Optional-Residency MFA - Course Descriptions

We have a tremendous diversity of courses - not only do we offer seven separate genres, but within these genres there are even more options: writing for children and writing for young adults; writing for screen and writing for television; two different nonfiction classes and an innovative course on teaching writing.

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Please note that course descriptions for the 2012 academic year will be revised in Spring 2012. Descriptions and course offerings from 2011/12 may not apply.

2011/12 Academic Year

CRWR 503 - Advanced Writing for Children, Maggie deVries
CRWR 505A - Nonfiction, Wayne Grady
CRWR 506 - Advanced Drama for Screen & Television, Deb Peraya
CRWR 506 - Advanced Drama for Screen & Television (TV), Deb Peraya
CRWR 506 - Advanced Drama for Screen & Television, Sioux Browning
CRWR 507A - Advanced Stage Playwriting, Stephen Hunt
CRWR 539F - Novel, Introduction, Gail Anderson-Dargatz
CRWR 539F - Novel, Advanced, Gail Anderson-Dargatz
CRWR 509 - Short Fiction, Charlotte Gill
CRWR 509 - Fiction, Gail Anderson-Dargatz
CRWR 509 - Fiction, Annabel Lyon
CRWR 509 - Fiction, Joseph Boyden
CRWR 509 - Fiction, Lisa Moore
CRWR 510A - Poetry, Susan Musgrave
CRWR 510A - Poetry, Karen Solie
CRWR 515 - Advanced Translation, Peter Levitt
CRWR 515 - Advanced Translation, Wayne Grady
CRWR 516A - Nonfiction, Luanne Armstrong
CRWR 522A/B - Teaching Creative Writing, Luanne Armstrong
CRWR 549 - Thesis

NOTE: On hiatus from workshop teaching this year: Zsuzsi Gartner, Brian Brett and Sara Graefe. Deborah Peraya will be filliing in for Sara Graefe.

CRWR 503 D01: Advanced Writing for Children
Maggie deVries

Each weekly seminar begins Wednesday at 9 a.m. PST and closes on Thursday at 4 p.m. PST

In this course we will look at features that distinguish children’s and YA literature from other writing and that distinguish the best children’s literature from that which is less successful. Questions such as What is a children’s (or YA) book? and What makes for good writing for children and young adults? will occupy (and sometimes stump) us all year. We will also consider current trends in writing for young people, such as the explosion in graphic novels.

To this end, we will examine key aspects of writing such as point of view, tense, development of plot, character and setting, use of figurative language, and the possibilities of form (both traditional and experimental). Novels (contemporary, historical, fantasy and various blends), early chapter books and picture books will form our central focus, but we will spend several weeks on poetry, and we will also consider informational books, traditional literature, graphic novels and other forms.

Each week, for each on-line meeting, we will critique a piece of writing posted by a student the previous week. In a separate strand, we will discuss samples of published writing, and several times each term, you will be invited to do some brief first-draft writing in the topic we are examining. A portfolio of this first-draft writing and your work in progress—revised from class discussion and consultation with the instructor—along with your written reflections on the workshop and revision process will be my major focus in determining your grade.

A course pack of literature samples and readings connected to the schedule of topics will provide a basis for discussion in each weekly meeting, but you will also need to seek out complete books on a regular basis as you are able, especially picture books, which will not be included in the course pack in order to limit its size . Our weekly meetings will also include an informal what I’ve been reading chat.

CRWR 505A D01: Advanced Writing of Creative Non-Fiction
Wayne Grady

Monday am - Wednesday pm

An intermediate level survey course in creative nonfiction, emphasizing a literary rather than mass-market approach. We will begin with memoir, progress to the travel essay, apply what we've learned to nature writing, and wrap it up with a foray into the personal essay.

This course is normally a pre-requisite for CRWR 516. Students are expected to take 505 first, then progress to 516. This prerequisite may, however, be waived by permission of the instructor and program.

CRWR 506 D01: Advanced Drama for Screen & Television
Deb Peraya

Tuesday 9 a.m. PST - Wednesday 6 p.m. PST

This graduate level workshop focuses on writing for film. My section of 506 is geared for students with previous screenwriting experience. (Sioux Browning is teaching another section of 506 for students new to the genre).

