Course CRWT 2301.

001 Introductory Creative Writing

Professor Lauren Dixon
Term Spring 2009 – January 12—May 4
Meetings JO 4.312, Wednesdays 12:30-3:15pm

Professor’s Contact Information

Office Phone 972-883-2250
Other Phone 512.914.1761 (cell—please only use in case of emergency)
Office Location JO 4.904
Email Address LCD062000@utdallas.edu; Lauren.Dixon@gmail.com
Office Hours Wednesdays, 11:00am-12:00pm and by appointment
Other Information I do not accept assignments via email. Hard copies only.

General Course Information

Pre-requisites, Co-
requisites, & other Rhetoric 1302
restrictions
This course is an introduction to creative writing and serves as a pre-
requisite for advanced courses in creative writing.

Course Description The course will investigate and instruct students in the elementary
approach to the process of creating original prose, poetry, and/or dramatic
format works. The class will focus on a minimum of two genres and will
cover both experimental and traditional forms.
Textbooks:
Making Your Own Days – Kenneth Koch ISBN-10 0684824388
Some Ether – Nick Flynn ISBN-10 1555973035
Creating Short Fiction – Damon Knight ISBN-10 0312150946
In Persuasion Nation – George Saunders ISBN-10 159448242X
What It Is – Lynda Barry ISBN-10 1897299354
Short stories and poems as posted on WebCT

Required Texts & Other materials:

Materials • Bring a notebook to every class—you’ll need it. Consider
designating a specific one to the writing exercises we’ll do in
here.
• A folder for your final portfolio (containing revisions—we’ll
discuss this more later)
• Access to a photocopier (you will be responsible for providing
copies of your workshop material to all members of the class)
• An email address and access to WebCT

What’s the best way to learn to write? Reference and how-to guides are
fine and dandy, but the only way you’ll really “learn” is by reading a ton
Suggested Texts,
of work in your field. If you want to write short stories, start reading
Readings, &
anthologies or short works by your favorite authors. Get hold of the Best
Materials
American Short Stories or Best American Poetry for starters and go from
there. Read everything ever written by Kurt Vonnegut or Flannery
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 2

O’Connor or Allen Ginsberg or Nikki Giovanni. Don’t just read the

words—eat them up. Your writing method will be different from all of
these writers, but reading is the first place you start when “learning” to
write.

That being said, here’s a list of reference books I’ve found extremely
helpful when writing my way through a particular exercise, poem, novel,
or story:

The Complete Rhyming Dictionary – Clement Wood

Wood’s dictionary comes complete with poetic forms and examples—a
useful resource if your interest is in rhymed and strictly metered poetry.
Remember: you have to know the rules to break them!

Characters and Motivation—Orson Scott Card

Card’s book is a great resource for character development and character-
based stories. While it is not required for this class, it is one of the best
resources I’ve found for developing a well-rounded, dynamic character
for any story.

Story Sense – Paul Lucey

Again, not a requirement but a great tool for developing screenplays and
plot-structure in general. Contains information about formatting (an
absolute must in scriptwriting, believe it or not), and a wealth of useful
instruction regarding dramatic structure. If you’re serious about
screenwriting, a book like this will save you a great deal of time.

GRAMMAR GUIDES! Find one—it doesn’t matter which, Penguin,

Little Brown, St. Martin’s, A Writer’s Resource—no matter how great a
writer you are, these guides will save you from needless embarrassment in
front of your fellow writers. If you don’t think your classmates care about
your grammar, think how an editor at a journal will feel about your
careless mix-up of “there” “their” and “they’re”:

“I know we want they’re to be a good place over their where we can rest
our weary heads, boss, but I’ll be jehova’d if Steven didn’t up and kill
there dogs already. We gots to move!”

Bottom line: good writers at least try to pinpoint their weaknesses and
work on them…and we can include shoddy constructions of the English
language in this list.
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 3

Assignments & Academic Calendar

Topic: Introduction to the Course
Group Assignments
Defining a Genre: What is Poetry? What is the Short Story? Whence comes
the Screenplay?
Starting out running: Process and how to get one…
Concrete vs. Abstract—The Power of a Word; Lynda Barry and Image
W, January 14 training; The “No Word Wasted” Credo

Reading Assignment: Chs. 1 & 2 (Part I) of Koch’s Making Your Own

Days; Poem Packet Part I on WebCT
Writing Assignment: Complete Lynda Barry exercise; choose an image and
answer Barry’s questions. This list will help inform your first workshopped
poem.
Topic: The Anatomy of a Poem—Line, Meter, Rhythm, Stanza
Discussion of Koch and Part I of WebCT poems
Mini-workshop; modeling of workshop seminar
Presentation assignments
W, January 21
Reading Assignment: Chs. 3&4 of Koch; Poem Packet Part II on WebCT
Writing Assignment: Connect the dots—a poem of fragments (discussed in
class)—Group I poems due for workshop on WebCT by Friday, January 23;
all other students must submit a poem in class on January 28
Workshop begins
Topic: Poetry—Modern Poetry/Function of Form and Content
Group I Workshop
W, January 28
Reading Assignment: Poem Packet Part III on WebCT
Writing Assignment: Give a form a try (discussed in class)
Group II Poems due on WebCT by Friday, January 30

Topic: Poetry—Post WWII/Breath, Breath, Breath!

