Professor Carol Guess
Office: Humanities 267 Office hours: Tues/Thurs 5-6pm and by appointment
carolguess@aol.com (please use email to contact me)
English 451
Creative Writing Seminar: Fiction
In "Notes of a Lyric Artist Working in Prose," Carole Maso writes:
Together, many novelists, now commodity makers, have agreed on a recognizable reality, which they are all too happy to impart as if it were true. Filled with hackneyed ways of perceiving, clichéd, old sensibilities, they and the publishing houses create traditions which have gradually been locked into place. They take for granted: the line, the paragraph, the chapter, the story, the storyteller, character.
In this course we will act as "lyric artists working in prose," revising our assumptions about "the line, the paragraph, the chapter, the story, the storyteller, character." We will consider aesthetic strategies for representing high emotion and drama. Central to this course are the questions: what is the relation between emotion and sentimentality? Between drama and melodrama? How do we, as artists, distinguish between them? We will analyze and discuss five texts concerned with reinventing narrative prose: Rebecca Brown's Excerpts From A Family Medical Dictionary, Carole Maso's The American Woman In The Chinese Hat, Charles Simic's The World Doesn't End, Elizabeth Smart's By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept, and Jeanette Winterson's The Passion. Throughout the quarter, you will write and revise a sequence of short lyrical prose pieces, organizing these pieces into chapbooks for your final project.
There is an additional hour for this course each week. We will use this hour by watching three of the following films, which you must be prepared to discuss in class by Thursday, May 28th: After The Wedding, Dancer In The Dark, Day Night Day Night, Fat Girl, The Idiots, Let The Right One In, The Lives Of Others, Taxi To The Dark Side, and/or Unveiled.
Your grade will be determined on a 100 point system.
100-90=A 89-80=B 79-70=C 69-60=D etc.
25--3 pieces written and revised (I will collect these on Tuesday, May 5th)
25--3-5 page book review of By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept (due Tuesday May 26th)
50--chapbook of 8-12 pieces, including cover art and design (due the last week)
You are expected to attend and participate in all class sessions unless you have a legitimate excuse. Class participation and attendance will impact your grade. I will add pluses and minuses at my discretion, based on effort. Cell phones must be silenced during class; ditto for pagers, handheld email and instant messaging systems, etc. You may not send or receive phone calls, emails, text messages, etc. during class. You may not take photographs of anyone in our class without prior written permission.
T March 31: Introduction; one paragraph autobiography exercise
Th April 2: No class; I'm reading in Seattle at the event "Uneasy Heavens Await Those Fleeing"
T April 7: The World Doesn't End
Th April 9: piece #1
T April 14: Excerpts From A Family Medical Dictionary
Th April 16: piece #2
T April 21: piece #3
Th April 23: piece #4
T April 28: The Passion
Th April 30: workshop piece #5
T May 5: *** hand in 3 revised pieces to me ***
Th May 7: workshop piece #6
T May 12: The American Woman In The Chinese Hat
Th May 14: workshop piece #7
T May 19: workshop piece #8
Th May 21: workshop piece #9
T May 26: film TBA
*** hand in book review of By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept ***
Th May 28: film discussion
T June 2: present chapbooks in class
Th June 4: present chapbooks in class
Final exam: There is no final exam for this class, but we may use the scheduled time to do chapbook presentations.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
English 227 Final Exam Essay Guidelines
Carol Guess
Final Exam English 227
Your final exam is a take-home essay. It is due to me in my office (Humanities Building, 2nd floor, Room 267) between 3:30 and 4:30pm on Wednesday, March 18th (the start of the final exam period for this class). Please hand it in to me on time. I will leave my office at 4:30. After I leave, I will automatically deduct 5 points from your exam for each day after the due date. If you are concerned about missing this deadline, you are welcome to hand in the exam early. Put early exams in my mailbox in the English Department Office on the 3rd floor of the Humanities Building. The box has my name on it. Do not slide it under my door or pin it to my office door.
Your exam should be between 5-15 pages long. It must be typed and double-spaced on white paper, with your name and my name and the name of the class on each page at the top of the page. It must be stapled. You may use any sources we used in class, plus at least two sources (articles, books, films, interviews, etc.) we did not use in class. Use MLA style to cite sources. You are allowed to take drafts of your paper to the campus writing center or any established writing tutor. You may brainstorm with friends, and talk with me in person and over email, but you must write the paper on your own.
