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Prose Writing Workshop

Module description

This module offers you an opportunity to present and discuss your own prose writing in a weekly two-hour workshop. The draft work may include fiction and non-fiction, both in the short form (e.g. short story, creative essay) and in the long form: book-length fiction (literary and genre novels); non-fiction (biography, autobiography, memoir, travel writing, etc.); and cross-genre forms such as autobiografiction and the non-fiction novel. The workshop format of practical criticism will be alert to the formal requirements and structural challenges of different genres. Secondary reading tailored to each project, as well as appropriate works of criticism and theory, will widen conceptual understanding and feed into workshop discussion.

Module aims - intentions of the module

• You will develop your ability to write creatively and extensively in your chosen prose form. The module is designed to deepen your critical understanding of prose writing beyond first degree level, and to apply that understanding both to the critique of your peers’ work and to the research processes underpinning your own writing. You will be expected to write and present sections of your own work, to read and critique your peers’ work in a workshop format, and to conduct research relevant to your writing process, evidence of which will be presented in the form of an annotated bibliography.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Mastery of skills needed to produce well-structured, well-edited prose writing in your selected form and genre
• 2. Awareness of the codes and conventions of the prose genre you are writing in
• 3. Research skills required to identify and examine the traditions of writing in your chosen genre

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. An ability to reflect critically on creative activity and identify the weaknesses and developing strengths of work in progress
• 5. An ability to work constructively within a group, to critique and help improve the work of your peers.
• 6. A developed capacity for critical reflection on own and others’ work
• 7. An ability to offer constructive oral and written feedback on peers’ work

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 8. Through workshopping develop both individual and team working skills involved in writing practice as research
• 9. Develop an ability to conduct and produce a self-guided prose writing project at postgraduate level
• 10. Develop and hone communication skills required to offer constructive critical feedback on others’ work.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will involve some or all of the following elements. The module will be delivered by means of a weekly two hour writing workshop (or online equivalent). The group will prepare for each workshop by reading and annotating examples of students’ own work in drafts that will be circulated in advance on a rota basis to allow for focused and thoughtful discussion. Emphasis will be placed on practical criticism imbued with an awareness of the codes and conventions of particular prose genres. You will present substantial excerpts from your work at least twice in the course of eleven weeks. You will be expected to develop your drafts in a way which incorporates ideas and understanding drawn both from the feedback received in workshops and from personal bibliographical research and reading. The latter will be reflected in the production of a tailored annotated bibliography with demonstrable relevance to your own prose project.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Suggested reading:

• Lively, Penelope, Making it Up (London: Penguin, 2006)
• Manguso, Sarah, Ongoingness/ 300 Arguments (London: Picador, 2019)
• Smith, Ali, Artful (London: Penguin, 2013)
• Smith Zadie, Feel Free (London: Penguin, 2019)
• Smith, Zadie, Grand Union (London: Penguin, 2019)
• Williams, Eley, Attrib. (London: Influx, 2019)

The above list is offered as an indication of the type and level of information that you are expected to consult. Further guidance will be provided by the Module Convener.

In addition to the weekly reading and annotating of your peers’ prose work (amounting to c.6000 words in total) you will develop a tailored reading list, consisting of a minimum of five relevant monographs or equivalent and covering both primary and secondary sources (creative writing and literary criticism, theory or history) in your chosen genre. The reading list will be assessed both for its relevance and its appropriateness to the creative writing project.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11554
  

Key words search

English, Creative Writing, Prose Writing Workshop