluence
2) Emotion versus Sentimentality
Week Eleven
4/12
Reading: “I Bought a Bed,” Antrim, BA 17
Writing: (One Page) Write a brief analysis of the essay
you intend to present as your final piece. What’s working?
What isn’t? What moves the story forward?
Discussion: Revision
Please bring a copy of one your essays to class.
Week Twelve
4/26
Reading: “A Delivery for Fred Astaire,” BA 174
Writing: Write a one page opening of a new essay.
2) Make a list of questions about writing in
general or essay writing in particular. Arrange the
questions in descending order of importance.
Discussion: Answering Questions
Week Thirteen
5/3
Reading: “The Most Dangerous Beauty,” BM 3
Writing: Copy two paragraphs written by your favorite
author, then write two paragraphs of your own, imitating
his or her style. Finally, write a paragraph describing the
stylistic techniques you copied.
Discussion: Style, Edit, Final Revision
Please bring a copy of your final essay to class.
Week Fourteen
5/10
Writing: 1) Polished Draft of Workshop Essay
2) Personal Evaluation—where do you think you
are now with your writing? What has changed in your
writing this semester? How have you grown as a writer?
Discussion: Appreciating the finished product.