The purpose of the exam is, in part, to provide me with a measure by which to assess your grade. This aspect of the exam is necessary, but not the aspect that should concern you. The more significant purpose of the exam is to provide you with a chance to reflect on what you have learned, and with the time and motivation to explore a question of your choosing.
Your essay may be research-oriented or argumentative. Consider thinking of this essay as an opportunity to explore a question you can’t answer. Your question and exploration must deal with GLBTQ lives and cultures. You may use first person (“I”) to write your response, or third-person detached academic voice, whichever you prefer. You must not, however, discuss your personal life or personal experiences in your paper.
Essays are worth up to 50 points, as follows:
Strength, intelligence, and challenge of your topic = 10 points
Wisdom of textual sources = 10 points
Clarity of thought in prose = 15 points
Intelligence of analysis and/or argument = 15 points
****************************************************
Tips for writing your paper:
First, make a list of things that impacted you -- things that you found puzzling, shocking, upsetting, disturbing, fascinating, exciting, liberating, or dissonant.
Next, look over your list and ask yourself, what don’t I understand? What am I most curious about? What continues to be strange or enigmatic to me? What do I want to spend time thinking about? Next, make a list of questions, large and small, you still haven’t answered about materials we discussed in class.
Out of these lists, choose one question that matters to you, and that will yield intellectual analysis. Don’t pick a dead-end question (one you can answer in two sentences). You are not expected to answer your question in your essay, only to explore it, so pick a good question.
How to Analyze Your Material in Light of Your Question
First, choose several texts that are relevant to the question. Re-read the texts, re-read your class notes, and think about them. Write down:
-- passages in the texts that relate to your question
-- other questions that relate to your question
-- answers that relate to your question
-- cool observations and interesting details that relate to your question
-- things you’re embarrassed to ask, things you feel stupid for not understanding
-- things you think you really get, and feel good about noticing and understanding
-- weird little things in each text that don’t quite fit or make sense
-- things that fit and make sense; that is, patterns in and across each text
-- moments that echo across texts; that is, an idea or image or phrase that appears in more than one text
Begin picking and choosing what seems most important to talk about. Now begin actually writing prose. Freewrite several pages of material, allowing yourself to explore your ideas without too much structure. Go back over those pages a few hours or a day later. Decide what works. Discard what doesn’t. Start this process over again. Once you have some ideas you like, begin to add structure -- see what leads where, and why. Only when you have the complete body of your paper do you need to worry about a title, a first paragraph, and a final paragraph. The first and last paragraphs should tell the reader something important about the paper -- but not sum it up. They should be engaging, making your reader want to keep reading.
Sample Questions
A. How are contemporary butch lesbian identities and masculine FTM gender identities alike and how are they different? How do these identities contribute to and/or challenge second and third wave feminism? Why is this question pertinent at this historical juncture; what other questions might it yield or obscure?
B. How is femininity linked to passivity and submissiveness in contemporary American culture? What aspects of our readings challenge that link, and how can an assertive understanding of femininity be reconstructed? What purposes would this serve; what resistance might such assertive femininity face?
C. How does the threat of violence (physical, legal, and/or emotional) shape sexual acts and gender identity in the texts we’ve read? What forms of resistance seem most effective against violence? What conclusions might you draw about possible political and/or cultural responses to homophobic violence?
Final Exam English 227
Your final exam is a take-home essay. It is due to me in my office (Humanities Building, 2nd floor, Room 267) between 3:30 and 4:30pm on Wednesday, March 18th (the start of the final exam period for this class). Please hand it in to me on time. I will leave my office at 4:30. After I leave, I will automatically deduct 5 points from your exam for each day after the due date. If you are concerned about missing this deadline, you are welcome to hand in the exam early. Put early exams in my mailbox in the English Department Office on the 3rd floor of the Humanities Building. The box has my name on it. Do not slide it under my door or pin it to my office door.
Your exam should be between 5-15 pages long. It must be typed and double-spaced on white paper, with your name and my name and the name of the class on each page at the top of the page. It must be stapled. You may use any sources we used in class, plus at least two sources (articles, books, films, interviews, etc.) we did not use in class. Use MLA style to cite sources. You are allowed to take drafts of your paper to the campus writing center or any established writing tutor. You may brainstorm with friends, and talk with me in person and over email, but you must write the paper on your own.
