And you may be given other reading assignments to read and discuss in class. You'll keep a writer's notebook, assemble a final portfolio of your work. You will do writing exercises in class and writing assignments at home. You will write three stories or novel segments during the course of the class. We will attempt to workshop, that is read and respond to them critically, as many of the stories as we can in class.
Critical reading is as important as creative writing in a writing workshop and in a writing career.
You'll be asked to consider structure, tone, form, rhythm, language, imagery, point of view, and other literary elements as you read and critique the stories. In so doing you'll learn how to read and critique your own stories. In so doing you'll learn how to read as the way a writer reads, you'll be learning the vocabulary and the forms of fiction. You'll learn how stories are made. Your writing will be read, discussed, remarked upon, in short, evaluated, but not graded, not ranked.