Please note: Though this section features lecture notes for the majority of class sessions, notes are not available for every single session. Furthermore, please consult the readings, as many of the notes reference them.
Acknowledgement
Many of the exercises below were inspired by the following text:
Bernays, Anne, and Pamela Painter. What If? Writing Exercises For Fiction Writers. 2nd ed. Longman, 2003. ISBN: 9780321107176.
Lecture Notes
| SES # | TOPICS | LECTURE NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction and Discussion of the Process and the Nature of the Story | Course Introduction (PDF) |
| 2 | Discussion of Readings and Exploration into the Notion of What Makes a Short Story | What Is the Short Story? (PDF) |
| 3 | Biography, Slice of Life, and the Use of Real Life in Creating a Story | |
| 4 | Exercise in Developing Story From Incident and Life | Emotional Truth, Discussion of Readings (PDF) |
| 5 |
Workshop Incident/Emotion Sketches Begin Discussion of Character Character as the Center of the Story | Detail (PDF) |
| 6 | Creating Character | Character (PDF) |
| 7 | Exercise/Workshop in Character Creation (Bring in a Character Sketch) | |
| 8 | What is a Plot and How can it be Constructed? | Plot (PDF) |
| 9 | Exercise in Creating Plot | Creating Plot (PDF) |
| 10 | The Real as the Basis for the Unreal | Reality (PDF) |
| 11 | Examination of the Idea and Usage of Point of View | Point of View (PDF) |
| 12 | Exercise on Point of View | Points of View Exercise (PDF) |
| 13 | Description as a Central Element and Metaphor | Description I (PDF) |
| 14 |
Exercise with Description Discuss Reading in Terms of All Techniques Discussed in Class | Description II (PDF) |
| 15 | Workshop: The Forms and Methods of Revelation | Revealing Information (PDF) |
| 16 | Workshop (Story 1) | Workshops Guide (PDF) |
| 17 | Making the Decision Where to Begin | Where to Start (PDF) |
| 18 | Workshop (Story 1) | Workshops Guide (PDF) |
| 19 | Exercise in Extreme Fictionalization | |
| 20 | Place as both Reality and Metaphor | Place (PDF) |
| 21-22 |
Workshop Rewriting | |
| 23 | The Way a Professional Writer Works in the World | The Life of the Writer (PDF) |
| 24 | The Business of Publishing (About Conglomerates, Agents, Distributors, etc.) | |
| 25 |
Evaluations Discussion of Getting Published in the Real World |