Throughout the course, you will create a feature-length screenplay (90-120 minutes), working from initial pitch to treatment to draft. Departmental policy requires that you create an original script. Adaptation of work from other genres (either your own or by other authors) is not permitted, as it goes beyond the scope of this course.

Although the primary focus of the workshop is on your own writing, we will also spend time discussing screenwriting theory, conventions, formatting and technique - working from the age-old adage that a writer must first know the rules in order to break them.

In the weekly workshops, you'll be participating in peer critiques of each other's writing, honing your technique and craft not only as screenwriters but as story editors. You'll work on substantial rewrites of your script based on feedback from myself and others in the class, much as you would in 'the biz' - working with a producer and story editor. Although this is first and foremost a creative writing class, we will nevertheless approach the art and craft of screenwriting within the broader context of filmmaking.

CRWR 506 D02: Advanced Screenplay: Writing For Television
Deb Peraya

Tuesday 9 a.m. PST - Wednesday 6 p.m. PST

This advanced screenwriting workshop serves as an introduction to writing specifically for television. Many emerging screenwriters have launched their film careers by writing for the small screen. In recent years, UBC MFA graduates have worked on diverse Canadian TV series such as Da Vinci's Inquest, Whistler, Godiva, Robson Arms, Edgemont and These Arms of Mine.

This workshop is geared for productive writers who can meet deadlines and work collaboratively. Previous screenwriting experience is an asset.

In the first term, you will focus on creating a "Spec Script" - an episodic television script (half-hour or hour) written for a pre-existing network show. This project is a great introduction to the technique of writing in the voice of the show. Also, in the film industry, spec scripts serve as writing samples in a TV-writer's portfolio and are essentially your 'calling card' for networks and producers.

In the second term, you will develop original television ideas in a virtual, mock Story Department environment, experiencing first-hand the collaborative nature of television writing. In teams of two or three, you will create your own, original television series (half-hour or hour) Рfrom pitch to show bible to pilot episode.

Although the primary focus of the workshop is on your writing, we will also spend time discussing television-writing theory, conventions, formatting and technique Рworking from the age-old adage that a writer must first know the rules in order to break them.

In the weekly on-line classes, you'll be participating in peer critiques of each other's writing, honing your technique and craft not only as writers but also as story editors. You'll write and re-write your material based on feedback from myself and the others in the class, much as you would in 'the biz' - working with a showrunner and a team of story editors. Although this is first and foremost a creative writing class, we will nevertheless approach the craft of TV writing within the broader context of TV and film production.

CRWR 506 D03: Advanced Drama for Screen & Television
Sioux Browning

Tuesday 9am - Wednesday 6pm PST

This workshop is directed at those who are looking for a solid introduction to screenwriting. Students with no or limited experience in the genre are welcome. Among other topics, the course will explore formatting, structure, plotting, character-building, dialogue, image systems and subtext.

In the first semester, you will write a short film (pitch, outline, draft, rewrite). In the second semester, you will go through the same steps to create the first act of a feature film. (This will give you the tools -- and hopefully the desire -- to complete the screenplay on your own or in an additional course.) Based on peer and instructor comments, and facets of screenwriting learned throughout the course, your revised work will evolve considerably from your initial drafts. In addition, through these discussions, you will learn the basic skills of story editing.

Throughout the year we will watch and discuss films, learning from the techniques used by the writer(s). Therefore, you must have access to a DVD or VHS player. The films should be easily available at rental outlets, through Web-based rental services, libraries, or from DVD retailers. We will also look at screenplay exerpts, theories of the craft from established writers, and screenwriting resources on the Internet. But our primary focus will be on your writing.

It has been my experience that we will also have a lot of fun.

