Assignments for Creative Writing

Instructor: Tim Bascom

All assignments are due on the given date.

January 15	Write: Email your first poem to me, following the instructions for #1 (A Childhood Memory), #2 (Working with Structure), or #3 (Family Secrets) on pages 17-20 in the textbook In the Palm of Your Hand.
January 22	Read: Chapters 1 and 2 in In the Palm of Your Hand.
January 29	Read: Chapters 3 and 5 in In the Palm of Your Hand. Write: A Prose Poem or an Object Poem, using the instructions on pages 26 and 27. Bring 2 typed copies to class. Also, type up your responses to the exercise “Critiquing a Poem” (p. 46). Put this in a pocket folder that will serve as your journal folder and portfolio folder.
February 5	Read: Chapters 6 and 7. Write: four descriptive journal entries following the instructions on page 61. Be sure to type these entries and place them in your pocket folder. Then type up a poem based on one of the descriptions. Highlight the alliteration on several lines and the assonance on several lines, using different colors for the two different sounds. IMPORTANT: Also bring 6 copies of one poem that you would like to workshop in class next class period.
February 12	Read: Chapters 20, 21, and 9. Write: Rework one of your poems, aiming for better line lengths. Put the new typed version into your journal. Staple it to the old version, so the two can be compared. Also, take a shot at writing one of the metaphor poems described at the back of chapter 9. Type it up and put it into your journal folder. IMPORTANT: Be sure to critique the two assigned student poems for your scheduled workshop next week. Mark them up. Write your notes in the margins. Also, include a final statement about what seems strong and what seems confusing or not fully realized for you as a reader of the poem. You will receive credit for these critiques, so do them carefully.
February 19	Read: Chapter 11. Write: A photo poem of 6-12 lines, following the guides at the end for a family snapshot or news photo. Try to include in this poem, a color, the name of a place, a scent, and something someone said. Aim for iambic meter and mark one line that you think is getting closest to true iambic meter (unstressed syllable, then stressed, then repeated). NOTE: This will be our last poetry assignment. Please put all your poetry and homework together into a folder, so that each final version of a poem is stapled to the earlier versions. You should have five poems altogether: A childhood memory A prose poem or object poem A poem based on a description A metaphor poem A photo poem Also include your two homework assignments: Your critique of the bad poem in the textbook Your four journal descriptions Don’t forget to come to class having critiqued the other people in your workshop group, so that you can offer your comments.
February 26	Read the handout “Write a Story Using a Small Unit of Time,” and create a list of things done in a short unit of time. Then write your own short-short story, using one of the items from your list. See the example story: “The Smell of Garlic.” Be sure your own story is kept within the frame of a small unit of time, and please limit it to 2 or 3 pages, not the 4-7 pages mentioned in the handout. You can refer to things that have happened in the past, as they relate to what is happening in the present.
March 5	Read: “The First Day” (by Edward Jones) in The Vintage Book of Contemporary Short Stories (pages 286-290). Write: Type a journal entry on characterization. How do you know what kind of person the mother is (her motivations, attitude, skills, fears, etc)? Give 3 examples. Also, how do you know what kind of person the narrator is? Give 2 examples. When you are done thinking about characterization, do the exercise described in the handout on “The Invisible Scene.” Use the character you have described in class during the exercise that helped you to remember a person from the past, projecting what he or she might be like in the future. Take that imagined future person and create a scene as described in the exercise handout, allowing the character to interact with his surroundings and to speak.
March 12	Read: “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and analyze the plot to see what conflict/tension drives the story and what increases that tension or conflict to a breaking point. Come prepared to discuss. Write: For your journal, type two lists: things that you loved (enjoyed) during the week and things that you hated. Also, describe in a nutshell one event from the news that seems like the kernel of a possible story.
March 19	SPRING BREAK
March 26	Read: “A White Horse” on page 291. Write: Type a journal analysis of the setting (physical location). Why does this story need to be set in India? What parts of the physical setting seem most powerfully described, and how do they contribute to your appreciation and understanding? Please explain their possible meaning or significance. Write: Bring a typed finished story (4-8 pages) to exchange with your workshop group. Also, bring your journal folders. Please put all finished and graded journal entries in the left side pocket, and put all new journal entries in the right side pocket. There are these entries to include: A character analysis of the mother and daughter in “The First Day.” Two lists: things loved, and things hated A nutshell description of a news story (as possible inspiration for a story) An analysis of the setting in “A White Horse”
April 2	Read: The stories you are critiquing from your fellow classmates. Write: Please write marginal notes on each story. Then type a 3-5 paragraph response to the story, addressing these main areas: characterization (what might make the characters seem more convincing or defined), dialogue (what might make the conversation contribute more meaningfully to the story), plot (how could the conflict and complications be enhanced), setting (what physical details might make the place and time seem more real and meaningful), and point of view (how could the point of view be changed or improved to make the story more thematically purposeful).
April 9	Come to class at the scheduled time for your workshop group. Also, come to class between 7:00 and 8:00, to meet with the entire group.
April 16	Come to class with a thoroughly revised short story and poem. In both cases, highlight the parts that have been changed. Also, staple the old version(s) to the new version. Please bring all other materials for your final portfolio as well.
April 23	Bring your finished final portfolio following the directions that have been handed out in class. Please come ready to read a 4-7 minute excerpt from your work, as part of our public reading.