Creative Writing
Mr. Nate Graziano
Rm. 1030
ngraziano@sau53.org
(phone) X 1030
Pembroke Academy Mission Statement:
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Pembroke Academy is a community of
lifelong learners within which each
individual is known and valued.
We believe high school is a transitional
experience that prepares each student to achieve, contribute, and thrive in the 21st
Century.
We commit to rigorous academic and personal standards, while acknowledging
these are accomplished in various ways.
We value depth of understanding and believe learning is student-centered, fostering
problem solving and complex thinking in both independent and collaborative
work.
We practice democratic ideals within an ethical, civil, and tolerant culture while
contributing to family, community, nation, and world
Course Essential Question: What does it mean to be a human being, and how is this
condition explored through creative writing?
Course Description: This course is focused around the analysis and composition of
creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry and screenwriting. You will be experimenting with
different styles, forms, and narrative techniques, as well as an eclectic body of contemporary
and classic work. Keep in mind: any good writer READS far more than they produce, so
don’t be disillusioned into to thinking this is solely a writing course. This course requires nightly
reading assignments along with the writing. If you are not reading a selected essay, story, poem or
play, you will be asked to read and critique one of your classmate’s pieces and/or participate
in a number of independent reading assignments.
This course emphasizes the writing process. We will establish a workshop environment
where we can openly share and discuss our work. Rewriting and revisions are a requirement,
seeing good writing means rewriting. We will also examine the submission process, in which
you’ll be researching markets, writing cover letters, and preparing work for submission for
publication. At the end of each unit, you will be required to turn in a portfolio your most
accomplished work produced in the class. The course will conclude with a group project
where you will adapt one of your classmate’s stories into a screenplay and produce a short
film.
Texts: The texts you’ll be reading in the course are primarily photocopied from a sundry list
of sources, ranging from mainstream magazines—such as Harper’s, Esquire, and The
Atlantic—to small academic and literary journals, to individual collections of essays, poetry
and fiction and different literary anthologies. I share whatever I can dig up that I find
interesting and provocative. The material covered changes according to what is being
published today—as an emphasis is placed on contemporary literature, as opposed to Canon
classics. You will also be required to do outside reading, in which you’ll choose novels and
poetry collections published in the past five year to read and deconstruct through close,
annotated readings. Some the following texts are frequently taught:
Creative Nonfiction: Excerpt from “Townie” by Andre Dubus III; “The Fourth State of
Matter” by Jo Ann Beard; “The Youth in Asia” by David Sedaris; “My Father’s Life” by
Raymond Carver; “Fat Girl Rhapsody” by Roxane Gay; “Killing Chickens” by Meredith
Hall; Excerpt from Kate Christensen’s Blue Plate Special.
Short fiction: “Backrub” Tom Perrotta; “Greasy Lake” T.C. Boyle; “What We Talk About
When Talk About Love” Raymond Carver; “Popular Girls” Karen Shepard; “How To Talk
To A Hunter” Pam Houston; “Car Crash While Hitchhiking” Denis Johnston; “Sarah Cole:
A Type of Love Story” Russell Banks; “Mouses” Thom Jones; “Hills Like White Elephants”
Ernest Hemingway; “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” Sherman Alexi; “My Amendment”
George Saunders; “Ask If I Care” Jennifer Egan; The Art of Fiction John Gardner
Flash fiction/vignettes: “Incarnations of a Burned Child” David Foster Wallace; ‘A Very Short
Story” Ernest Hemingway; “Rose” John Biguenet; “Why You Shouldn’t” Samantha
Schoech; “Snakes” Daniel Crocker; “Brisket” Stuart Dybek; “Rib” Kim Chinquee; “The
Great Responsibility” Rusty Barnes; excerpts from A House on Mango Street Sandra Cisneros;
Bad Writing directed by Vernon Lott
Poetry: “The Ben Franklin of Monogamy” Jeff McDaniel; “Some People” Charles Bukowski;
“Careful What You Ask For” Jack McCarthy; “Sestina Aguilera” Matthew Guenette; “How
It Will End” Denise Duhamel; “Here, Bullet” Brian Turner; “Strip Poker” David Kirby;
“Kelly, Ringling Bros. Oldest Elephant Goes On Rampage” Joel Brouwer; “On a Maine
Beach” Robley Wilson; “Thesaurus” Billy Collins; “Home to Roost” Kay Ryan; “Marriage”
Gregory Corso; “This is Just to Say” WC Williams; “Barbie Doll” Marge Piercy; “What
Work Is” Philip Levine; “Home for Christmas” Franz Wright; “The Waking” Theodore
Roethke; “Chicks Dig War” Drew Gardner; “First Writing Since” Suheir Hammad; “What
Teachers Make” Taylor Mali; “Beethoven” Shane Koyczan; “Skinhead” Patricia Smith;
“Thunder Road” Bruce Springsteen.
