6 TATIANA SCHLOTE-BONNE – ART AND CRAFT OF PERSONAL WRITING: NARRATIVE VOICE – FALL 2021
The Art and Craft of Personal Writing
Fall 2021
11:30A – 12:20P MWF
Instructor: Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
COURSE DESCRIPTION
How can you channel your voice to the page? The voice of your angst-ridden teenage self? In this class, we’ll consume a breadth of both nonfiction and fiction from the literary to the young adult genre, all with the intent to inspire the range of narrative possibilities in our own work. We’ll cover key aspects of storytelling: narrative structure and tension, dialogue, and in-scene action, all while honing the most important aspect of all–the voice that tells the story. Assignments will include short creative writing responses to the readings as well as longer original work, which we will workshop in class.
We will mostly be talking about “essays” in this class, by which I do not mean those five-paragraph monstrosities you mastered in high school, with their formulaic intros and conclusions. A literary essay, instead, is a contained piece of nonfiction that shows a writer working through something. The word “essay” in French literally means “to try,” and that is what we will be doing: making small attempts at creating some sort of meaning, using writing tools we typically associate with fiction (like plot, character, scene, etc.) to tell true stories. So, in the spirit of the essay, I want you to think of the work you do in this class as experiments. I want you to push yourself outside your creative comfort zone and see what happens when you try something weird and new.
COURSE DELIVERY
In-person
COURSE OBJECTIVES
In this course, we will:
- Explore creative nonfiction and the art and craft of storytelling
- Learn how to give and receive feedback that is simultaneously rigorous, constructive, and respectful.
- Critically approach our own work (and others’) and revise
- Try new things
- Have fun and make new friends!
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
Even the most seemingly anodyne personal writing requires a dash of vulnerability, and it’s absolutely crucial that we respect that willingness to be open. The essays you read and write in this course will include real information about real events from real lives, and our readings and conversations will undoubtedly veer into sensitive territory at times. I’m expecting everyone to approach every piece of writing (published and classmate-written), every conversation, and every person with the utmost respect, curiosity, and kindness. Here’s how that will look for our class:
- I will not tolerate hate in any form, particularly attacks on the basis of identity, nor will I allow any other speech or writing or action that attempts to threaten or degrade others.
- I will not accept any work that contains graphic violent images, graphic sex, or any other content that is intended to offend me or your peers. I want you to create work that is complicated and that challenges both you and your readers, but there is a difference between complicated work and work that intends to shock and/or express hate. The latter is not welcome in this course. And note that if I read material that threatens harm to yourself or to others, I am required to report it.
- Do not repeat aloud slurs or other hate speech even if they appear in the texts we are discussing.
- Do not submit work about me, your classmates, or this class.
- Do not share any of your classmates’ writing with anyone who is not enrolled in this course unless they have given you explicit permission to do so.
- Take care to remember your classmates’ pronouns and how to pronounce their names. If you slip up, correct yourself and move on.
- Ask questions when you don’t understand.
The bottom line: Be respectful and be willing to learn from each other. If you are concerned about any of this, or if you feel at any point that our class is not living up to this promise, please write me directly.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Because I want us to read as widely as possible, we won’t be able to read entire books together. You are not required to purchase any books for this course; all our readings will be available to download on ICON. You are not required to print them out, though you’ll take better notes if you do.
Content warning:
Some of the work we read may deal with sexual, physical, racial violence, or suicidal ideation. If you have concerns about content or would like more specific warnings about texts, please email me or come to office hours.
MATERIALS TO BRING TO EVERY CLASS
· The assigned reading (on your tablet laptop is fine, but student workshop pieces will be printed). Also, laptops will be needed when we do mini workshops
· A physical journal and writing utensil
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
No texting / email checking in class. You will lose participation points if you’re on your phone / not respecting your classmate’s time and effort.