The purpose of the exam is, in part, to provide me with a measure by which to assess your grade. This aspect of the exam is necessary, but not the aspect that should concern you. The more significant purpose of the exam is to provide you with a chance to reflect on what you have learned, and with the time and motivation to explore a question of your choosing.
Your essay may be research-oriented or argumentative. Consider thinking of this essay as an opportunity to explore a question you can’t answer. Your question and exploration must deal with GLBTQ lives and cultures. You may use first person (“I”) to write your response, or third-person detached academic voice, whichever you prefer. You must not, however, discuss your personal life or personal experiences in your paper.
Essays are worth up to 50 points, as follows:
Strength, intelligence, and challenge of your topic = 10 points
Wisdom of textual sources = 10 points
Clarity of thought in prose = 15 points
Intelligence of analysis and/or argument = 15 points
****************************************************
Tips for writing your paper:
First, make a list of things that impacted you -- things that you found puzzling, shocking, upsetting, disturbing, fascinating, exciting, liberating, or dissonant.
Next, look over your list and ask yourself, what don’t I understand? What am I most curious about? What continues to be strange or enigmatic to me? What do I want to spend time thinking about? Next, make a list of questions, large and small, you still haven’t answered about materials we discussed in class.
Out of these lists, choose one question that matters to you, and that will yield intellectual analysis. Don’t pick a dead-end question (one you can answer in two sentences). You are not expected to answer your question in your essay, only to explore it, so pick a good question.
How to Analyze Your Material in Light of Your Question
First, choose several texts that are relevant to the question. Re-read the texts, re-read your class notes, and think about them. Write down:
-- passages in the texts that relate to your question
-- other questions that relate to your question
-- answers that relate to your question
-- cool observations and interesting details that relate to your question
-- things you’re embarrassed to ask, things you feel stupid for not understanding
-- things you think you really get, and feel good about noticing and understanding
-- weird little things in each text that don’t quite fit or make sense
-- things that fit and make sense; that is, patterns in and across each text
-- moments that echo across texts; that is, an idea or image or phrase that appears in more than one text
Begin picking and choosing what seems most important to talk about. Now begin actually writing prose. Freewrite several pages of material, allowing yourself to explore your ideas without too much structure. Go back over those pages a few hours or a day later. Decide what works. Discard what doesn’t. Start this process over again. Once you have some ideas you like, begin to add structure -- see what leads where, and why. Only when you have the complete body of your paper do you need to worry about a title, a first paragraph, and a final paragraph. The first and last paragraphs should tell the reader something important about the paper -- but not sum it up. They should be engaging, making your reader want to keep reading.
Sample Questions
A. How are contemporary butch lesbian identities and masculine FTM gender identities alike and how are they different? How do these identities contribute to and/or challenge second and third wave feminism? Why is this question pertinent at this historical juncture; what other questions might it yield or obscure?
B. How is femininity linked to passivity and submissiveness in contemporary American culture? What aspects of our readings challenge that link, and how can an assertive understanding of femininity be reconstructed? What purposes would this serve; what resistance might such assertive femininity face?
C. How does the threat of violence (physical, legal, and/or emotional) shape sexual acts and gender identity in the texts we’ve read? What forms of resistance seem most effective against violence? What conclusions might you draw about possible political and/or cultural responses to homophobic violence?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Creating Fictional Characters
Where Do Fictional Characters Come From?
One of the greatest pleasures of being human is enjoying the powers of imagination. Artists learn quickly that what adults often dismiss as “childish” is actually the key to artistic talent and freedom. An artist is really just someone who hasn’t lost touch with the (not so) childish pleasure of making things up -- or seeing what really exists from an unusual angle. Imaginary games, visions, and voices are all the terrain of a productive artist.
Fictional characters can come wholly from the imagination; you can invent a character out of thin air. But fictional characters can also be grounded in real life, stories seen, lived, or heard. Below are some sample exercises to help you begin developing your characters.
Building Characters From Real Life
1. Recollect your childhood enemy, the kid who hit you over the head in the sandbox in kindergarten or stole your girlfriend in seventh grade. Now imagine that kid grown up. Who is this person now?
