Creative Writing: Building a Story
| Module title | Creative Writing: Building a Story |
|---|---|
| Module code | EAS2031 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Sam North (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 95 |
|---|
Module description
The module develops a toolbox of writing techniques and approaches for contemporary short fiction. It will prepare you for the contemporary writing world by focusing on the kinds of writing that are being published at the present time, while examining the production of literary texts within their traditions and lineages. Through practical exercises and seminar discussions, you will explore a variety of textual forms, styles and content and build a project according to your own tastes and interests showing how you have implemented the techniques taught on the course.
The course comprises a fortnightly lecture on key aspects of short story writing, as well as technical material on the set texts; a weekly 2-hour seminar that helps you develop the techniques introduced in the lectures, and fortnightly ‘Journal Workshops’ to receive and give detailed criticism and feedback on your works in progress. These approaches are designed to enhance the understanding of the practice, as well as the historical, social and critical contexts that produce short story writing and writers.
Students taking this module are NOT eligible to take the other Level 2 Creative Writing module ‘Making A Poem’.
Module aims - intentions of the module
- You will develop a substantial body of your own short fiction in a writer’s journal, showing the development of a project based on reading, research and writing practice. You will develop your processes and techniques of writing, including drafting, revising, editing, self-reflection and techniques of story development. Participation and commentary in seminars is integral. There will be an emphasis on introducing key concepts in the fortnightly lectures; developing these concepts and techniques in lively seminar writing workshops; group work, and informal individual presentations in seminars.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a range of creative writing styles and approaches
- 2. Analyse a range of English language short fiction
- 3. Articulate a knowledge and understanding of creative writing texts, concepts and methodologies
- 4. Demonstrate rhetorical skills of effective communication and argument, both written and oral, with a broad range of vocabulary and an appropriate critical and professional terminology
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Demonstrate an appreciation of formal techniques and imaginative expression in creative writing
- 6. Demonstrate an ability to produce pieces of creative writing, in agreement with specified forms and genres taught on the module
- 7. Present written and oral arguments concerning their own creative writing and the work of other authors, both peers and published authors
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Through seminar work demonstrate communication skills, and an ability to work both individually and in groups
- 9. Demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, a capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument, skills of creative expression and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
- 10. Demonstrate proficiency in time-management and organisational skills
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
The module is delivered in a combination of fortnightly one-hour lectures, followed by a two-hour seminar. In addition there will be a fortnightly 2-hour workshop dedicated to discussion of reading, process, and to the development of coherent writing projects in your ‘Writer’s Journal’, through informal presentations to peers.
The syllabus is focused on technique and, through various examples drawn from contemporary short story writers, will include lectures on structure, voice and point of view, emotion and morality, language and style, and writing from life.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 260 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 11 | Lectures |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 | Seminars |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 7 | Writer's journal seminars |
| Guided independent study | 33 | Study group preparation and meetings |
| Guided independent study | 70 | Seminar preparation (individual) |
| Guided independent study | 157 | Reading, research and journal preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous work on the writer's journal | Continuous (60 pages absolute minimum) | 1-10 | Tutorial and seminar feedback/discussion |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer's journal | 45 | Continuous (60 pages minimum) | 1-7, 10 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up |
| Finished sample of short fiction developed from the Writers Journal | 45 | One or more short stories totalling 3500 words | 1, 4-6, 10 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up |
| Seminar participation | 10 | Continuous, to include a presentation on creative work in progress | 2-4, 7-8 | Tutorial feedback and follow-up |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writer's journal | Writer's journal (60 pages minimum) | 1-7, 10 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Finished sample of short fiction developed from the writers journal | One or more short stories totalling 3500 words | 1, 4-6, 10 | Referral/Deferral period |
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 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
You must develop your own reading list for this module, based on personal interests relevant to your portfolio and writer’s journal. Your reading should come from a range of modern short fiction by individual authors of your own choosing. You are expected to keep a detailed record of this in your journal and to report on this in seminars.
Individual seminar tutors will set texts for their particular seminar groups. This information will be made available to you prior to the course starting.
For certain lectures, you must read selected extracts, which are made available on the ELE site for the module, including:
- O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried (Flamingo, 1991). Available on ELE.
- Capote, Truman. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Penguin, 2000). Essential.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Web based and electronic resources:
- Over 300 world-class interviews with authors at The Paris Review – http://www.parisreview.com
- ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6986
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Students should also regularly read magazines in the library that publish short fiction, such as: Granta, Paris Review, Riptide, Wasafiri, and others.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | Students taking this module are NOT eligible to take the other Level 2 Creative Writing module ‘Making A Poem’. |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 27/02/2017 |
| Last revision date | 17/07/2019 |