**note: Some of the material we read in this course covers some adult themes, content and language; although
I can assure you it is not pornographic or gratuitous. If you are sensitive or offended by adult themes, please
see me at the beginning of the course.
Tentative Syllabus: The writing assignments in this class will be divided, as I mentioned
above, into four sections: creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry and screenwriting. The
emphasis will be placed on poetry and fiction. Below is a tentative breakdown of your
weekly assignments.`
Creative Nonfiction:
“We are a species who needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem
to share this longing, which is one of the reasons they write so little.” –Anne Lamott
Week 1: The memoir/personal essay/analyzing craft techniques
Week 2: Critiquing student work/work on drafts
Week 3: Student-conferences and peer-editing groups
Week 4: Revisions, copy-editing, and student-led conferences *Creative non-fiction essay
Fiction:
“Thus the value of great fiction, we begin to suspect, is not just that it entertains us or
distracts us from our troubles, not that it broadens our knowledge of people and places, but
also it helps us to know what we believe, reinforces those qualities that are noblest in us,
leads us to feel uneasy about our faults and limitations.” --John Gardner
Week 5-6: A sketch of a character/ Red Barn exercise/ notes on fiction writing
Week 7-8: A Park Bench/Song Story: a dialogue-driven story/ the unreliable narrator.
Week 9-10: A Childhood Story: a story based on a personal experience/ the retrospective
voice.
Week 11-12: Rewriting/ Exploring the Second-Person/experimental prose/style.
Week 13-14: Shake up Point-of-view Story: A story written from the opposite sex
p.o.v/psychic distance.
Week 15-16: An Article Story: story based on a newspaper article/historical fiction
Week 17-18: A Modern Retelling of a Myth or Fairy Tale/plotting
Week 19-20: Revision and Editing/ Submissions: Working towards a final draft/flash fiction.
Poetry:
“A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses his feelings through words. This may
sound easy. It isn't.”---e.e. cummings
Week 21-22: Flash fiction/ the vignette/prose poems
Week 23-24: An image-driven poem—a haiku or a picture in words/ line breaks/ form.
Week 25-26: Metaphors and figurative language
Week 27-28: Sound devices and rhymes.
Week 29-30: The fixed forms—a villanelle/sonnet/sestina.
Week 31-32: The narrative poems/ persona poems
Week 33-34: Spoken word and music/bad poetry contest.
Screenwriting:
“All writing is discipline, but screenwriting is a drill sergeant” ---Robert McKee
Week 35: Elements of screenwriting/playwriting/formatting a screenplay/sample one-act
plays and screenplays/ Adaptations/Collaborative writing of a one-act play or screenplay for
a short film.
Week 36-37: Production and presentation of dramatic piece/ Final exam
The last two weeks of each unit are usually workshop-intensive as students compile, reflect and prepare to
turn in portfolios. We also conference and allot time for student presentations during this time.