Group II Workshop

W, February 4 Reading Assignment: Nick Flynn’s Some Ether

Writing Assignment: The Image, the Journal, the Line—Automatic, epic,
or tour de force (discussed in class)
Group III Poems due on WebCT by Friday, February 6
Topic: Contemporary Experiments in Lyricism/Musician Poets/Nick
Flynn’s Some Ether
Group III Workshop
W, February 11
Reading Assignment: Knight Parts 1-2 (pp. 8-101); Short Story Packet Part
I on WebCT (including Poe’s essay)
Writing Assignment: Eavesdropping exercise (discussed in class)
Group IV Poems due on WebCT by Friday, February 13
Topic: Discussion of Short Story
Group IV Workshop
W, February 18
Reading Assignment: Knight Part 3 (pp.104-40)
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 4

Writing Assignment: Begin working on your first short story; bring in a

character profile sheet (discussed in class)
Topic: NO CLASS; however, you MUST attend Nick Flynn’s reading in the
McDermott Library on THURSDAY, FEB. 26 at 7:30pm. ATTENDANCE
IS MANDATORY!
W, February 25
Reading Assignment: Short Story Packet Part II on WebCT
Writing Assignment: Group I short stories due for workshop on WebCT by
Friday, February 27; all other students must submit their 1000 words of
prose in class; workshopped stories should be at least 2500 words long
Short Fiction Workshop Begins
Topic: Short Fiction –Character, Voice, and Setting
Group I Workshop
W, March 4
Reading Assignment: Knight Part 4-5 (pp. 142-80); Short Story Packet Part
III on WebCT
Writing Assignment: Continue working on short story
Group II stories due on WebCT by Friday, March 6
Topic: Short Fiction: Fairytales, the Supernatural and Thwarting the Rules
Group II Workshop

Reading Assignment: Parts I and II of George Saunder’s In Persuasion

W, March 11
Nation
Writing Assignment: Continue working on short story and revisions;
complete copying exercise (given in class)
Group III stories due on WebCT by Friday, March 13
W, March 18 SPRING BREAK! NO CLASS!
Topic: Short Fiction—Political and Social Commentary and Science
Fiction; Parts I and II of George Saunder’s In Persuasion Nation
Group III Workshop
W, March 25
Reading Assignment: Parts III and IV of George Saunder’s In Persuasion
Nation
Writing Assignment: Work on revisions; start plotting for the screenplay.
Group IV stories due on WebCT by Friday, March 27
Topic: Parts III and IV of George Saunder’s In Persuasion Nation
Group IV Workshop
W, April 1
Reading Assignment: Screenwriting Packet Part I on WebCT
Writing Assignment: Work on plot and pitch for the screenplay
Topic: Screenplay; Pitching, Outlining, Structure and Plot Points—What’s a
short script to do?
Screening—Short films and experimental plot devices
Student Pitching begins (Groups I & II)
W, April 8
Reading Assignment: Screenwriting Packet Part II on WebCT
Writing Assignment: Continue working on the pitch and screenplay;
Revise short stories and poems to submit for Craft Analysis
Topic: Screenplay; Dialogue and Character
W, April 15
Screening—creating comedic characters and adhering to script format
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 5

Pitching continues (Groups III & IV)

Preliminary Poetry and Short Fiction Revisions due for Craft Analysis
(you will give these revisions to your peer partner)

Reading Assignment: Screenwriting Packet Part III on WebCT

Writing Assignment: Work on and finish first drafts of screenplay;
Complete craft analysis of your classmate’s work
Groups I & II Short Scripts due on WebCT by Friday, April 17
Screenplay Workshop Begins
Topic: Screenplay
Group I & II Workshop
Craft Analysis Due
W, April 22
Reading Assignment: Screenwriting Packet Part IV on WebCT
Writing Assignment: Start work on Statement of Writing Philosophy
Groups III & IV Short Scripts due on WebCT by Friday, April 24
Last Class Day
Topic: Screenplay
W, April 29
Group III & IV Workshop
Course Evaluations
W, May 13 Portfolios and Final Revisions due in my office by 5pm

Course Policies
Participation/In-class Exercises/Critiques (including two two-page
responses and one short presentation about a published piece we read in
the class—these are worth 5% each) – Total value – 20%
Grading Workshop Assignments – 30%
(credit) Criteria Craft Analysis – 20%
Final Revision – 30% Three revised poems, one revised story or short
screenplay due. You’ll submit this in a folder with all your workshopped
drafts on the specified due dates.
Assignments are due at class time; I do not accept late work. If you are
absent, you must make arrangements to submit the work by the time
Late Work class begins.
Most importantly: DO NOT miss class the day your work is due for
workshop!
Attendance is mandatory; if you miss more than two classes, your grade
Class
will drop. After three absences, you fail the course. Excessive tardiness
Attendance
will also negatively impact your grade.

