Innovative Forms in Prose

WRITING X 461.30E

Discover the opportunities of using uninspired prose forms like reviews, reports, and ads as jumping off points for rich storytelling.

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What you can learn.

Learn how storytelling can take root in even the most uninspired of prose forms, from lists to fake diary entries
Complete writing prompts and exercises based on these innovative forms
Participate in workshops of your writing drafts to identify strengths and areas for further development
Read and respond to published works to learn more about the craft of writing innovative prose

About this course:

In this course, we’ll read short fiction, flash pieces, and works of nonfiction written in forms taken directly from everyday life, also known as “found texts”—letters, emails, product reviews, want ads, medical reports, diaries, many of them with a humorous or ironic tone, and we’ll do writing exercises based on these innovative forms with the aim of enlarging and enriching your own writing practice. This course features weekly reading assignments in different genres and in-class writing exercises. There is also a workshop component in which we’ll read and offer feedback on stories and essays you’ll write during the course. By the end of the term, you’ll have learned to incorporate found texts in your storytelling with the aim of deepening your sense of play and opening your work to more possibilities of innovation and imagination. The course goal is to complete a short story, personal essay, or a chapter of a longer work of prose that makes use of one or more found text.