Intermediate Creative Writing
Week One (4/8)
List of important stuff for the Intermediate Creative Writing class
Short Story Rater our class created
Just so we're all on the same page (pun intended) ...
"How to write a short story" by Jerry B. Jenkins
How to write a creative nonfiction article/essay
"Creative nonfiction: What It Is and How to Write It" by Sean Glatch
How to tell if the story is any good:
Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Rules For Writing a Short Story, the whole article, by Dawn Field
"Analyzing Novels and Short Stories," Texas A&M University Writing Center
A Guide to Critiquing a Story: Seven Vital Elements Every Story Must Have by Joni Labaqui
More suggestions on how to tell if a short story is good (class handout)
Exemplary short stories:
"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," by Mark Twain (print)
"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," by Mark Twain (audio)
A handful of exemplary short stories you'll never forget, ones that I've lived most of my life rereading (all too long to do in class):
Modern Period:
"Big Two-Hearted River," by Ernest Hemingway (print)
"Big Two-Hearted River," by Ernest Hemingway (audio)
"A Good Man Is Hard to Find," by Flannery O'Connor (print)
"A Good Man Is Hard to Find," by Flannery O'Connor (audio)
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson (print)
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson (audio)
Post-Modern Period:
"Unready to Wear," by Kurt Vonnegut (print)
"Unready to Wear," by Kurt Vonnegut (audio)
Lists of Literary Magazines: go to Writer's Research Aids on this website
Writer's Profile (Bob's class-opening information sheet): gallery/Writer profile.pdf
Week 2 (4/22)
3 Short Stories to be read for tonight's class:
a. From the Atlantic Monthly, "Zamboni" page 88 page 90
page 91 page 92 page 93 page 94
b. From Salamander, "The Last Voyage of Captain Black"
c. "Aswarby Hall," from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March/April 2025
Bob's PowerPoint on William Bernhardt's Creating Characters
Bob's Notes on Creating Character (more than what you got in class)
Short Story Rater our class created (Bob will have copies for you)
Character snippet from All The Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby
Character snippet from RIVERS RISE, work-in-progress by Robert J. Hankes, Jr.
Character Decoder Sheet
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Week 3 (4/29)
No homework!!! Bob is reorganizing the class. Look for an email from him on Saturday night.
Bob's PowerPoint for William Bernhardt's Perfecting Plot, Part One
On Tuesday 4/29 I'll pass out this article. Read it at your leisure. Or read it here:
"Publishing Advice from a Serial Submitter to Literary Magazines," from JaneFriedman.com .
Your Future as a Fiction Writer
Week 4 (5/6):
No homework! Yay!
PowerPoint for tonight: Perfecting Plot part 2
Reedsy.com weekly writing contest
Paper Dragon literary magazine (Drexel University)
Halfway Down the Stairs literary magazine (online)
Week 5 (5/13)
Homework for ths evening:
Read and rate "Salting the Hay"
Do the worksheet, "Subplots and Goldilocks"
Do the worksheet, "Protagonist / Antagonist"
Week Six (5/20)
Bob's notes on Dazzling Description
Bob's notes on Dynamic Dialogue
PowerPoint on Dynamic Dialogue
Intermediate Creative Writing Final
Answers to "Duel" analysis sheet
