BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
Directed Writing: Fiction
ENG 119A-1(6182)
Michelle Hoover ~ FALL 2014
Class Time & Location: Thursdays, 2-4:50pm
Office: Rabb 231
Office Hours: Thursdays 11:45-2 & by appointment Tuesdays & Thursdays
Cell: 617-947-8272 (please use instead of office phone)
E-mail: mdhoover@brandeis.edu
Course Website: Brandeis LATTE
Course Description & Goals
An advanced fiction workshop for students primarily interested in the short story. Students are
expected to compose and revise original stories, complete typed critiques of each other’s work
weekly, and discuss readings of published short stories and essays on craft both within the classroom
and outside of it. A high level of both verbal and written student participation is required. Craft talks
and writing exercises are intended to spur fresh work while challenging students to rethink and
develop work already in progress. The overall goal of the course if for students to write work of
lasting merit and become more astute readers of fiction. Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit
basis. Admission by submission only, with instructor’s consent.
Learning Goals
 To develop and revise works of fiction, with an eye towards enhancing the writer’s unique
vision and voice.
 To expand technical and critical vocabulary in order to better identify and employ the
“tools” of a fiction writer.
 To read fiction as writers, furthering the ability to analyze short and longer works both as a
whole and in part.
 To gain an understanding of other issues relevant to aspects of craft and the writing life.
Requirements
All of the work below is required in order to pass the course:
 Submission of three short stories or novel chapters, 3-25 pages each, for a minimum of 30
pages total. Two of these submissions will be workshopped in class.
 Typed critiques of at least one page for each student workshop submission, for a total of 28
critiques. One printed copy of your critique will be given to the writer and one to the
instructor.
 At least two individual conferences in the weeks following your workshops.
 Recitation of a 100-word (minimum) passage chosen from our readings.
 Six hand-written transcriptions of at least 300 words chosen from our readings. These will be
shared and discussed in class and turned in during the final class session.
 Completion of eleven writing exercises (typed).
 Completion of assigned readings and participation in in-class discussions of student stories,
published examples, and craft essays.
 Weekly participation in online forums (on LATTE) in response to assigned readings.
 A final portfolio of two revised submissions, one new work-in-progress, writing exercise
responses, and a 1-page reflection. Submitted by email to the instructor.
1
Submission of Original Work
Students must submit their stories/chapters by email to both the instructor and other students by
midnight of the day of their deadline. If you do not submit by the date and time of your deadline,
you will lose your chance to workshop your story. Individual students are then responsible for
printing out submissions for reference during our workshop discussions. No laptops are allowed
during workshop discussions.
Critiques
Students are required to complete 1-page (minimum) responses to all work submitted to workshop.
Bring two printed copies of your critiques, one for the student and one for the instructor. Methods
for writing your critique will be discussed on the first day of class. If a workshop student doesn’t
submit his/her story/chapter to you over email by their deadline (save for technical issues), you are
released from your responsibility of reading and critiquing the story.
Individual Conferences
At the end of the class session for your workshops, students are required to make an appointment
with me for a ½-hour individual conference to discuss the workshop and your writing progress in
general. These conferences should take place during the week following your workshop, generally on
a Tuesday or Thursday.
Recitation
Students must complete one 100-word (minimum) recitation of a passage of a story of their choice
from our assigned fiction readings. Look at the “Class Plan” below for your assignment date. Be
prepared for questions about your choice of passage as well as what you might have discovered
about the story, style, or your own style and voice in completing the assignment. Recitations will
take place during class. However, if the idea of doing so freezes you in absolute terror, you may
request to complete the recitation privately during my office hours. Please do not make this request
lightly.
Transcriptions
During the course of the semester, students must complete six hand-written transcriptions of at least
300-words from favorite passages selected from our assigned fiction readings. Pay attention to what
is left in and out, the pacing of the scene/paragraph/sentence, the sentence style, the use of details,
and anything else that might stand out in light of our craft discussions or your own learning. When
we have time in class, I will call on students to discuss what they have learned in the process of
writing their transcriptions, so make sure that you are completing these transcriptions regularly
throughout the semester instead of saving them for the end. On the last day of class, I will collect all
your transcriptions. If I suspect you are not doing this assignment regularly, you may endanger your
credit for the course.
Writing Exercises
I will assign a writing exercise for every class (except week 12) beginning with our second week for a
total of eleven assignments. A certain number of students will be asked to share their exercises in
class on the day they are due, though I will not collect them. At the end of the semester, students
will submit these exercises as part of their final portfolio. If I suspect you are not doing these
assignments weekly, you may endanger your credit for the course.