ASSIGNMENTS
Participation 30%
Mini Workshop pieces 15%
Presentations 20%
Longer Essays + Artist’s Statement 15%
Final Portfolio + Reflection 20%
Participation—30% (Includes Workshop Feedback Letters)
Your participation grade consists primarily of an assessment of your engagement in discussion. Closer to workshop, we’ll discuss what good workshop feedback looks like. Note that in order to participate, you must be present in class. If you accumulate more than two unexcused absences, your participation grade will suffer. If you arrive to class after 11:35, I will mark you absent. You don’t get points for just showing up, but for discussing the work. In short: if you are doing and taking notes on your reading, listening to me and your peers during class, and contributing meaningfully and productively to our conversations, you’ll do great here. That said, I understand that classroom participation can be difficult for more reserved students. If you suspect you might have trouble with this, please reach out to me.
· Conferences: I will meet with you after each of your workshops for 20-30 minutes to process the workshop and resolve any lingering questions. These must be completed within a week of your workshop, and there’s a link on Icon where you can sign up. (Obviously, wait to do so until you have your workshop dates!) Note that this is how you will receive feedback from me: I will not be sending you my own written notes on your workshop drafts.
Absence policy:
You’re allowed two “free” absences, beyond that they must be approved absences. Unexcused absences beyond the three results in a ½ participation grade reduction (ie. an A in participation goes to an A-)
Presentation—20%
Once at some point in the semester, you will be tasked with introducing one of our readings for the day. At minimum, these presentations will include:
- A brief biographical overview of the writer, which might include:
- Their major works and awards, where they studied
- Subjects and themes they often write about
- How critics receive their work
- Anything else you find interesting or that might be useful for our discussion of their work
- Some of your own thoughts on how their work fits into our course discussions around personal writing.
- Analysis of a passage or passages from the text that ties into our discussions on craft
- Two questions about the essay that might guide our discussion of it.
Your entire presentation should be around 5-8 minutes long.
I encourage you to create and use a PowerPoint, but this is not required. Email it to me before class.
You’ll be graded based on the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of your presentation, and on how well you follow the guidelines.
Found Essay / Story Presentation:
In the second half of the semester, you will be responsible for bringing a published essay or short story to class. You will tell the class what it’s about and share a passage you found compelling, as well as note any craft choices made the author, compare it to what we’ve read in class, as well as pose a discussion question for the class. This will take up about 10-15 minutes of class time (including our discussion about the piece.)
Workshop submissions (Essay + Artist’s Statement) Essay = 80 points, statement = 20
Aim for a minimum of 5 and maximum of 12 pages for each essay draft, but that’s not a hard rule. Reach out to me if you have a good reason to go under or over this limit. These can start with and build upon a generative exercise if you’d like, or it can be something completely new.
After submitting your essay, you will write me an artist’s statement due to my inbox by 10:30am on the day of your workshop. In one single-spaced page, you will answer these questions (you may keep them in a list or you may write them out as a letter to me):
1. Summarize your essay draft in one or two sentences (the high concept / elevator pitch)
2. Describe the voice of this essay, and quote a sentence or two that you feel best captures this voice
3. What excited and/or surprised you in the process of writing this draft?
4. What aspect of this draft was the most challenging to write?
5. What are your ideas for future drafts?
6. Write at minimum three questions about your project to guide the workshop discussion. (What do you need help with?)
How to Turn in For Workshop:
Bring in hardcopies for everyone 5 days before.
Ie. if you’re being workshopped on Monday, you need to turn in the previous Wednesday.
Wednesday workshop, turn in previous Monday. Friday workshop, turn in previous Monday.
I will not be sending you my written feedback on your workshop essays; this is what your post-workshop meetings are for. We will go over how the workshop went, clarify any lingering questions you may have, and if you want my opinions about specific aspects of the draft, you can ask me here, but you will need to take notes. If you ever want my thoughts on other work you’ve done for our class, like your generative exercises, you can schedule a meeting during office hours, but will need to let me know ahead of time what you’d like to discuss.
Major workshop essays = 100 points:
· If you submit it on time, it meets the minimum requirements, and you clearly didn’t just slap some words together the night before it was due, you’ll get 60 points.
· You’ll get 0-40 points for your artist’s statement, depending on how thorough and thoughtful it is, as well as the quality of your workshop questions
Remember these are works-in-progress, and workshop is about finding areas for growth and potential new routes to follow as you work on your revision. As such, each draft you submit should be written specifically for this course, generated in our time together. Please do not submit essays that you have already spent time previously perfecting in an attempt to spare yourself the vulnerability of showing your in-progress work. These essays must also be complete, as in they have a beginning, middle, and end, even if those stages are rough.
