Core Fiction/Prose Forms Workshops

Important Note: Generally we ask Fiction Writing Department majors to enroll in two or more courses offered in our department. One of your courses should always include a Core Fiction Writing course. Other courses should include a Critical Reading and Writing course and/or a Specialty/Elective course, both offered through our department.

Here are course descriptions, including the official prerequisites. Following each course description are advising guidelines for that course.

NOTE: Prerequisites are mentioned to indicate the course at Columbia College Chicago. A beginning fiction writing course at another college is not equivalent to Fiction Writing I at Columbia, although it may count toward major requirements.

Introduction to Fiction Writing 55-1100 - (undergrads only) 3 credits. This course is for entering freshmen who have an interest in fiction writing. Students write and read fiction and become acquainted with story and basic techniques of storytelling. There is no prerequisite for the course. The course prepares a sound foundation for Fiction Writing I.

Students who haven't had Comp I and II, or who are currently enrolled in Comp I or II, may want to take this course, rather than Fiction Writing I. However, students with especially strong skills and interest in fiction writing may start directly with Fiction W riting I. Introduction to Fiction Writing does not count towards the major but does provide a good introduction to fiction writing techniques.

Fiction Writing I 55-1101- or 55-4101- (undergrads) & 55-5101- or 55-6101 - (grads) 4 credits, undergrads; 3 credits, graduates. Emphasizing the dynamic relationship between individual students, the workshop director, and the class, the Story Workshop® method is employed to allow students to move at their own pace in developing perceptual, technical, and imaginative abilities in fiction writing. No prerequisites, though either Introduction to Fiction Writing or English Composition are helpful.

NOTE: Freshman students who have a strong interest in fiction writing and good basic writing skills may begin in this course before they have completed the prerequisite Comp I and Comp II. Older students, students with a B.A. and students who have completed the composition requirement should begin here. Also open to those in comp classes who have completed Intro to Fiction Writing.

Fiction Writing II 55-4102- (undergrads) or 55-5102- (grads) 4 credits undergrads; 3 credits grads - This course continues the development of perceptual and technical abilities begun in Fiction Writing I, concentrating on point of view, structure, and parody of form. Prerequisite: Fiction Writing I.

Fiction II is not only a more advanced class—it is quite specifically a continuation of foundations laid in Fiction Writing I, with an emphasis on form and structure, and continued exploration of imagination, voice, and audience. “Qualified undergraduate”—Anyone who has successfully completed Fiction Writing I can enroll for Fiction Writing II. This is a writing intensive credit.

Prose Forms 55-4104- (undergrads) or 55-5104- (grads) 4 credits undergrads; 3 credits grads. Aimed toward producing publishable works, this practical exploration uses the Story Workshop® Basic Forms and Sense of Address approaches to technical, expository, and persuasive writing, thereby exposing students to the kinds of writing that are generally useful in finding employment in the arts and media fields where writing skills are essential to advancement. The course is also designed to heighten students' sense for forms and structure in preparation for Fiction Writing: Advanced. The course has strong emphasis on using the identified basic forms in fiction writing and in creative nonfiction.

Prerequisite: Fiction Writing II. “Qualified undergraduate”—Anyone who has successfully completed Fiction Writing II can enroll in this course. This prerequisite is not flexible.

Advanced Prose Forms 55-4105 (undergrads) or 55-5105 (grads) Monday, 1:15-5:45 - 4 credits undergrads; 3 credits grads - Sophisticated Story Workshop Basic Forms and Sense of Address techniques are used to advance students' development of prose forms. Instructor: fiction writer Eric May. Prerequisite: Prose Forms.

NOTE: Advanced Prose Forms may be substituted for one of the three Advanced Fiction Writing courses required for the Fiction Writing major and may be taken concurrently with Advanced Fiction Writing. Advanced Prose Forms may be taken for elective writing credit.

Fiction Writing: Advanced 55-4106 (undergrads) or 55-5106 (grads) - 4 credits undergrads; 3 credits grads - This course uses Story Workshop® approaches to develop the many facets of writing short fiction and novels. Prerequisite: Fiction Writing II and Prose Forms.

Fiction Seminar 55-4108-01 (undergrads) or 55-5108-01 (grads) Thursday, 1:30-5:20 4 credits undergrads; 3 credits grads - This advanced class in fiction writing will begin with technical or craft matters, then proceed to the more artistic aspects of composing fiction of any length. The craft sessions will address the general nature of communication, involving creating characters (including both their physical and psychological description), dialogue, interior monologue and stream of consciousness, action, pace, point of view, plot, setting, and style. Substantial writing projects will be undertaken by the students and submitted for class analysis and discussion. There will also be extensive use of one-to-one writing conferences between the teacher and the students. Fiction seminar is taught by discussion and critique, rather than the Story Workshop approach. Instructor: novelist Antonia Logue. Prerequisite: Prose Forms.

NOTE: Fiction Seminar may be substituted for one of the three Advanced Fiction Writing courses required for the Fiction Writing major and may be taken concurrently with Advanced Fiction Writing. Fiction Seminar may be taken for elective writing credit.