MALS 141 WRITING CRIME FICTION

This creative writing course uses a workshop-centered approach to allow students to develop their abilities in fiction and particularly the genre of mystery/suspense. Weekly reading assignments will draw from both past and contemporary authors in order to expose students to the wide variety of voices and styles that the genre of crime fiction has birthed in the last hundred-plus years. The course will approach these books primarily with the purpose of examining the internal elements that make them succeed and, crucially, the intentions and decisions of their authors. Writing assignments will focus primarily on producing new work but also include revision; a formal background in writing is not required or expected but students should have a strong interest in creative writing and a willingness to share, and accept critique on, their work. Students will have the choice of producing either several short stories or a novella throughout the term.

As a secondary objective, this course will offer a look at the fiction publishing process, including pitches, agent queries, magazine / lit journal submissions, and an overview of the publishing landscape. Past guest speakers have included literary agents, film/TV agents, editors, and authors.

Instructor

Saul Lelchuk