Final Portfolio
Your final portfolio will consist of:
· Your strongest mini workshop piece (in your opinion)
· A substantial revision of major Essay 1 or 2 (we’ll discuss what constitutes a “substantial revision”)
· The original draft of the essay you revised
· A 2-3 page (double-spaced) letter of reflection on how your writing skills are growing, your revision and selection process for the portfolio, and some thoughts on at least one assigned reading that inspired your writing in some way
GRADING POLICY
I grade based on the university’s A-F grading scale (see below). Grading creative writing is weird, but note that I am most interested in effort and growth. If you participate regularly and thoughtfully, come to my office when you need help, and put real effort into your drafts and revision, you will be fine.
B+: 87-89% C+: 77-79% D+: 67-69%
A: 93-100% B: 83-86% C: 73-76% D: 63-66% F: 0-59%
A-: 90-92% B-: 80-82% C-: 70-72% D-: 60-62%
A: Excellent work that shows initiative and sophisticated critical thought and dedication to the creative process. A-level work shows effort far beyond any given assignment’s minimum requirements. The writer can effectively analyze, reflect, and revise, and pushes themselves and takes risks in service of the work.
B: Strong work that shows an above-average commitment to critical thought and creativity. B-level work shows effort that exceeds the minimum requirements. The writer attempts to analyze, reflect, and revise, and takes some risks.
C: Adequate work that meets the minimum requirements of the course without exceeding them. The writer’s work would benefit from a stronger commitment to the creative process. The writer attempts to analyze, reflect, and revise, but the results are superficial, and any risks that are taken are not in service of the work.
D: Weak or undeveloped work that does not meet the minimum requirements and shows a lack of critical thought with an inadequate level of creative effort. The writer does not fully attempt or engage with analysis, reflection, or revision. The work submitted does not reflect the writer’s potential.
F: Unacceptable work that makes no attempt to satisfy the requirements of the course. This writer’s work exhibits a fundamental disinterest in the creative process and ignores feedback. The work is incomplete or plagiarized.
WORKSHOP GUIDELINES
You will be workshopping Essay 1 and Essay 2 with the class. We’ll talk more about what workshop entails when we get closer to our first one, but the gist is: each essay will be workshopped for about 30-40 minutes, and these will be writer-led workshops, meaning you’ll need to come prepared with questions about your own draft.
PLAGIARISM POLICY
Submitting work that is not your own in a workshop-based course is a waste of everyone’s time—including yours! If I have identified a plagiarized assignment, it will receive a zero. If this ever applies to you, we will meet to discuss it. Note that reusing an assignment you did for another course is considered plagiarism. All work you submit for this course should be completed specifically for this course.
EMAIL POLICY
I welcome you to email me (tatiana-schlote-bonne@uiowa.edu) questions and concerns you have throughout the semester. However, if you ask me something that can be answered by this syllabus, I will direct you back to it, or to our “Course Guidelines” page on ICON, where this information will also be posted.
Only email me with your university (@uiowa.edu) email address. I will not respond to emails from non-@uiowa.edu email addresses. Though I will often respond sooner, please allow me 48 hours to respond before checking in again. If it is an urgent matter, say so in your subject line. And check your email regularly to make sure you don’t miss any messages from me about class meetings.
I won’t discuss grades over email, so if you’d like to talk about how you’re doing or how you can improve your grade, schedule a meeting with me.
FINAL EXAM POLICY
We do not have a final exam in this course.
About the Syllabus: it’s a work in progress—please be actively involved in the development of the course and your own learning! This class is for YOU! Our schedule and readings may change, and I’m always open to your suggestions.
SCHEDULE
This schedule is subject to change. The most accurate, up-to-date calendar will always be on our ICON site. We will workshop student pieces on the days indicated, and readings are due on the date listed.
Week One | Welcome!
