Texts

The Art of Fiction!$!Lodge, David!$!!$!Penguin!$!1992
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y separately published work icon The Last Ride Denise Young , Pymble : Harper Perennial , 2004 Z1118152 2004 single work novel (taught in 1 units)
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The Quiet American!$!Greene, Graham!$!!$!Vintage!$!2004
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Description

This subject emphasises narrative development with close attention to the relationship between structure and content in traditional and experimental fiction, building on work done in Writing: Style and Structure. Craft skills appropriate to narrative writing continue to be developed through exercises and sustained work on pieces of fiction and non-fiction, along with consideration of editing and principles of revision. The focus of the class is the students own work. A range of narrative writing is read and discussed, integrating practical work with critical reflection on the processes of narrative writing. This is a core subject for students in the Writing Strand. It is also appropriate for postgraduate writing students in other areas wishing to develop their writing through exercises and sustained work. At the completion of this subject, students are expected to: a) be able to produce an extended piece of narrative fiction b) bring focussed critical skills to bear on their own and other's fiction narratives c) to develop original ideas in narrative form d) understand how to revise and edit their own work e) to have developed some level of reading knowledge in relation to a variety of narrative forms

Sessions 1-8 will include a lecture about and discussion of the week's topic, followed by a writing workshop, in which students will critically discuss their own short pieces of writing relating to the week's topic. They will also be asked to read and talk about a range of short fiction and other short narrative pieces throughout the semester. Students will be asked to present a brief seminar on a chosen text, analysing its strengths and weaknesses from a writers perspective. Research seminars will be scheduled for presentation during weeks 4 14. After initial exercises to develop craft skills, they will be asked to work on a sustained piece of narrative fiction of their own, developing it through several drafts. This work will be intensively workshopped through the class weeks 10-14 though sections may be introduced into the class in workshops during earlier weeks. The writing is submitted as the final and major element of the subjects assignments for assessment. It must be an original piece, written specifically in the context of this class.

Assessment

Assessment item 1. Major assignment: 3000 word narrative

Objectives: a, c, d

Value: 50%

Due: Week 14

Task: To write a narrative in the form of short story or equivalent

Assessment criteria:

Inventiveness and accomplishment of writing style

Originality of idea

Dramatic and suspenseful structuring of work

Assessment item 2. Research seminar: 10 minute seminar on a narrative text, either a short

story or novel

Objectives: b, e

Value: 20%

Due: Weeks 4-11

Task: To present a short seminar talk on a reading or similar text

Assessment criteria:

Insight and originality in discussion of chosen material

Capacity to extrapolate in relation to writing practice

Assessment item 3. Minor assignments: 600-700 word exercises

Objectives: a, b, c

Value: 30%

Due: Weeks 1-8

Task: To write short exercise pieces in relation to the content of the subject

Assessment criteria:

Capacity to realise set task

Inventiveness and originality of writing

Other Details

Levels: Undergraduate
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