WRT 226 - Special Projects in Fiction

3 Credits, 3 Contact Hours
3 lecture periods 0 lab periods

Advanced fiction writing for book-length projects. Includes techniques for book-length fiction writing, original writing and/or revision process, critical responses to fiction, and marketing and publishing of fiction books.

Prerequisite(s): WRT 216 with a C or better.
Information: Consent of instructor is required to enroll in this course. May be taken four times for a maximum of twelve credit hours. If this course is repeated, see a financial aid or Veteran’s Affairs advisor to determine funding eligibility as appropriate.

Course Learning Outcomes

Describe techniques for book-length fiction writing.
Apply techniques to original writing and revision.
Develop criteria for critical analysis of peer and published fiction.
Demonstrate professional marketing and publishing skills for books.
Demonstrate digital literacy through reading texts online, creating web/blog posts, or analyzing material in an online literary magazine/journal.

Outline:

Techniques for Book-Length Fiction Writing
1. Material and theme
2. Point of view and voice
3. Character development
4. Structure
  1. Novellas
  2. Novels
  3. Linked-story collection
5. Writing process
6. Approaches to sustaining book-length projects
7. Conventions and experimentation
Original Writing and/or Revision Process
1. Select one of the following (10,000 words)
  1. Three short stories for inclusion in a collection
  2. Revision of a series of short stories for a collection
  3. Three chapters or sections of a novella
  4. Revision of a novella in progress
  5. Three chapters of a novel
  6. Revision of a novel in progress
2. Technique applications
Critical Responses to Fiction
1. Approaches to peer review
2. Analysis of published novellas and short novels
3. Self-editing
4. Uses of critiques for revision
Marketing and Publishing of Fiction Books
1. Book synopses and query letters
2. Manuscript preparation
3. Fiction markets
4. Literary agents
5. Publishing process