ENG 227 - Introduction to Fiction Writing

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR (students beginning prior to Fall 2024): Meets general academic requirement AR.
Meets Explore Core requirement (students beginning Fall 2024 and later): CE
In this course students will be introduced to the art of writing short fiction. The focus will be on the process of writing, and students will be encouraged to explore new terrain, to experiment with narrative form, and play with words, sentences and paragraphs. By studying great writers, students will create a ‘tool box’ of techniques which they will use in their own work. There will be weekly reading and writing assignments that focus on various aspects of craft, such as character and scene development, imagery, psychic distance, point-of-view, and dialogue. The goal of the course is to create a writer’s community - where students are actively engaged in the writer’s project: writing fiction, sharing their work with their peers, receiving helpful peer feedback, always talking about issues of craft and aesthetics. The course will culminate in a final portfolio. Satisfies departmental Prose requirement.