Craft of Fiction
Eh 4/6313-01
Instructor: Dr. Brad Vice
Office 315F
Email wbvice@juno.com
“Jimmy had a lovely singing
voice but all he wanted to do was
scribble, scribble, scribble.”
—Nora Joyce
Texts:
The Vintage Book of Contemporary Short Stories, ed. Tobias Wolfe (Vintage)
The Fiction Writers’ Workshop. Josip Novakovich (Story Press)
Course Objectives:
The central focus of this course is to encourage and support the writing, reading, and critiquing of
fiction in hopes that we will soon become perceptive readers and skillful, if not masterful, editors
and writers of novels and short stories. Along the way, we will engage in creative exercises, read
and critique examples of contemporary American fiction, discuss student fiction, discuss the work
of visiting authors, and eventually even give public readings of our own. We will engage in all
this activity in order to understand that creative writing is a process-oriented art form and not just
a result of spontaneity or inspiration (though it is nice when that comes along too).
Requirements: 40 pages of fiction more-or-less to be divvied up among two or three stories. You
will be asked to revise about half of the work presented for workshop. You will also be required
to write one 800 word book review on the novel of our visiting author and to write an 800 word
analysis of one of the short stories anthologized in our vintage text using the terms presented in
the Novakovich text.
Class requirements:
40 pages of fiction: 40%
Each story must be double spaced and either stapled or paper clipped. You will need to make
photocopies of your stories for each member of the class and two for me. Stories are due one full
week before they are workshopped. By the end of class, you will be required to revise your
fiction by incorporating some of the feedback you have received in workshop. All revisions will
be due during our final exam date. Since much of the classroom discussion depends on your
fiction, late manuscripts are simply unacceptable.
Critiques: 20%
For each story, every student will write a one to two-page critical evaluation, which will be turned
in on the day of the story’s workshop. This may be typed or handwritten, but you will need two
copies, one to be handed in to the author, the other to me. No late critiques will be accepted.
Warning: You may be asked to read from your critques in class. (Please note, once I know your
names, I will use these critiques to take roll. So if you haven’t read, you will not be counted as
present.)
One craft paper 750—1000 words long. 10%
One book review 800 words of Poachers by Tom Franklin. Grade 10%
Class participation: 20%
Unlike other classes, the success and failure of a workshop will depend almost solely on you.
Your opinions are vital to this class. Please come in the door with something to say.
Attendance Policy: There is no attendance policy as such. Just remember, whether you have the
measles or you’re sitting in line for concert tickets, if you aren’t in class you can’t participate. If
you are so uncaring of your fellow classmates as to skip class either the day your story or poem is
due or the day you are up for workshop, you will receive a class participation grade of 0. Class
participation points may be lost for missing the reading of our visiting writers.
Week 1 Introduction
Week 2: Introduction to Fiction Writers’ Workshop and Chapter one: Sources of Fiction. Story
#1 assignments. Introduction to Vintage text.
Week 3: Chapter two: Setting and Ron Hansen “Wickness”
Week 4: Chapter three: Character Mona Simpson “Lawns” and Andrea Debus “The Fat Girl”
workshop begins.
Week 4: Chapter four: Plot and Richard Ford “Rock Springs” workshop continued
Week 5: Chapter five: Point of View and Tim O’Brien “The Things They Carried,” Thom Jones’
“A White Horse” continue workshop, assign due date for story #2
Week 6: Chapter six: Dialogue and Scene and Denis Johnson “Emergency” workshop continued
Week 7: Chapter seven: Beginnings and Endings Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” Workshop
continued.
Week 8: Chapter eight: Description and Word Choice and Kate Braverman’s “Tall Tales From
the Mekong Delta” workshop continued
Week 9: Chapter nine: Voice and Barry Hannah’s “Testimony of a Pilot”
Week 10 Chapter ten: Revision TBA
Rest of Class. TBA readings. (Read other stories in your text and tell me the ones you like)
Workshop continued. Depending on when we finish student story #2 we may workshop revisions.
Last day of class.
Final date. Turn in entire portfolio including all papers, critiques, and revisions.