2. Imagine your mother, father, sister, minister, barista, or personal trainer as a small child. What kind of kid might they have been?
3. Think of a local character, someone who wanders around Bellingham (or your hometown), someone you are always curious about: that guy who jogs with a bag of bagels; the tattooed woman at the grocery store; the teenager who looks like her dog sitting outside the cafe. Invent a life that satisfies your curiosity at last.
Building Characters From Pure Invention
1. Start with a challenge: think of a life that’s really, truly different from yours. Add or subtract twenty years to your age, change your biological sex, give or take away a couple of kids, live in a house much bigger or an apartment much smaller than your own. And now imagine this life as yours. What would you make of it?
2. Start from a feeling: identify a feeling you would like to explore, perhaps a feeling that you often have but rarely express. That is, start from a feeling that you do know, that you can identify with. Now give this feeling to a character very different from yourself; try to explore that character through this shared emotion.
3. Start with words: make up a funny name for a character. Now make up a funny town, and give the character odd shoes. Have them walking towards or away from something. What next?
Once you have a character you like, whether that character is wholly invented or grounded in reality, you’ll want to tap into your powers of empathy. You’ll want to find some point of connection between yourself and this character, no matter how different they might seem to be.
Connecting To Your Character
1. Think of a small pleasure you enjoy often: fresh flowers on the table; frozen pizza; a weekly phone call to a friend; your morning coffee. Now imagine that your character shares this pleasure. Describe them in the midst of it.
2. Think of a small personality trait in yourself that you don’t like or have been criticized for: you’re always five minutes late; you cross against the light; you drive too slowly. Now exaggerate this small flaw and make it bigger, more spectacular. Give this more dramatic flaw to your character: have them show up two hours late for every appointment; have them drive ten mph down I-5 every morning at 7am.
One of the greatest pleasures of being human is enjoying the powers of imagination. Artists learn quickly that what adults often dismiss as “childish” is actually the key to artistic talent and freedom. An artist is really just someone who hasn’t lost touch with the (not so) childish pleasure of making things up -- or seeing what really exists from an unusual angle. Imaginary games, visions, and voices are all the terrain of a productive artist.
Fictional characters can come wholly from the imagination; you can invent a character out of thin air. But fictional characters can also be grounded in real life, stories seen, lived, or heard. Below are some sample exercises to help you begin developing your characters.
Building Characters From Real Life
1. Recollect your childhood enemy, the kid who hit you over the head in the sandbox in kindergarten or stole your girlfriend in seventh grade. Now imagine that kid grown up. Who is this person now?
2. Imagine your mother, father, sister, minister, barista, or personal trainer as a small child. What kind of kid might they have been?
3. Think of a local character, someone who wanders around Bellingham (or your hometown), someone you are always curious about: that guy who jogs with a bag of bagels; the tattooed woman at the grocery store; the teenager who looks like her dog sitting outside the cafe. Invent a life that satisfies your curiosity at last.
Building Characters From Pure Invention
1. Start with a challenge: think of a life that’s really, truly different from yours. Add or subtract twenty years to your age, change your biological sex, give or take away a couple of kids, live in a house much bigger or an apartment much smaller than your own. And now imagine this life as yours. What would you make of it?
2. Start from a feeling: identify a feeling you would like to explore, perhaps a feeling that you often have but rarely express. That is, start from a feeling that you do know, that you can identify with. Now give this feeling to a character very different from yourself; try to explore that character through this shared emotion.
3. Start with words: make up a funny name for a character. Now make up a funny town, and give the character odd shoes. Have them walking towards or away from something. What next?
Once you have a character you like, whether that character is wholly invented or grounded in reality, you’ll want to tap into your powers of empathy. You’ll want to find some point of connection between yourself and this character, no matter how different they might seem to be.
Connecting To Your Character
1. Think of a small pleasure you enjoy often: fresh flowers on the table; frozen pizza; a weekly phone call to a friend; your morning coffee. Now imagine that your character shares this pleasure. Describe them in the midst of it.
2. Think of a small personality trait in yourself that you don’t like or have been criticized for: you’re always five minutes late; you cross against the light; you drive too slowly. Now exaggerate this small flaw and make it bigger, more spectacular. Give this more dramatic flaw to your character: have them show up two hours late for every appointment; have them drive ten mph down I-5 every morning at 7am.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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