CRWR 507A D01: Advanced Stage Playwriting
Stephen Hunt

Wednesday 9am - Thursday 8pm

This graduate level workshop focuses on long-form dramatic writing for the stage. During the course, you will work on a full-length play. In the weekly workshops, you'll be participating in peer critiques of each other's writing, honing your technique and craft not only as playwrights but as dramaturges. You'll work on substantial rewrites of your play based on feedback from myself and the others in the class, much as you would with a dramaturge and actors in a play development workshop or rehearsal process. Although this is first and foremost a creative writing class, we will nevertheless approach the craft of playwriting within the broader context of theatre practice.

CRWR 539F D03: Novel - Introduction (formerly 508 D01)
Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Tuesday at 9 a.m. PST - Wednesday at 4 p.m. PST.

I take a highly practical approach to the novel, focussing on what works and what doesn’t. I believe there are no “rules” to writing fiction, but there are problem areas that most of us stumble over as we learn this very complicated craft. In this workshop, we’ll pay close attention to these problem areas and find solutions you can apply to your own writing.

Manuscript submissions are 5,000 words each for a total of 10,000 words per semester and 20,000 words for the year. In the second semester, as we look at structure and the bigger picture, the writer also submits a brief project outline, summarizing the main plot points of their project, with each submission. I give feedback directly on these outlines, and the class brainstorms over these notes. In my experience, working through outlines in this manner saves the writer months or even years of grief and writing time and helps to illustrate the mechanics of structure for both the writer and other students.

I assign exercises, but generally these involve rewrites of your own work. Students are asked to study a “companion novel” on their own and to keep a craft log of what they learn over the year.

Discussion topics run weekly. In the first semester, I’ll focus on the finer elements of craft including the building blocks of fiction, openings, character, dialogue and flashbacks. We’ll also talk about the hazards and joys of finding inspiration from real life, among many other topics.

In the second semester our focus turns to the bigger picture: structure, plot, pacing, organizing your writing life, and working with an editor.

Students each lead at least one and likely two topic discussions over the course of the year, depending on class size. Students may choose their discussion topics, within the framework of this course. These topics might include the following: interior monologue, intertextuality, point of view and voice, tense, conflict, transitions, objective correlative, symbol and metaphor, setting (landscape), magic realism, brainstorming for fiction, sophistication, approaches to self-editing, the psychology of writing, and collaboration.

During our discussions I frequently refer to the course pack. Students will also be expected to have read Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero before the course begins as I use these novels to discuss structure and various elements of craft. The text for this course is Jack Hodgins’ A Passion for Narrative.

CRWR 539F D04: Novel - Advanced (formerly 508 D02)
Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Monday at 9 a.m. PST - Tuesday at 4 p.m. PST.

Prerequisite: Previous Novel or Fiction course in the program.

This workshop is tailored for writers who want to receive continued feedback from myself and other students on their novel project, and who want to submit much longer sections of their novel projects to workshop. The class is also custom made for those who intend to develop their novel further before taking it into their thesis work with myself or other faculty members.

Manuscript submissions are twice as long as in the novel course at 10,000 words per submission for a total of 20,000 words per semester and 40,000 words for the year. With each manuscript submission, the writer also submits a brief project summary that outlines main plot points. These outlines tend to change, often radically, from submission to submission as the project evolves. I give feedback directly on these outlines, and the class brainstorms over these notes. In my experience, working through outlines in this manner saves the writer months or even years of grief and writing time and helps to illustrate the mechanics of structure for other students.

In acknowledgement of the increased reading load (those 10,000 word submissions), writers are not asked to offer weekly marked up copies (comments directly on the manuscript) as they would in my other workshops. I won’t provide line-by-lines or marked up copies either. However, of course, each writer is expected to give substantive notes on the submission each week, as I will. Again, because of the increased reading load, I won’t give assignments in this workshop.

You will, however, be asked to lead at least one and likely two topic discussions during the year, depending on class size. Topic discussions will be posted every second week, rather than weekly as in my other workshops, again in recognition of the increased work load. Topics for this course focus on the bigger picture, on structure, and, in the first semester, will include discussions on causal chain, subplots, pacing, beginnings, midpoints, the climax, and endings. At the start of the year I’ll offer a review of the building blocks of fiction and basic dramatic structure to bring everyone up to speed. In the second semester we’ll turn to specific novel structures for inspiration, whether in literary, genre, mainstream or crossover (young adult/adult) fiction. Students will be asked to lead a class discussion on a specific novel type.

