Module overview
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- plan the extended development of a fictional narrative towards a successful conclusion
- create the key structures of fictional narrative and identify their relation to readers
- revise and edit your work effectively
- distinguish your aims as a writer of fiction from others
- work with different styles, modes and genres of fiction
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- 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
- the achievements of contemporary international fiction writers whose work may help you improve your own writing
- how to write in a range of fictional genres and styles
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- interact effectively with readers via your writing
- make literary judgements of fiction in an informed way
- handle complex demands of fictional composition in a systematic and analytic manner
- independently evaluate and apply compositional methods
- locate your fiction writing in relation to a global context
- 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
- write prose fluently in a range of styles
- present ideas effectively in narrative form
- manage deadlines and make effective use of your time
Syllabus
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 130 |
| Teaching | 20 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Jerome Stern (1991). Making Shapely Fiction. New York: Norton.
Ian McEwan (2001). Atonement. London: Cape.
Ben Nyberg (1988). One Great Way to Write Short Stories. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writers Digest.
Margaret Atwood (1986). The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Anchor Books.
John Fowles (2005). The French Lieutenant's Woman. New York: Vintage Classics.
Marilynne Robinson (2004). Housekeeping. London: Macmillan.
Angela Carter (1993). The Bloody Chamber. London: Penguin.
Vladimir Nabokov (2001). Laughter in the Dark. London: Penguin Classics.
Arundhati Roy (1997). The God of Small Things. New York: Random House.
David Michael Kaplan (1998). Rewriting: A creative approach to writing fiction. London: A&C Black.
John Gardner (1991). The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers. New York: Vintage.
Madison Smartt Bell (2000). Narrative Design. New York: Norton.
Kazuo Ishiguro (1989). An Artist of the Floating World. New York: Vintage.
Jean Rhys (1982). Wide Sargasso Sea. New York: Norton.
Jack Zipes. The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding.
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.
Charles E. May (2002). The Short Story: The Rules of Artifice. New York: Routledge.
Sol Stein (1995). Stein on Writing. New York: St Martins Press.
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