|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clint McCown
Clint McCown (Fiction, Writing for Stage and Screen) has published three novels (The Member-Guest, War Memorials, and The Weatherman), and two collections of poems (Sidetracksand Wind Over Water). He has recently finished a fourth novel, Haints, and a third collection of poems, Dead Languages. His work has appeared in numerous magazines and journals. He has worked as a screenwriter for Warner Bros., a broadcast journalist, and an actor for the National Shakespeare Company. Clint has received the S. Mariella Gable Prize, the Society of Midland Authors Award, an AP Award for Documentary Excellence, and two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize; he has twice won the American Fiction Prize. He is a former editor of Indiana Review, and founder of the Beloit Fiction Journal, which he edited for twenty years. He teaches in the creative writing program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Selected Publications:
Teaching Philosophy: I tend not to assign specific exercises. Instead, I let the student follow the direction he/she finds most engaging. Sometimes if a student becomes blocked for one reason or another, I might suggest an exercise to work through the problem, but such cases are rare. If a student craves assigned exercises to help address craft concerns, I have no problem going down that path with the writer. Overall, though, my job is not to tell the student what to write, but to help the student do a better job of grappling with his/her own material. The nuts-and-bolts of my approach is simple: I write detailed comments on the material sent to me each month. These comments include line edits and more global issues of the work. While I'll make sure the student knows what mechanical or stylistic problems appear in the text, I'll also talk about larger issues of story strategy and structure, as well as issues of character, setting, themes, motifs, and language. Usually my comments will amount to about three single-spaced pages of commentary beyond what I've marked on the text itself. I encourage as much back-and-forth communication as the student desires. With some students, the letters in the packets are enough; others like to follow up the packet exchange with emails or phone calls to discuss various issues of craft or problems in the work. I tend to assign two books a month during the semester. If the student seems to be in need of a craft book, I'll assign one early on, but for the most part I try to tailor the reading list to the student. Usually, after I've seen what the student is trying to do, I can suggest a number of novels or story collections that might be helpful in showing that student the next level of growth. So far I've tended to stick with analytical annotations with each packet-two annotations of 3-4 pages each. But that has been more by tradition than by personal preference. I'm open to more creative approaches to the annotations as long as the reading still gets done. As for genres, I enjoy serving as a mentor in fiction - most of all - in all styles and theoretical approaches. I also have a background and interest in mentoring projects in creative nonfiction, screenwriting, and poetry. I believe that there needs to be plenty of feedback and conversation between the student writer and the teacher so that each may understand the gap-if there is one-between what the writer intended and what the reader received. Once that gap has been identified between the intentionality of the writer and the response of the reader, it becomes possible to discuss ways to bridge the gap and strengthen the work. I side with Raymond Carver's view that fiction writing isn't ultimately about self-expression but about communication. Control of the craft is the writer's best way to communicate his/her vision. There are many results of successful teaching. For one thing, the student writer will achieve better control of the material. He or she will also develop a greater respect for the craft and the art, and thereby improve the chances for the material to be successful. Furthermore, the student writer will become a better reader and a better communicator in general. There are many rewards for the teacher, as well. It's always heartwarming when a student publishes a story or a novel, and it's nice to hear from former students who choose to credit their teachers for some portion of their success. For me, the best part of serving as a teacher comes when I see the improvement in a student over the course of a semester. The craft can be taught. The discipline and perseverance that lead to success can be recommended and even urged, but I'm not sure that part of the formula can be taught. Some people may not have the staying power to wrestle forever with literary art. The creation of art is not a goal but a path, and those who determine to stay on it have already accomplished the hardest portion of the task.
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