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to

state law and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-
Field Trip
related activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations may be
Policies
found at the website address
Off-Campus
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm.
Instruction &
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean. Below
Course
is a description of any travel and/or risk-related activity associated with this
Activities
course.
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 6

If you experience any problems with your UTD account you may send an
Technical
email to: assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at 972-
Support
883-2911.

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have
rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It
is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be
knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct
and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is
contained in the UTD printed publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to
all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the

procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are
defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Series 50000, Board of
Student Regents, The University of Texas System, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Conduct and Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating
Discipline Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in
the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to
assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-
6391) and online at
http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-HOPV.html

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the
responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state,
and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the
standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or
whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and
academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon
the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is
imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in
his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic Dishonesty, any student who commits an act of scholastic

dishonesty is subject to discipline. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not
Academic
limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any
Integrity
work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person,
taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair
advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes,
and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the
university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This
course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for
possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.
Copyright
Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 7

the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials,

including music and software. Copying, displaying, reproducing, or
distributing copyrighted works may infringe the copyright owner’s rights and
such infringement is subject to appropriate disciplinary action as well as
criminal penalties provided by federal law. Usage of such material is only
appropriate when that usage constitutes “fair use” under the Copyright Act.
As a UT Dallas student, you are required to follow the institution’s copyright
policy (Policy Memorandum 84-I.3-46). For more information about the fair
use exemption, see
http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of

communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At
the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity
of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all
official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas
email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official
Email Use
only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to
maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual
corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes
each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication
with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T.
Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail
forwarded to other accounts.

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any
college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's
Withdrawal course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the
from Class student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In
other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper
paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course
if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student

Services and Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating
Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations,

or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the
student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor,
Student supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates
Grievance (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain
Procedures primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter
cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to
the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is
not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student
may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written
appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will
appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the
Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 8

will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of
the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in
interpreting the rules and regulations.

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work
unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work
Incomplete has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8)
Grades weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required
work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not
submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed
automatically to a grade of F.

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities

educational opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers.
Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office
hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
disabilityservice@utdallas.edu
Disability
Services
If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course,
please meet with the Coordinator of Disability Services. The Coordinator is
available to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If
you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary,
it is very important that you be registered with Disability Services to notify
them of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. Disability Services
can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for
such an accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to
present to faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and
needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should
contact the professor after class or during office hours.
The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other
required activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for
a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under
Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.
Religious Holy
Days The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon
as possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment.
The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the
assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the
length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 9

the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or
assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that
exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for
the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar
disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to
complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the
instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the
institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee
must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student
and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or
designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.
 CRWT 2301.001 p. 10

More information about Workshop and Writing Exercises

As a reminder, this is the grading breakdown for our class:
Participation/In-class Exercises/Critiques (including two two-page responses and one short
presentation about a published piece we read in the class—worth 5% each) – 20%
Workshop Assignments – 30%
Craft Analysis – 20%
Final Revision – 30% Three revised poems, one revised story and short screenplay due. You’ll
submit this in a folder with all your workshopped drafts on the specified due dates.

Workshop Assignments include poems, short stories, and screenplays that are due BOTH for
large group workshop and small group workshop. While you will only have one workshop for the
short story and the screenplay, we will break the class down into smaller groups during the poetry
sessions. This means that you will have a poem due each week we workshop in poetry.

So what does this equate to?

FOUR poems due for workshop (with three revisions to be submitted to me at the end of the
term); ONE of those poems will be workshopped by the whole class; THREE of those poems
will be workshopped in your small group.

Photocopy Policy: When you are workshopped by the whole class, you are responsible for
submitting TWENTY copies of your piece to us (unless your group is the one who must put your
work on WebCT); when you are workshopped by your small group, you are responsible for
submitting FIVE copies of your piece to us (four to your group members and one to me).

Failure to submit a poem when your piece is due for workshop will equate to a reduction in your
workshop assignment grade.

Additionally, for each week we work on short story and screenplay, I require that you turn in
1000 words of prose to me. You can go over these words with your small group, but they will not
be workshopped by the entire class. This is an excellent opportunity to work on your short story
or screenplay (as those 1000 words can involve the story/script), to create character profiles,
outlines, plot structures, etc. These words cannot, however, meander into personal journal (“I’m
so angry at my boyfriend/roommate/cat/evil brother! He ruined my new shirt!”)—I want you to
work on fictional prose. Sometimes I will give you an assignment (such as a dialogue or setting
exercise) that will help you fulfill those 1000 words of prose. During our poetry sessions, you will
have assignments that help you get started on your poems.

If you are ever stuck on a piece of work, come talk to me! I have plenty of “getting started”
exercises that can assist you, and the Lynda Barry book is also a great resource.