Our Schedule
updated 1/6/13
Prologue: Moving
from “Story” to “Book”
Jan.
9
·
Intro
to Course
·
In-class
diagnostic
·
Weekly Words: Practice
Run:
turn in via email to cathydayteacher@gmail.com by Sunday Jan.
13 at 5 PM.
Chapter 1:
Getting to Know Your Character
Jan.
16
·
Quiz:
Tom Perrotta, Election
·
Response #1: due before class on #amnoveling blog: Topic: Favorite Novels and/or Your
Writing Regimen
·
Have
Read: DICE handout, LOCK handout,
·
Weekly Words #1: due by Sunday Jan. 20 at 5 PM. Focus: Write about your main character
by following the “Desire” prompts from DICE and the “Lead” prompts from LOCK.
Chapter 2: Scene
Before Sentence
Jan.
23
·
Quiz:
Sal Pane, Last Call in the City of
Bridges (pp. 1-102)
·
Weekly Words #2, due by Sunday Jan. 27 at 5 PM. Focus: Dramatized (not summarized)
scenes from early in your novel. Follow the “Initiate” prompts from DICE and
the “Objective” prompts from LOCK.
Chapter 3: Playing
with Blocks: Throughlines, A/B/C Stories, Plot Layers and Subplots
Jan.
30
·
Quiz:
Sal Pane, Last Call in the City of
Bridges (pp. 103-end)
·
Response #2: due before class to the #amnoveling
blog. Read the chapters on “Scenes” and “Plotting Systems” by James Scott Bell
and write about whether you think you’re “OP” or a “NOP,” a plotter or a
pantser, or (more likely) something in between. It’s important to know this
about yourself.
·
Weekly Words #3, due by Sunday Feb. 3 at 5 PM. Focus: Identify potential plot layers
or subplots for your novel. Write about those subplots by creating a list of
specific plot points for each. Think consciously about what different strands
you can create and weave together. Follow the prompts for “Conflict” from DICE
and “Confrontations” from LOCK. This is where you start thinking about how
you’re going to make things happen and force the issues.
Chapter 4: Plot
and Structure
Feb.
6
·
Quiz:
Baggott, Pure (pp. 1-121)
·
Weekly Words #4, due by Sunday Feb. 10 at 5 PM. Focus: identify potential turning
points, inner turning points, and high moments for your character/s. What are
your character’s “doorways of no return”? What are you building towards? Have
you made the problem as bad as it can possibly be? Write about this and don’t
worry if it sounds cheesy.
Chapter 5: Setting
and World Building
Feb.
13
·
First
half of class: Quiz: Baggott, Pure (pp.
122-292)
·
Weekly Words #5: due by Sunday, Feb. 17 at 5 PM. Focus: answer all or at least some of
the questions in the handout “Setting as Character by JT Dutton.” Make sure
that your words this week focus on the setting of your novel.
Chapter 6: Stakes
and Voltage
Feb.
20
·
Quiz:
Baggott, Pure (pp. 293-431)
·
Weekly Words #6, due by Sunday, Feb. 24 at 5 PM. Focus: Your novel needs lots of tension.
Write about how the situation for your character could matter more, how you can
make things worse for them, how you can make them suffer more. Does your novel
need frontloading or a ticking clock? At least some of this is about figuring
out why this story matters to you personally. If you haven’t already created
the novel’s bridging conflict, do so now.
Chapter 7: Reverse
Storyboarding
Feb.
27
·
Response #3: Write a “Wanted Ad” for your ideal beta
readers and which describes the kind of book you’re writing, its genre (if any)
and the primary questions/problems you’re dealing with. This will be posted to
the class Discussion Board on Blackboard.
·
Weekly Words #7, due by Sunday, March 3 at 5 PM. Focus: If you want, you can turn in
nothing but plot points this week. This will be really helpful if you’re a
plotter. If you’re a pantser, you’ll start doing it and hate it. If so, stop.