Final Assessment: Your final assessment will consist of two parts: a reading and writing
section. The reading section is a cold reading of a short story, a piece of flash fiction, and
three poems. For the writing portion, you will need to use the narrative, fiction and poetry
portfolios to pull passages that demonstrate an understanding of the core concepts in the
course.
Homework: You can count on having a reading assignment just about every night in this
course. It is expected that you read. We will have class discussions on the reading—for which
you’ll be expected to participate. Occasionally, there will be reading quizzes to assure that it
is being done. Also, students will frequently be asked to lead our daily discussions of the
literature, which involves preparing thought-provoking questions before the class they’ve
been asked to lead.
You will also be expected to be writing and revising continually in this course. The basic
procedure is as follows: Drafts of writing pieces will be checked on Fridays. A revisions and
reflections of a writing assignment will be checked on Wednesdays. If you do not stay on
top of the writing assignments, you will not pass this course.
Portfolios: You’re portfolios will consist of what you consider to the best writing you’ve
done over each unit. The final copies of portfolio pieces will need to contain a minimum of
three drafts and a final-typed copy in manuscript form (manuscript form is covered in the
class). You will also need to complete 1-2 page typed self-analysis for each portfolio in
which you make specific textual references to your work. These are the only two summative
assessments in writing. Failure to turn in a portfolio will likely result in failure of the course.
Presentations/Independent reading: Students will be required to do a presentation on a
contemporary author each quarter. This means you will need to find a contemporary
published book, read it outside of class, and write a review of this author’s book that
demonstrates critical analysis skills. You will also be required to do a presentation on the
author that includes biographical information and quotes and research gained from
interviews with the author (personal or published). These presentations will count as both
reading and listening and speaking summative grades. Failure to complete either of these assignments
will likely result in failure of the course.
Workshops/Class Participation: I’d like to note that due the nature of a writing
workshop, it is absolutely vital that you participate in the class. This involves reading each
other’s work, making constructive comments and suggestions, and staying on top of all the
assigned reading. Everybody in the class will be required to submit a story and a poem for workshop.
This means that your work will be read, critiqued and discussed by the class. There will be
sign-up sheets and you will be given a date that your piece will be up for workshop weeks in
advance. It is absolutely mandatory—barring a complete medical or personal disaster—that
you are in class on the day you’re up for workshop. If you refuse to participate in
workshops, your grade will suffer accordingly. Thus, logically speaking, if you are frequently
absent from class, you cannot participate and your grade will be affected.
Technology: All assignments in this class need to be typed (prose double-spaced) so access
to word processing technology is highly suggested. Also, all assignments in this course will
be posted on Google Classroom and can be turned in throughout the site as well. If students
own a laptop, it is suggested that they bring it to class each day.
Absence Procedures: Obviously, excessive absences will affect your grade. However,
consult the student handwork for make-up work procedures if you have an excused absence.
You are responsible for getting your make-up work and turning it in. I will not come to you.
Vacations and Unexcused Absences: According to New Hampshire law, absences due to
vacations that occur during regularly scheduled school days are considered unexcused.
Students must communicate any such absences as soon as possible (at least five days in
advance) to their teachers and to the Assistant Principal of their house (Walker House or
Blanchard House). As with other unexcused absences, students will not receive credit for
any formative work assigned or due during that time. Students need to make arrangements
with their teachers to make up any summative assessments that were missed within a
reasonable time frame designated by the teacher.
A note on college-level work
Please be aware that this course awards college credits through Southern New
Hampshire University’s dual enrollment program. Students may choose this option,
which will be explained in detail, but they are not required. However, it does mean that
this course is taught at a college-level and college-level writing is required. In other
words, the writing will require rigorous revision, and the expectation that students
produce coherent, structurally sound, thoughtful pieces of writing is non-negotiable.
This also means that students will be held accountable for their own work and must
cultivate the type of autonomy that college work requires. Remember, writing is
thinking, and to write clearly, one must first think clearly. In no small terms, this is the
essence of education, as well as coming to an understanding of our thoughts, identity
and experiences as human beings.