55-5206 CRW: The Novel in Stories

This course examines the creative and intellectual processes of writers working in nonlinear structure formats. It will try to assess the following: What are the questions writers ask themselves when determining how best to structure a body of work that is more cohesive than a collection of stories, yet not a linear-shaped novel? What (or who) are their influences, their models, for the episodic or modular structure? Does this structure just happen because a writer is unable to force certain material into following a linear trek, or is the decision made early on as a conscious choice in the creative process? Through readings, small group and large group discussions, journal reflections (both students’ and authors’), and research into the authors’ writing processes, students will be able to reflect upon and examine the issues and questions of structure that go into putting together a cohesive body of creative work.

3 Credits
Requisites COREQUISITES: 55-5101 Fiction Writing I or 55-6101 Fiction Writing I or 55-5102 Fiction Writing II or 55-6102 Fiction Writing II or 55-5104 Prose Forms or 55-5105 Advanced Prose Forms or 55-5106 Fiction Writing: Advanced or 55-6110 Thesis Development or 55-4101 Fiction Writing I or 55-1101 Fiction Writing I