2
Online Forums about Readings
Beginning with the second week of class, you are required to participate in an online forum about
our fiction and craft essay readings. The questions for these forums will change somewhat every
week, but will be in line with the following:
 For the stories, what does the author accomplish in the work that you hope to accomplish in
your own? Does the story do anything that you would hope to avoid?
 For the essays, what did you find most illuminating and useful in terms of the writing
process? What did you find confusing?
 In addition (optional), what connections might you make between the stories and the essays?
I will open the forum immediately after the previous class session and close the forum 24 hours
before the start of class. Your responses to the questions may be as short or long as you wish but
should total at least 150 words (and go easy on the long as well—we don’t want essays here, or
rants). I encourage you to respond to and answer other student responses if you wish, rather than simply
offering your own independent view, though either kind of response is acceptable. I will use your
responses to spur our class discussions of the readings.
Final Portfolio
Your Final Portfolio is due during Finals Week (exact date TBA). The portfolio must contain the
following:
 Comprehensive revisions of your two workshop submissions
 One new work-in-progress
 Eleven Writing Exercise Responses
 A one-page reflection of what you have learned during the course and how the work in your
portfolio reveals this progress.
Combined, the two revisions and new work-in-progress should contain a minimum of 30 pages.
Portfolios must be submitted as a single document to the instructor over email. Late portfolios will
not be accepted.
Absences & Late Work
In this class, there is no difference between an excused or unexcused absence. You are allowed to
miss one class during the semester for whatever reason you choose. I recommend that you save this
absence for possible emergencies or sickness, as such circumstances will not grant you additional
absences. If you miss more than one class, you will not receive credit for the course.
Whether or not you are in class, you are still expected to submit your work on time. If you have a
workshop submission due that day, you are expected to email your submission by the deadline or
you will lose your workshop slot. Make-ups are not allowed. If you miss the class period intended
for your recitation, you will need to come to my office hours in the following week to complete the
assignment. You are expected to keep up with other assignments as well, including the online
discussions of our readings. Late portfolios will not be accepted for any reason.
Computers & Smart Phones
Most of our readings can be downloaded from our website or are submitted over email by your
fellow students. For our fiction and craft essay readings, you may bring your laptops in order to
reference the work during our discussions. Otherwise, you should bring a printed-out copy of the
3
stories or essays. If I find that a student is using his/her laptop for any other reason, the class as a
whole will lose laptop privileges and must print out all work to prepare from that day forward.
Laptops are not allowed during our workshops of student work. Please have them closed or put
them away altogether. You must bring printed out-copies of these workshop submissions to class to
reference during our discussions.
You are not allowed to use your smart phones in class or have them on the table or in your laps to
view. If you do so, I will count you absent from class and/or require you to give me your smart
phone at the beginning of every class, to be returned at the end. When making appointments for our
individual conferences at the end of class, you may use your phone or laptops to check your
schedules and enter the appointment.
Grading
The course is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis. If you miss more than one class, you will not
receive credit for the course. No exceptions. If you come to class unprepared or late, fail to share
your transcriptions or writing exercises when called upon, fail to complete the readings and
participate in both in-class and pre-class online discussions, and fail to submit your critiques, you will
be marked absent. If you final portfolio is incomplete or very disappointing, you will not receive
credit for the course. Class begins promptly at 2:00pm and ends at 4:50pm. You are required to be in
attendance for the entire class meeting.
Disabilities
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have
a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.
Academic Integrity
You are expected to be familiar with, and to follow, the University’s policies on academic integrity.
Please consult Brandeis University Rights and Responsibilities for all policies and procedures. All
policies related to academic integrity apply to in-class and take home projects, assignments, exams,
and quizzes. Students may only collaborate on assignments with permission from the instructor.
Allegations of alleged academic dishonesty will be forwarded to the Director of Academic Integrity.
Sanctions for academic dishonesty can include failing grades and/or suspension from the university.
Privacy
This class requires the use of tools that may disclose your coursework and identity to parties outside
the class. To protect your privacy you may choose to use a pseudonym/alias rather than your name
in submitting such work. You must share the pseudonym/alias with me and any teaching assistants
as needed. Alternatively, with prior consultation, you may submit such work directly to me.
Communications
Outside of class, all class communications will take place on LATTE and/or through email. Though
I seldom make changes to the syllabus, any changes will be communicated in class and through
LATTE or email. If you miss class, make sure you have turned in the required work both to myself
and to the students being workshopped. Otherwise, use the syllabus as a guide for what is due the
following week.
4
Course Materials
During the course of the semester, published short stories, essays on craft, and student original
stories will be handed out or emailed by the instructor, other students and/or made available for
download on our online website (LATTE). If you are missing a reading handout, go to our website
first and look for uploaded documents. If you didn’t receive a workshop submission from a student,
be sure to email that student ASAP. It is your responsibility to attain coursework in a timely manner
to keep up with the work of the class.
