INTRODUCTION TO FICTION WRITING

Writing sample required to apply. Instructions and the application form can be found here: https://english.barnard.edu/english/creative-writing-courses.
The most exciting, and the most terrifying, aspect of writing fiction is that there are no rules that cannot, under certain conditions, be broken. Good fiction makes and lives by its own rules. In this course, we will discuss common tenets of fiction writing—regarding character, plot, point-of-view, and more—and also examine cases in which writers break rules for the better. This course involves attentive reading of stories by various authors, discussions of craft, in-class writing, and workshops of student fiction. Readings may include Shirley Hazzard, Elias Khoury, James Wood, Elena Ferrante, Federico Garcia Lorca, and Sylvia Townsend Warner, among others.