Also, you are asked to pick at least one companion novel for the year, and to keep a craft journal of what you learn both from our class and from independent study.

Our course pack for this course is the same as we use in CRWR 539F D01 Novel or CRWR 509 D01 Fiction. Students should review Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero before the course begins as I use these novels to discuss structure among other elements of craft. I will undoubtedly refer you to Jack Hodgins’ A Passion for Narrative, so please pick up a copy if you haven’t already.

I bring a highly practical approach to craft, focussing on what works and what doesn’t. I believe there are no “rules” to writing fiction, but there are problem areas that most of stumble over as we learn this very complicated craft. In this workshop, as in the CRWR 509 Fiction and CRWR 509 D06 Novel workshops, we’ll pay close attention to these problem areas and come up with solutions you can apply to your own writing.

CrWr 509 D01: Advanced Fiction
Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Wednesday at 9 a.m. PST - Thursday at 4 p.m. PST.

This workshop focuses on the short story, but is geared towards those who may eventually want to make the leap from writing short stories to writing a novel.

In this workshop we make the fiction writing process in general and, in the second semester, the novel writing process in particular much less mysterious. To that end, I’ll often offer up my own experience to start discussion. You’ll also work through substantive edits with me and the other writers as you would with an editor and in the process you’ll learn techniques of craft as they apply to the short story and, eventually, the novel forms.

Over the length of the course you will submit four submissions totaling approximately 20,000 words. That’s two submissions of approximately 5,000 words each per semester. You will also be given assignments based on what we’ve learned on various elements of craft.

We have weekly discussions on an element of craft or the writing life. While I will lead many of the discussions, and bring well-known writers and industry professionals in to lead others, each writer in our class will be expected to lead at least one and likely two topic discussions over the course of the year, depending on class size. The topics we’ll cover in this class will include: the building blocks of fiction, character development, openings, dialogue and beats, flashbacks, point of view and voice, interior monologue, dealing with writer’s block, intertextuality, point of view and voice, tense, conflict, transitions, the objective correlative, symbol and metaphor, setting (landscape), magic realism, story structures, brainstorming for fiction, sophistication, approaches to self-editing, the psychology of writing, and collaboration.

I take a highly practical approach to craft, focusing on what works and what doesn’t. I believe there are no “rules” to writing fiction, but there are problem areas that most of us stumble over as we learn this very complicated craft. In this workshop, we’ll pay close attention to these problem areas and find solutions you can apply to your own writing.

CrWr 509 D02: Advanced Short Fiction
Charlotte Gill

Wednesday 12pm PST - Friday 10am PST

Short fiction is a distinct genre that takes as many forms as the imagination can dream up. But no matter the shape, a successful short story gives us the feeling that we’ve been transported, however briefly, to another world.

In this class, you will build a repertoire of new short stories, working from first to final draft in a collaborative setting. You’ll have the opportunity to beta test your writing in the workshop, and to hone your editorial and interpretive skills through peer review. Together we'll look at a set of course pack readings from a writerly perspective--classic realist narratives and offbeat experiments, along with riffs and variations that exist between these two poles.

We will break down the short story into comprehensible fundamentals, beginning with the big bones: character, setting and plot. We’ll discuss fiction in terms of narrative structure and story design, the scene, point of view, world of the story, and conflict. We'll investigate the more slippery elements--irony, metaphor and voice. We will work down to the alchemical level of the sentence, examining how well-chosen words come alive and lift off the page. No matter our fictional predilections--Gothic, realist, satirical or fantastic--our goal is to provide an excellent reading experience, and to achieve a style that’s authentically our own.

CrWr 509 D03: Advanced Fiction
Joseph Boyden

Wednesday 12pm PST - Thursday 8pm PST

This is, more or less, a “classic” writing workshop where students are expected to write and present original and self-contained pieces of short fiction to the class for our discussion and analysis.  We will typically focus on one student short story per week.  Everyone in workshop is expected to write and post a thorough critique of that week’s story and then enter into a lively dialogue regarding the piece.  I will break away from the “classic” workshop structure by introducing exercises that will help hone your skills regarding narrative, character development, dialogue, and point-of-view, to mention a handful.  As well as this, we will read a number of published short stories over the course of the semester, analyzing their strengths—and weaknesses—as a group. 