Spring
Break: March 4-March 8
407
Schedule Spring 2013
Group 1: Gaoly Thao, Rachael
Heffner, Brittany Robertson, Rianne Hall, Rochelle Martin
Group 2: Veronica Sipe, Todd
Bastin, Logan Mason, Tom Carreras, Adam Gulla
Group 3: Chase Stanley, Alisha
Layman, James Gartner, Molly Miller, Brent Smith
Chapter 8: Theme
March
13
· Response #4: due before
class to #amnoveling blog. Read this blog post of mine, “Novels to Stories,
Stories to Novel.”
Read the assigned stories in Eugene Cross’s Fires
of Our Choosing. Pretend you are Eugene’s editor and you want him to turn
the stories in his collection into a novel. Come up with some suggestions about
how these standalone stories could be revised to form a novel. Note: This does not mean that his book
should be anything other than exactly what it is. This is just an exercise.
Do this on BLACKBOARD.
· Weekly Words #8: due by Sunday, March 17
at 5 PM. Focus: Using the tips from
lecture regarding how to develop the theme of your novel, think about three
scenes in which the theme is present. The first bell chime. The second. And
then the third.
Chapter 9: In Print Week
March
20
2nd
Night of In-Print
· Due from Groups 2 and 3
only: Reverse Storyboard Project + Analysis (on paper, not emailed, due in
class).
· We’ll meet the first hour
to discuss what’s due (for some) next week: Jacket Copy, The Partial, The
Outline/Synopsis
· Weekly Words #9: due by Sunday, March 24
at 5 PM. Focus: None. Write what you
want. .
Chapter 10: Readability:
“Easy Reading” is Damn Hard Writing. --Hawthorne
March
27
· Weekly Words #10 (last
one):
due Sunday, March 31at 5 PM. Focus:
None. Write what you want.
· Due : Packet from Group 1 by
the end of class (Jacket Copy, 25-50 page “chunk,” and Outline/Storyboard). Put
in Blackboard “Groups” File Exchange. This should be ONE DOCUMENT, not three.
Week 1 of Beta Reading
Groups & Writing Studio Time
April
3
· Meeting of Group 1 Beta Readers (with Cathy)
· Due: Group 1 Beta Reader
Reports
· Groups 2 and 3
writing/revising in classroom
· Due: Packet from Group 2 by
the end of class (Jacket Copy, 25-50 page “chunk,” and Outline/Storyboard) Put
in Blackboard “Groups” File Exchange. This should be ONE DOCUMENT, not three.
Week 2 of Beta Reading
Groups & Writing Studio Time
April
10
· Meeting of Group 2 Beta Readers (with Cathy)
· Due: Group 2 Beta Reader
Reports
· Due: Reverse Storyboard Project from Group 1
· Group 1 & 3
writing/revising in classroom
· Due: Packet from Group 3 by
the end of class (Jacket Copy, 25-50 page “chunk,” and Outline/Storyboard) Put
in Blackboard “Groups” File Exchange. This should be ONE DOCUMENT, not three.
Week 3 of Beta Reading
Groups & Writing Studio Time
April
16: Julianna Baggott reads at Butler University (class trip?)
April
17
· Meeting of Group 3 Beta Readers (with Cathy)
· Due: Group 3 Beta Reader
Reports
· Groups 1 and 2
writing/revising in classroom
What Comes Next: The
Submission Process
April
24
· Due: Query and 10-page Partial to Faux “Agent” (this is worth 10% of your grade!)
· Presentation on
Publishing
Due: Document that contains all the words you drafted over the course of the term.
Due: Document that contains all the words you drafted over the course of the term.
The End
May
1: Response #5: In-class reflection essay. Winner of Most Words Drafted Contest revealed!
Our scheduled final exam
time is:
Wednesday, May 1 at 7-9
PM
We will meet and you’ll complete Response #5,
an in-class reflection essay.
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