About the Fiction Curriculum

During the first two semesters, fiction students work with Stonecoast fiction faculty according to an individually designed program, designed to challenge and enhance your skill and talent and bring out the unique qualities of your fiction.   Students in these semesters will concentrate intensively on a range of strategies for fiction including character; setting; dialogue; point of view; plot; and narrative persona.

The Stonecoast curriculum requires students in these semesters to read deeply in classic and contemporary fiction, as well as writing and revising their own work.  Fiction faculty guide students to explore novels and stories from all eras as well as landmark literary criticism. Stonecoast’s flexible curriculum allows students to write imitative annotations in the style of various writers as well as brief, focused critical papers.

Third semester students round out their understanding of the craft of fiction with a third-semester enhancement project.  Stonecoast's six possible academic emphases (craft, creative collaboration, literary theory, publishing, teaching, and social action/community service) allow a student to pursue nearly any deeply held intellectual or artistic passion as an enhancement project. Recent enhancement projects in fiction have included studies in flash fiction and the comicbook novel; an analysis of sentence rhythms in Toni Morrision; and an adaptation of a novel into a screenplay;

Stonecoast offers a combination of in-depth knowledge and aesthetic breadth that is unique among fiction programs. Special workshop opportunities for fiction during the residency, in addition to the ongoing Fiction Workshop, include Master Classes for graduating seniors and half-residency elective workshops in student-driven topics that have included an ongoing Novel workshop and courses in Setting: Openings and Closing: Writing Suspense; and Researching Historical Fiction.

Each residency, a remarkable range of presentations by Stonecoast faculty and visiting writers addresses topics in fiction with in-depth discussion or writing exercises.  Recent presentation topics have included Innovative Fictional Structures and What Fiction Writers Can Learn from Screenwriters.  A lively mix of visitors add their energy to the residencies; recent and scheduled visitors include David Chan, Carolyn Chute, Tayari Jones, and Maxine Swann.

Related Links:

Fiction at Stonecoast

Fiction Faculty

Visiting Fiction Writers

Sample Fiction Residency Presentations

Alumni Profile