Module Information

Module Identifier
ENM5020
Module Title
Writing Fiction: Methods and Techniques
Academic Year
2014/2015
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Seminars / Tutorials 5 x 2-hour seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment A portfolio of one or two complete short stories, to a total length of 3500 words, with a 1500-word commentary. It is expected that the finished product will be derived substantially from material produced for class discussion, though there will be some flexibility on this point.  100%
Supplementary Assessment Resubmit any failed elements and/or make good any missing elements. Where this involves re-submission of work, a new topic must be selected.  100%

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. demonstrate, in both creative and evaluative writing, an understanding of different genres and registers; of narrative viewpoint and voice; of the requirements of plot and character; and of the nature and role of dialogue in fiction;

2. demonstrate, both in their creative work and through their evaluative writing, an appropriate level of relevant factual research;

3. reveal, both in their creative work and through their evaluative writing, an awareness of their intended readership;

4. reveal, both in their creative work and through their evaluative writing, an appropriate understanding of the wider context of literary fiction;

5. reveal, both in their creative work and through their evaluative writing, an appropriate awareness of the meaning and implications of words and the rules governing their use;

6. identify problems in their own writing and that of others, and apply themselves to discovering solutions to those problems;

7. engage effectively in group discussion, offering stringent but supportive criticism of the work of their fellow-students, and responding appropriately to criticism offered by others.

Aims

The module is designed to provide insights into, and practice in, the writing of fiction, with a particular emphasis on technique in relation to such matters as: tone, point of view, plot and character definition and dialogue.

Brief description

This module offers the opportunity to assess and practice a range of approaches to the writing of fiction, with appropriate reference to the work of contemporary writers. Members of the group will be expected to pursue a relevant but non-prescriptive programme of reading; and to present weekly, for comment and supportive criticism by the group, anticipatory work carried out during the preceding week and geared to the focal concerns of the coming session.

Content

_Session 1: Kinds of Fiction
Examining a selection of excerpts from contemporary novels, we shall consider questions of genre, register and tone.

_Session 2: Narratives and Narrators, Point of View and Voice
Discussion will focus on prescribed student work produced over the preceding week, and the general questions it raises about voice, viewpoint and the structuring of narrative.

_Session 3: Shaping Plot
Students will focus on brief short story plot outlines produced during the previous week, noting the opportunities and restrictions implied in their choices and collaboratively exploring the possibilities for further development.

_Session 4: Shaping Characters
Students will have been asked to take the central character in their proposed short story and to develop that character in outline form. Discussion will focus on these outlines, relating them to the plot outlines of the previous week and exploring possibilities for further development.

_ Session 5: Writing Dialogue
Students will have been asked to produce a page of dialogue between two characters from their proposed short stories, and group discussion will address relevant issues. (In the event of there being no dialogue envisaged in the proposals, a relevant alternative may be produced, subject to discussion with the tutor.)

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number no
Communication Yes: interaction in group discussion
Improving own Learning and Performance Yes: development of understanding both of the subject of the work and the process of writing
Information Technology No
Personal Development and Career planning no
Problem solving Yes: the assessment will require attention to issues of a broadly problematic nature
Research skills YES; the assessment will require research
Subject Specific Skills Yes. Engagement in practical skills and reflection upon those skills
Team work Yes: see 3

Reading List


No specific set texts, but MA students receive a substantial advisory reading list at the beginning of the year. This includes work relevant to this module.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7