CrWr 509 D04: Advanced Short Fiction
Lisa Moore

Wednesday 12pm - Friday 10am

The short story can usually be consumed in an afternoon but in that brief time it provides intense, undiluted bouts of pleasure, revs the imagination, agitates, shakes, awes and changes us in subtle but long-lasting ways. In this workshop we consider point-of-view, voice, imagery, ideas about the use of time in fiction, humour, dialogue, setting, structure, character, plot –and all the other truth-rendering tools of the trade we can lay our hands on. With an eye to innovation in form and language and attention to exacting detail, writers in this workshop will have an opportunity to participate in peer critique and discussions of craft and to examine the “how to” of a magnificent story.

CrWr 509 D05: Advanced Fiction
Annabel Lyon

Tuesdays 9am - Wednesdays 5pm (PST)

This class is open to fiction writers working at any length: short fiction, novella, novel.  Through the course of the year, each writer will offer four submissions plus a substantive revision of one of those submissions. Writers will also offer comments on their peers’ work, both in class and in a series of rotating intensive peer edits.

Additionally, we will discuss various elements of craft, including strong openings, voice-driven prose, dialogue, the relationship between plot and structure, transformation of character, use of metaphor and symbol, and articulation of theme.  We’ll refer to the stories in the course-pack as successful illustrations of these concepts, and will discuss them in depth in a Discussion thread separate from our Workshop thread.

Finally, each writer will have the opportunity to lead one or more discussions on subjects of his or her choosing.  Again, these peer-led discussions will be assigned on a rotating basis.

510A D01: Poetry
Susan Musgrave

Wednesdays 12pm - Fridays 12pm, PST

In this workshop my aim is a) to help those who have grown up in fear and loathing of poetry change their minds, and b) to pass on what I know about line breaks, the meaning of life, a good title (one that has sex, power and travel in it) the meaning(lessness) of death, sadness and injustice, why rhyme must include some element of surprise, the abecedarian and other forms, anti-depressant medications, the economy, the 'found poetry' of Donald Rumsfeld, dragonflies mating at sunset on Haida Gwaii, why most cereals are killers, the misuse of adverbs, the afterlife, truth, beauty and much much more (Deeply-engaging discussion topics and entertaining writing assignments galore).

510A D02: Poetry
Karen Solie

Tuesday 12pm - Thursday 12pm, EST

"If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry."
            -- Emily Dickinson

What is it about a good poem that would inspire such an intense simile? And how, as writers, do we inspire it?  How do we recognize possible ways in to a poem, possible trajectories, and figure out how to begin? How can we see when a poem is finished, and if it succeeds? What does it mean for a poem to succeed? To be "good'? 

This workshop will address these questions, among others, as we work with poems through stages of composition and revision. Its goal is to develop participants' instincts as writers and readers, as well as their familiarity with technical elements and the possibilities they present. Participants will benefit from peer critique of their poems complemented by individual mentoring, discussion of practical and philosophical aspects of writing, and the opportunity to hone the editing skills that are crucial to the revision process. We will pay attention to ways of thinking about content, approaches to rhythm and sound, to tone, form, the line, diction, syntax, and image. Our discussion will be supplemented with essays by poets on writing poetry, and poetic examples of principles in action. We will also all benefit from each other's reading experience, and the thrill of recognizing the potential of poems in process.

CRWR 515 D01: Advanced Translation
Peter Levitt

Tuesday 9am - Wednesday 5pm PST.

It might be said that all writing is translation. A bold statement—maybe true—one worth exploring.

Somehow on a walk through autumn woods with leaves floating everywhere you discover that the wind is alive inside of you. Your body grows light, seems to lose its boundary, and you find yourself almost lifting from the ground like the final phrase of a piano sonata floating off. How can you write “wind” in such a way that a reader experiences it as you do?

