SCHEDULE                            (HOME)

ENGL 398-001: Introduction to Fiction Writing
Spring 2007  George Mason University Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:30-11:45  Robinson Hall A246

All of the information below is subject to change.

WEEK 1
Monday, January 22 and Wednesday, January 24 Beginnings
Introduction to course
READ: What If? #3 ("Ways to Begin a Story")
READ: Every first sentence in Scribner

WEEK 2       Story of the week: Vaughn, "Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog"
Monday, January 29
READ: What If? #1 (First Sentences: Beginning in the Middle")
EXERCISE #1 DUE: 10 story beginnings
IN CLASS: Story beginnings

Wednesday, January 31
READ: Vaughn, "Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog," in Scribner
READING RESPONSE #1 DUE: What If? #2 ("The Story's History")

WEEK 3         Story of the week: Diaz, "Fiesta 1980"
Monday, February 5
IN CLASS: What If? #6 ("Stirring Up a Fiction Stew")

Wednesday, February 7 NO CLASS

WEEK 4        Story of the week: Baxter, "Gryphon"
Monday, February 12 Story of the week:
EXERCISE #2 DUE: What If? #6
CATCH-UP DISCUSSION: Diaz

Wednesday, February 14  NO CLASS SNOW

WEEK 5  Story of the week: Hempel, "In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried"
Monday, February 19
READING RESPONSE #2 DUE: How does Baxter deliver his characters? Compare to Vaughn and/or Diaz
EXERCISE #3 DUE: Deliver a character of your own in 1/2 to one page

Wednesday, February 21
DISCUSSION: Hempel
READING RESPONSE #3 DUE

WEEK 6
Monday, February 26 Story of the week: Alexie, "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona"
READ: What If? #38 ("An Early Memory, Part One")
EXERCISE #4 DUE: What If? #38

Wednesday, February 28
 READ: What If? #39 ("An Early Memory, Part Two")
EXERCISE #5 DUE: What If? #39

 WEEK 7  Story of the week: Dybek, "Pet Milk"
Monday, March 5
WRITING DUE: A chunk of story #1

Wednesday, March 7
IN-CLASS WORKSHOPS: Chunk of story #1

WEEK 8 Monday, March 12 and Wednesday, March 14 NO CLASS -- SPRING BREAK

WEEK 9
Monday, March 19
WRITING DUE: Full draft of Story #1

Wednesday, March 21
IN-CLASS WORKSHOPS: Full Draft of Story #1

WEEK 10
Monday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 28 CONFERENCES -- CLASS DOES NOT MEET
WRITING DUE AT CONFERENCE: Chunk of Story #2

WEEK 11  Story of the week: Oates, "Ghost Girls"
Monday, April 2
READING RESPONSE #4 DUE

Wednesday, April 4
READ: What If? #47 ("Vision and Obsession")
EXERCISE #6 DUE: What If? #47 (Altered version of exercise)

WEEK 12
Monday, April 9
WRITING DUE: Full draft of Story #2

Wednesday, April 11
IN CLASS WORKSHOPS: Full draft of Story #2

WEEK 13
Monday, April 16 and Wednesday, April 18 CONFERENCES -- NO CLASS MEETING
 READ: What If? #62 ("A Style of Your Own")
EXERCISE #7 DUE AT CONFERENCE: What If? #62  Stylistic analysis according to several categories
DUE THIS WEEK (OPTIONAL): Revision of Story #1 for line editing

WEEK 14 
Monday, April 23 NOTE: class begins at 11:00 instead of 10:30
READ: What If? #93 ("Magnifying Conflict") #94 ("What's at Stake?") and #106 ("What Keeps You Reading?")
EXERCISE #8 DUE: Analyzing conflict in the story; analyzing what drives us forward; What's at stake?

Wednesday, April 25 NO CLASS MEETING

WEEK 15 
Monday, April 30
READING RESPONSE #5 DUE: Playing favorites

Wednesday, May 2
Final items

WEDNESDAY May 9 10:30 a.m.
Final portfolio due