Writing Long Fiction
COL 216
Fall 2011 not offered
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| This course may be repeated for credit. |
| Certificates: Writing |
This course focuses on how to write a novella, short novel, or short story collection and is designed for juniors and seniors who wish to initiate a long work of fiction in contemplation of a creative thesis or in lieu of a creative thesis. This course is taught at the most advanced level and has demanding reading and writing requirements. Class lectures and discussions focus on complicated and unusual plotting techniques, complex character development and the elaboration of theme in long works of fiction, the novella form, methods for constructing short novels, and ways of organizing short story collections. While producing new fiction, students will read and analyze novellas, long stories, and short novels by Heinrich von Kleist, Anton Chekhov, Wallace Stegner, Somerset Maugham, Henry James, Roberto Bolano, Julio Cortazar, Jorge Luis Borges, Elizabeth Strout, Richard Bausch, and Richard Russo, among others. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Writing |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA COL |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: COL201 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
See course description.
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Examinations and Assignments:
This course has very demanding reading and writing requirements. Students will read approximately 250 pages of fiction per week, and will write between 50 and 100 pages of fiction during the semester. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
All students will complete a series of stories, or part of a novella or novel and share their fiction in workshops. Paula Sharp is the author of four novels and a collection of short stories. She is writer-in-residence at Wesleyan's College of Letters and has been a faculty member since 2003.
Students must have taken COL201 previously and must have demonstrated an ability to meet deadlines and to keep up with the workload in that class. Prior completion of at least one additional advanced fiction course is strongly recommended. To obtain permission to enroll, all applicants should email Professor Sharp (psharp@wesleyan.edu) by June 30 and provide the following: a detailed proposal describing a long work of fiction (a story collection, novel or novella) the student wishes to undertake; a 30-to-50 page recent writing sample (fiction only); a list of all writing classes taken in addition to COL201; and information on class and major. This course is not recommended for students enrolled in senior thesis tutorials in the fall of 2010. Students may not take this course while writing a creative thesis or while enrolled in another creative writing course. Attendance at the first class is mandatory, and students must be able to attend all thirteen classes. |
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