Writing Fiction is a fiction writing workshop for upperclassmen in which students will develop a substantial portfolio of original work in the genre of fiction. There will be weekly word count benchmarks to be met in pursuit of this goal. Students will collaborate both online and in person, perform pieces in small groups and in front of the class, publish a substantial amount of work in an on-line portfolio and, hopefully, the school's literary magazine. The culminating activity (final exam) for the course is a "Book Release Event" in which our newly published authors will perform a selection of their work in front of the class and discuss their writing process and style. The goal is to introduce them--and include them--in the community of writers that is thriving in the real world. To that end, most of the authors we will read in class are currently publishing authors, many of whom live in the surrounding communities or the region. Whether they are first-time or experienced writers, students will be encouraged to go beyond what they ever thought they could accomplish. By the end of the term, they will have surprised others---and themselves.
