Beginnings, Endings, Turns

Course Description

You have begun writing a great poem, but how does it end? Sometimes you feel on the verge of writing an arresting story, but how does it begin? This course examines the shocking, the smooth, the gnarly, and the breathtaking ways authors lead their readers into and out of a literary work. The last part of the course will focus on turns, climax, and leaps. Students will have a chance to share writing in a workshop setting and learn to respond to each other's work with encouraging criticism, developing their understanding of workshop ethics. Readings will be chosen from world literature and creative writing handbooks. Students will develop a nuanced understanding of mechanics, such as plot construction, pacing, withholding information, use of imagery, poetic line, and leaps. For the final project, students will choose a form to concentrate on: poetry, short story, or novel. If novel is chosen, students will compose arresting beginning, climax, and ending scenes for a novel they imagine writing one day.

Required Text

There will be a course reader.