ENGL 137B
Creative Writing: Advanced Short Story
Description: (Formerly numbered 137.) Seminar, three or four hours. Enforced Requisites: courses 4HW or 4W or 20 or 20W, English Composition 3. Further reading in contemporary short stories and exercises in fiction writing, with emphasis on longer stories. Some classroom discussion based on assigned reading, but most on student work. Enrollment in more than one section per term not permitted. May be repeated for maximum of 15 units. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 0.0
Units: 0.0
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2025 - If you are looking for a workshop that will help you find your voice and individuality as a writer, I would skip applying to any workshops taught by Huneven. Right off the bat, I was put off by her needlessly strict syllabus that prohibited any genre or topic of writing that wasn't "realistic fiction" -- she included a whole list of "banned" topics for the class, including settings like parties (??), rest homes, and garage sales. And don't get me started on anything speculative or genre, because that would get you publicly humiliated in front of the whole class. I get that her point is that a lot of stories submitted to literary magazines overuse these topics to the point of cliche, but that was my whole problem with Prof. Huneven's class: she was always too keen to criticize the brainstorming process and first draft of the writing process, to the point where I felt like I was writing only to appease her very regimented idea of a "literary" story, instead of truly discovering what **I** wanted to write about. I also thought her idea of what made a story "good" was really conservative and hard to parse; her feedback was very formulaic and seemed more focused on ticking off all the "criteria" of a good story (developed characters, sensible pacing, etc.) instead of delving into what Your personal strengths as a writer are (stylistic elements like dialogue, imagery, voice). Also the whole point of writing good fiction is that it's not formulaic and it breaks new creative ground ffs. We had to write 1 story of 3 pages maximum every week until Week 6 (then 1 longer 8-page story by Week 8/9), which is so ridiculously short that it's technically classified as flash fiction, not a short story! You'd at least think Prof. Huneven would assign short readings if the whole point is to gain proficiency in this shorter form, but no, practically every reading we had was 20+ pages-long and was supposed to serve as a "model" for our stories. Needless to say, Huneven's unnecessarily critical lens really damaged my own writing inspiration as I constantly shut down every idea I had, and I wrote what I personally think was my worst fiction over the course of this class. Nearly a year later, I can look back and say I'm glad I stayed in this class and had its experience, but if I could've taken a different prof, I would've. I have nothing against Huneven and think she is really sweet outside of the class, as well as a very well-accomplished writer herself. If you are a writer of realist literary fiction and actually crave relentless criticism because you're already confident in your own style, I have no doubt this class will be enjoyable and beneficial to you. But my experimental heart desired more rule-breaking from a writing class bearing the label of "creative," and sadly that was not delivered here.
Spring 2025 - If you are looking for a workshop that will help you find your voice and individuality as a writer, I would skip applying to any workshops taught by Huneven. Right off the bat, I was put off by her needlessly strict syllabus that prohibited any genre or topic of writing that wasn't "realistic fiction" -- she included a whole list of "banned" topics for the class, including settings like parties (??), rest homes, and garage sales. And don't get me started on anything speculative or genre, because that would get you publicly humiliated in front of the whole class. I get that her point is that a lot of stories submitted to literary magazines overuse these topics to the point of cliche, but that was my whole problem with Prof. Huneven's class: she was always too keen to criticize the brainstorming process and first draft of the writing process, to the point where I felt like I was writing only to appease her very regimented idea of a "literary" story, instead of truly discovering what **I** wanted to write about. I also thought her idea of what made a story "good" was really conservative and hard to parse; her feedback was very formulaic and seemed more focused on ticking off all the "criteria" of a good story (developed characters, sensible pacing, etc.) instead of delving into what Your personal strengths as a writer are (stylistic elements like dialogue, imagery, voice). Also the whole point of writing good fiction is that it's not formulaic and it breaks new creative ground ffs. We had to write 1 story of 3 pages maximum every week until Week 6 (then 1 longer 8-page story by Week 8/9), which is so ridiculously short that it's technically classified as flash fiction, not a short story! You'd at least think Prof. Huneven would assign short readings if the whole point is to gain proficiency in this shorter form, but no, practically every reading we had was 20+ pages-long and was supposed to serve as a "model" for our stories. Needless to say, Huneven's unnecessarily critical lens really damaged my own writing inspiration as I constantly shut down every idea I had, and I wrote what I personally think was my worst fiction over the course of this class. Nearly a year later, I can look back and say I'm glad I stayed in this class and had its experience, but if I could've taken a different prof, I would've. I have nothing against Huneven and think she is really sweet outside of the class, as well as a very well-accomplished writer herself. If you are a writer of realist literary fiction and actually crave relentless criticism because you're already confident in your own style, I have no doubt this class will be enjoyable and beneficial to you. But my experimental heart desired more rule-breaking from a writing class bearing the label of "creative," and sadly that was not delivered here.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - Let me be frank: Professor Simpson can be blunt, which can sometimes come across as her being harsh. However, it'll help you develop thick skin and comes from a seasoned writer. She definitely knows what she's doing and provides valuable feedback. You will grow as a writer as long as you turn in your weekly stories (1-4 pages long), read the assigned short story, and come ready to engage with other students. Basically, as long as you do the work, show improvement, and come ready to class, then you'll do great!
Winter 2024 - Let me be frank: Professor Simpson can be blunt, which can sometimes come across as her being harsh. However, it'll help you develop thick skin and comes from a seasoned writer. She definitely knows what she's doing and provides valuable feedback. You will grow as a writer as long as you turn in your weekly stories (1-4 pages long), read the assigned short story, and come ready to engage with other students. Basically, as long as you do the work, show improvement, and come ready to class, then you'll do great!
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