Monday, August 23
· Introductions
Wednesday, August 25
· Syllabus
· Craft: story basics and sentence structures
Friday, August 27
· Heavy Excerpt by Kiese Laymon
· “Snowbound” by Natalie Lima
· Craft: filtering verbs and descriptive language
Week Two | Crafting Memorable Voice
Monday, August 30
Presentation on T Kira Madden: Ethan
· “The Feels of Love” by T Kira Madden
· Assigned: creative response 1
Wednesday, September 1
· Scrabble Essay by Roxane Gay
· “I’m Jumping Off the Bridge” by Kevin Sampsell
· Craft: High Concept / “What is This About?”
Friday, September 3
Presentation on Melissa Broder: Karaline
· “How to Never Be Enough” and “I Took the Internet Addiction Quiz and I Won” by Melissa Broder
· Sign up for workshops
Week 3 | Mini Workshop 1
Monday, September 6 (Labor Day)
Wednesday, September 8
Workshop creative response 1 (due to Icon Tuesday at midnight and bring 3 printed copies to class)
Friday, September 10
Workshop creative response 1
Week 4 | Inciting Incidents and The Story Arc
Monday, September 13
Presentation on Kristen Roupenian: Kealan
· “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian
· Craft: the story arc
Wednesday, September 15
Presentation on David Sedaris: Greta
· “Rooster at the Hitchin’ Post” by David Sedaris
· Craft: Dialogue
· Assigned: creative response 2
Friday, September 17
Presentation on Tobias Wolff: Madison
· Bullet in The Brain by Tobias Wolff
· Craft: Story Genius / “Who Deserves This?”
Week 5 | Braided Essays
Monday, September 20
Presentation on CJ Hauser: Chris
· “The Crane Wife” by CJ Hauser
· “Gilead” by Jon Gleason
Wednesday, September 22
Presentation on Grayson Morley: Maddie
· “You-You” excerpt by Grayson Morley
· In class writing (braided essays)
Friday, September 24
· Workshop creative response 2
Week 6 | The Young Adult Voice and Unreliable Narrators
Monday, September 27
· “I Love You Dr. Rudnitsky” by Avigail Sharp
· Craft: own voices
Wednesday:
Presentation on Lauren Slater: Kealan
· “First” by Ryan Van Meter
· Lying by Lauren Slater excerpt
Friday:
· “Monster” by Michael Czyzniejewski and “Blackjack”
· Creative response 3 assigned
Week 7 | Unreliability Continued and Workshop Prep
Monday, October 4
· “Alas, Poor Fhoul” by Gyasi Hall
Wednesday, October 6
· In class writing (workshop essay prep)
Friday, October 8
· Workshop creative response 3 (due by class time)
· (Chris and Karaline turn in)
Week 8 | Workshop
Monday, October 11
Workshop 1: Chris
Wednesday, October 13
Workshop 2: Karaline
Friday, October 15
Workshop 3: Greta
Week 9 | Workshop
Monday, October 18
Workshop 4: Madison
Wednesday, October 20
Workshop 5: Nicholas
Friday, October 22
Workshop 6: Kealan
Week 10 | Workshop
Monday, October 25
Workshop 7: Maddie
Wednesday, October 27
Workshop 8: Matt
Friday, October 29:
Workshop 9: Ethan
Week 11 | Writing Week
Monday, November 1:
“Gutted” by Cathryn
Wednesday
Workshop 2 in-class writing day
Friday:
A Man and His Cat and Susan Orlean essay (in class writing about objects of importance)
Week 12 | Writing Week
Monday, November 8
Zoom visit with Amanda
Wednesday, November 10
Eula Biss, “The Pain Scale”
Friday, November 12
Minor Feelings excerpt by Cathy Park Hong
Week 13 | Workshop
Monday, November 15
Workshop 1: Chris
Wednesday, November 17
Workshop 2: Karaline
Friday, November 19
Workshop 3: Greta
Week 14 | Thanksgiving Break
November 22-26
Week 15 | Workshop
Monday, November 29
Workshop 4: Madison
Wednesday, December 1
Workshop 5: Nicholas
Friday, December 3
Workshop 6: Kealan
Week 16 | Workshop
Monday, December 6
Workshop 7: Maddie
Wednesday, December 8
Workshop 8: Matt
Friday, December 10
Workshop 9: Ethan
Sunday: Turn in Final Portfolios