COURSE PLAN
Week One
Aug. 28
Week Two
Sept. 4
Writing
Workshop Submissions Due: Arnold Barbeiro
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Openings” by Douglas Bauer
Readings Assignment: Bring to class a favorite story you’ve studied/read in the past that
has the kind of opening you’d most like to achieve in one of your own stories. Be
prepared to read the opening aloud, discuss why you found it successful, and link its
style to the methods Bauer discusses in his essay.
In-Class
Introduction
Craft Discussion: Openings
In-Class Writing Exercises: from Bauer & Character Questionnaire
Writing
Writing Exercise #1 Due (all): “Making Heroes Flawed” exercise from Bauer
Recitations Due: Sam Yoo, Abbey Shultz
Workshop Submissions Due: Deanna Heller & Caro Langenbucher
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Characters” Douglas Bauer & “Characterization” by Adam
Sexton
Story Readings Due: “Marie” by Edward P. Jones & “Child’s Play” by Alice Munro
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Developing Characters
Workshop: Arnold Barbeiro
Week Three
Sept. 11
Writing
Writing Exercise #2 Due (all): Complete at least one page (250 words) of freewriting to
determine the deepest yearnings of one of your protagonists, both concrete (the
“level” that Butler assigns to entertainment fiction at the bottom of page 41) and
abstract (the “level” that Butler assigns to literary fiction). In truth, entertainment
(commercial) and literary fiction alike require both concrete and abstract yearnings.
Recitations Due: Sarah Waldron, Aliza Vigderman
5
Workshop Submissions Due: Charlie Hiller, Benedict Noero, & Jerry Wang
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Yearning” by Robert Olen Butler
Story Readings Due: “Delicate, Edible Birds” by Lauren Groff & “The Prophet from
Jupiter” by Tony Earley
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Character-Driven Plotting
Workshop: Deanna Heller & Caro Langenbucher
Week Four
Sept. 18
Writing
Writing Exercise #3 Due (all): Think about Barth’s definition for a plot from the
assigned essay: “the incremental perturbation of an unstable homeostatic system and
its catastrophic restoration to a complexified equilibrium.” Now break it down: 1)
the incremental perturbation 2) of an unstable homeostatic system and 3) its
catastrophic restoration to a 4) complexified equilibrium. Now take a look at one of
your stories-in-progress and try to determine how your story accomplishes at least
one of these parts, according to your best understanding of Barth’s definition.
Freewrite at least half of page (150 words) to spur your thinking. The essay and the
terms are very complex, so don’t worry about making mistakes. Just do your best.
Recitations Due: Victoria Tran, Caro Langenbucher
Workshop Submissions Due: Abbey Schultz & Miriam Sokolow
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Incremental Perturbation: How to Know Whether You’ve
Got a Plot or Not” by John Barth
Story Readings Due: “The Child Downstairs” by Marcia Golub & “Araby” by James
Joyce
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Story Structure
Workshop: Charlie Hiller, Benedict Noero, & Jerry Wang
NO CLASS SEPTEMBER 25; MAKE-UP CLASS IS SEPTEMBER 23
Week Five
Sept. 23
Writing
Writing Exercise #4 Due (all): Rewrite at least one page of a story/chapter-in-progress
from a different point of view.
Recitations Due: Benedict Noero, Charlie Hiller
Workshop Submissions Due: Victoria Tran, Aliza Vigderman, Sarah Waldron
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Point of View II” by Adam Sexton (“Point of View I” is
optional)
Story Readings Due: “Gilbert’s Mother” by William Trevor & “Miss Lora” by Junot
Diaz (“Heavenly Flame” by Tatyana Tolstaya is optional)
6
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Point of View
Workshop: Abbey Schultz & Miriam Sokolow
Week Six
Oct. 2
Writing
Writing Exercise #5 Due (all): Examine one of your stories-in-progress and ask
yourself the following: What does the author (you) intend in writing the story? What
do you (the author) know about the story that your narrator and/or character may
not? What does the narrator intend in telling the story? What does the narrator know
that the character cannot? Would the character of the story understand or even know
these intentions? How does the character understand his/her own present story
situation differently than either narrator or author? Freewrite at least one page (250
words) to spur your thinking. (Remember, even in a first-person story, the narrator
and character are separate personas. The narrator is speaking from a later period of
time than the character is acting in. Therefore, the narrator usually knows what will
happen later in the story while the character does not. Due to hindsight, the narrator
also understands the character’s situation and reactions to this situation in a way that
the character—while in the situation and presently reacting to it—cannot.)
