WR 224 is a Writing II course that seeks to unveil the mysteries of writing literary fiction. We’ll read both craft advice and short stories as we learn the concepts and practices behind vibrant and compelling stories. Students will be expected to “workshop” the short stories of their peers, as well as write two short stories of their own.
John Larison
Instructor
Oregon State University
Moreland 306
2550 SW Jefferson Way
Corvallis,
OR
97331 USA
Tel:
541-737-1644
Email contact form
Credentials
- M.F.A Fiction - Oregon State University
- M Ed. Writing and Literature - University of Oregon
- B.A. English and Philosophy - University of Oregon
Research
John Larison has taught fiction, personal essay, and professional writing at OSU since 2007. His novels include Holding Lies (Skyhorse 2011) and Northwest of Normal (Barclay Creek 2009). He writes frequently about watershed ecology, salmon conservation, and fly fishing, and published the technical book The Complete Steelheader in 2007 (Stackpole Books). He serves as the Northwest Field Editor for Fly Fisherman magazine, and his essays and articles appear regularly in The Drake, Flyfish Journal, Gray's Sporting Journal, and Fly Rod and Reel. His story "Quartzville Creek" is forthcoming in the anthology The Seasonable Angler. He is at work on a new novel.
Course Information
Available Spring Term
Welcome to Advanced Fiction Writing, a course that will delve into the subtle mechanics behind compelling, moving, and thematically important fiction. Though our readings will focus on modern short stories, the lessons taught will apply equally well to novels and novellas.
This term, we’ll be focusing our inquiries on issues of structure. Specifically, we’ll be asking “What is the relationship between conflict and story-structure. How does a writer create a sense of conclusion? How does a writer evoke deep sentiment within the reader?”
This section of WR 424 will include guided readings of published work, eight weeks of workshop, and regular blogging. At the end of the class, each student will submit a short paper analyzing the structure of one story of his or her choice.
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