Module overview
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- work with different styles, modes and genres of fiction
- create the key structures of fictional narrative and identify their relation to readers
- plan the extended development of a fictional narrative towards a successful conclusion
- revise and edit your work effectively
- distinguish your aims as a writer of fiction from others
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- how to write in a range of fictional genres and styles
- the achievements of contemporary international fiction writers whose work may help you improve your own writing
- how to achieve originality, linguistic versatility, and form in the handling of plot, character, time, point of view, and overall structural control in your fiction writing
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- locate your fiction writing in relation to a global context
- independently evaluate and apply compositional methods
- handle complex demands of fictional composition in a systematic and analytic manner
- make literary judgements of fiction in an informed way
- interact effectively with readers via your writing
- demonstrate originality through your writing
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- revise and edit creative writing to a professional standard
- present ideas effectively in narrative form
- manage deadlines and make effective use of your time
- write prose fluently in a range of styles
Syllabus
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 20 |
| Independent Study | 130 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Vladimir Nabokov (2001). Laughter in the Dark. London: Penguin Classics.
Madison Smartt Bell (2000). Narrative Design. New York: Norton.
Arundhati Roy (1997). The God of Small Things. New York: Random House.
Ron Hansen and Jim Shepard (1994). You’ve Got to Read This: Contemporary American Writers Introduce Stories that Held them in Awe. New York: Libri.
John Gardner (1991). The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers. New York: Vintage.
Kazuo Ishiguro (1989). An Artist of the Floating World. New York: Vintage.
John Fowles (2005). The French Lieutenant's Woman. New York: Vintage Classics.
Jack Zipes. The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding.
Ian McEwan (2001). Atonement. London: Cape.
Jean Rhys (1982). Wide Sargasso Sea. New York: Norton.
David Michael Kaplan (1998). Rewriting: A creative approach to writing fiction. London: A&C Black.
Charles E. May (2002). The Short Story: The Rules of Artifice. New York: Routledge.
Angela Carter (1993). The Bloody Chamber. London: Penguin.
Margaret Atwood (1986). The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Anchor Books.
Sol Stein (1995). Stein on Writing. New York: St Martins Press.
Jerome Stern (1991). Making Shapely Fiction. New York: Norton.
Marilynne Robinson (2004). Housekeeping. London: Macmillan.
Ben Nyberg (1988). One Great Way to Write Short Stories. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writers Digest.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Creative writing | 75% |
| Critical commentary | 25% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Creative writing | 75% |
| Critical commentary | 25% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assessed written tasks | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External