Do you love anything, really? How can you write your love, or any part of your personal invisible world, so that a reader has the greatest chance of feeling it in the way you mean? How does any writer transform love or hate to ink, and ink to hate or love?

These examples point to part of the writer’s dilemma: how to get said what must be said and how to make it real. To help you engage this challenge, this course offers a hands-on approach to translation that will help you wrestle with many of the issues you already face as writers. It is an approach that also can be immediately applied to your own writing so that your work becomes deeper and more authentically expressive, no matter the genre in which you write.

Each week students will post fresh translations from what I like to call “the bones” of a given poem – word-to-word, or, in the case of Asian languages, character-to word translations of the original work. These trnaslations will be posted and discussed by the group at large. The ensuing conversation will focus on the translations themselves and on the writers’ issues that arose for each person while making their translation. By the end of the class, you will have translated and revised poems from ancient Chinese, modern Spanish, Japanese, Polish, French, German, etc. You will have worked to come eye to eye with Pablo Neruda, Wang Wei, Teruyama Shuji, Rilke, and others, as well as your own themes, characters, plots, images, and writing needs.

No familiarity with the original languages is needed, only a willingness to explore, enjoy, be challenged and engaged.

CRWR 515 D02: Advanced Translation
Wayne Grady

Not Offered in 2011.

Prerequisite: all students enrolling in this course must have proficiency in a second language. Contact us in advance of application if you have any concerns about fluency/proficiency.

This is a workshop intended to provide students with the opportunity to practise and study literary translation into English. Students will translate poetry or fiction from the work of an author or authors of their choice (selections with the Professor's approval). During this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to discuss and critique students' translations. In the first term of the course, some of the basic linguistic underpinnings to translation (language families, aspects of grammar and syntax) will be discussed; throughout the year will a variety of approaches to translation will be explored. By the end of the year, students will have produced a body of revised, polished translations.

CRWR 516A D01- Applied Creative Non-Fiction
Luanne Armstrong

Wednesday morning - Thursday evening

This is an advanced course that focuses on forms of creative non-fiction that require significant amounts of research. Writing longer non-fiction requires both learning research techniques, and making decisions about structural organization. In this course we will examine various sample texts, discuss research methods, and workshop longer pieces of nonfiction in order to result in work that is powerful and distinctive. As we develop and work on in-depth projects we will discuss various issues such as formulating thematic questions, researching and interviewing, and methods and strategies to organize and narratize nonfiction. Prerequisite: CRWR 505, unless waived by permission of the instructor.

CRWR 522: Teaching Creative Writing
Luanne Armstrong

This course is offered as a one term, 3 credit course or as a two term 6 credit course. The 6 credit course includes a self-directed teaching practicum.

This course is not considered a genre for purposes of the 3-genre requirement.

Monday morning - Tuesday evening

Teaching Creative Writing is designed for the MFA student who hopes to teach creative writing. The course will cover instruction in a variety of situations, from post-secondary to working with young people in schools and within continuing education. A self-directed practicum is part of the 6 credit course.

This course is based on both a theoretical and a hands-on approach to teaching creative writing. We will examine philosophies and theories of teaching writing, as well as examine practical modes - including exercises, critical analysis, workshopping creative work, and reading for writing. Topics will include the workshop, how to teach editing and revision, critical analysis, issues of craft and technique, and where to teach.

CRWR 549 - Thesis
Various Instructors

The thesis normally consists of the student's best work composed in the course of the program. It is book-length and of publishable quality or, in the case of drama for screen or television, ninety minutes of producible material; and for stage a full-length work. Students are advised to choose their thesis supervisor through consulation with the Optional-Residency Program Faculty before the completion of 30 credits, and to begin working on the thesis the summer before the thesis class actually begins. More information about the thesis process and policies around the thesis will be available through the Optional-Residency Student Manual.

Enrolment Note

We use the UBC enrolment system throught the Student Service Centre for all workshop enrolment. Thesis enrolment must be carried out directly through the program coordinator.

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NOTE: For all inquiries about the Optional Residency (Online) MFA program:

 Please contact Andrew Gray at 604-822-2469 or angray (at) exchange (dot) ubc (dot) ca