Welcome to Creative Writing!

We will be focusing in this class on becoming skilled writers in a variety of genres, but our special emphasis will be on fiction. You'll be asked to write your own short stories and to respond to fictional works of literature in a way that demonstrates your increasing understanding of how fiction works.

This class will take the view that fiction remains one of the most powerful means by which human beings can pose basic questions about the meaning of their lives, about right and wrong, about their place in society, and even the nature of reality itself. In other words, fiction can be seen as a form of philosophy (the branch of knowledge that asks ultimate questions about the meaning of human life), and we'll approach it from the standpoint of the big ideas it addresses, while never forgetting that what makes fiction unforgettable is powerful and dynamic storytelling. Honing your skills in these areas will be a big part of what this course is about.

This class will involve a great deal of writing in which you will be asked to become a self-aware writer and creator, knowledgeable about the traditions of literature and conscious of the choices you make in creating a work. Because good writers are also good readers, we’ll read a wide variety of fiction of high literary polish. I’ll ask you to begin reading as a writer – that is, you will read with the goal of understanding the techniques and methods that permit writers to create their own unique vision and style, while just incidentally writing prose that dazzles and demands attention.