Workshop Submissions Due: Sam Yoo, Dylan Hoffman, & Arielle Ballard
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “The Author-Narrator-Character Merge” by Frederick
Reiken
Story Readings Due: “The Half-Skinned Steer” by Annie Proulx & “Malaria” by
Michael Byers
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Narrative Distance
Workshop: Victoria Tran, Aliza Vigderman, Sarah Waldron
NO CLASS OCTOBER 9 OR 16; MAKE-UP CLASS IS OCTOBER 13
Week Seven
Oct. 13
Writing
Writing Exercise #6 Due (all): “But Why Did the Queen Die?” exercise from Bauer.
You may work on both nos. 1 and 2 in Bauer’s exercise, but you only need to
complete number 2.
Workshop Submissions Due: Arnold Barbeiro, Jerry Wang, & Deanna Heller
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Putting it in Context” by Douglas Bauer
Story Readings Due: “Into Silence” by Marlin Barton & “Landscape and Dream” by
Nancy Krusoe
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
7
Craft Discussion: Context, Backstory, & Burrowing In
Workshop: Sam Yoo, Dylan Hoffman, & Arielle Ballard
Week Eight
Oct. 23
Writing
Writing Exercise #7 Due (all): Take a look at one of your stories/chapters-in-progress.
Are you using any spandrels? Try to discover at least one possibility for a spandrel
and how you might develop it throughout. Freewrite at least half of page (150 words)
to spur your thinking.
Workshop Submissions Due: Caro Langenbucher & Charlie Hiller
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Spandrels” by Robert Boswell
Story Readings Due: “Cures for Love” by Charles Baxter
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: The Scene
Workshop: Arnold Barbeiro, Jerry Wang, & Deanna Heller
Week Nine
Oct. 30
Week Ten
Nov. 6
Writing
Writing Exercise #8 Due (all): Rewrite at least one page (250 words) of one of your
stories/chapters-in-progress using one of the methods that Butler discusses in his
essay.
Recitations Due: Miriam Sokolow, Dylan Hoffman
Workshop Submissions Due: Benedict Noero & Abigail Shultz
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Cinema of the Mind” by Robert Olen Butler
Story Readings Due: “The Nature of Human Romantic Interaction” by Karl
Iagnemma
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Time & Pacing
Workshop: Caro Langenbucher & Charlie Hiller
Writing
Writing Exercise #9 Due (all): “Presence and Absence” exercise from Bauer. Instead of
“spend[ing] just an hour or so,” you only need to write a half page (150 words) for
each part of the exercise, though you can of course do more if you wish.
Recitations Due: Arielle Ballard & Deanna Heller
Workshop Submissions Due: Miriam Sokolow & Victoria Tran
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Implicit Narrative” by Douglas Bauer & “The Nature and
Aim of Fiction” by Flannery O’Conner
Story Readings Due: “Me and Miss Mandible” by Donald Barthelme
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
8
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Subtlety & Obviousness
Workshop: Benedict Noero & Abigail Shultz
Week Eleven
Nov. 13
Writing
Writing Exercise #10 Due (all): Take a look at one of your stories/chapters-in-progress
and rewrite a short section (half a page or so) using one of the techniques for
conveying emotion that Jauss discusses in his essay.
Recitations Due: Jerry Wang & Arnold Barbeiro
Workshop Submissions Due: Aliza Vigderman & Sarah Waldron
Readings
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Abstraction: Modes of
Conveying Emotion” by David Jauss
Story Readings Due: “Once the Shore” by Paul Yoon
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Abstract vs. Concrete
Workshop: Miriam Sokolow & Victoria Tran
Week Twelve
Nov. 20
Writing
Workshop Submissions Due: Sam Yoo, Dylan Hoffman, & Arielle Ballard
Reading
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Digging the Subterranean” by Charles Baxter
Story Readings Due: “Mlle. Dias De Corta” by Mavis Gallant & “Fathers and Sons” by
Ernest Hemingway
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Subtext
Workshop: Aliza Vigderman & Sarah Waldron
NO CLASS NOVEMBER 27
Week Thirteen
Dec. 4
Writing
Writing Exercise #11 Due (all): “Finally” exercise from Bauer.
Reading
Craft Essay Readings Due: “Closings” by Douglas Bauer
Story Readings Due: “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried” by Amy Hempel &
“Emergency” by Dennis Jonson
Online Forum on Readings Due One Day Before Class
In-Class
Readings, Recitations, Transcriptions, & Writing Exercises Discussions
Craft Discussion: Story Endings & Revision Techniques
9
Workshop: Sam Yoo, Dylan Hoffman, & Arielle Ballard
No Final Exam
10