As I mentioned in class, I didn't realize that the Wednesday after Veteran's Day is a Tuesday schedule, cutting one full class out of our semester. So in order to make it possible to talk about the novel (The Catch: A Novel), we need to space out the reading. So we'll discuss the book at the end of the semester, but we'll do a "book club" online each week leading up to it to make it a little more manageable. 

For this first book club, I asked you to read the first sixy pages. Here is your first book club prompt: What questions do you have about the novel? About the characters, plot, themes? This is a first chance to write about the book so it doesn't have to be perfect or profound. Sixty pages in, what are you wondering about as you read? 

From the Midterm Portfolio Explanation: 

 A proposal for your final project. In the midterm portfolio, I would like for you to include a 500 word discussion of what you think your final project is going to be. Tell me about the following in your 500 words:

• What genre are you writing in?
• How would you briefly summarize the writing you will be doing in the project?
• Why this project and not some other project?
• What are you nervous about as you undertake this project (talk about yourself as a writer here; don't tell me about how you are worried about graduating or fitting all the work in--all that is a given)?
• What might you do to help you know how to do this project better (what kind of reading, what kind of research, what kind of exploration)?

From the Midterm Portfolio explanation: 

Include with this piece an overview--500 words--that explains to me what you did to revise the piece, how you think it affected the piece (good or bad), and where, if anywhere, you'd like to see the piece go from here (and I mean that both literally, like getting it published, and figuratively, as in what work you'd still like to do on it). 

And not just commas! Take one or two sentences from your revise/rethink. Take it through as many iterations as you can a la what I did with I shot the sheriff. Once you've posted your sentences. Indicate what you are trying to express and identify the sentence you think does that the best. Finally, read the sentences of your colleagues. Do you agree with their choice? Is there a different sentence from their buffet of sentences you think works better? Is there a way you don't see there that you think could work better? Post your response to each of your colleagues. 

Select one of the short stories that we read for this week. Do what English Majors do: analyze it. If someone forced you to write an explication of one of this week's stories what would you write about? 

Why am I asking you about this? Because these are the kinds of stories that are getting published now in small presses. These are the kinds of stories that get you into graduate school. So figuring out what that seems to look like matters if that is a path you are interested in going in. I'm not saying this is the only way to be a writer, but more like pay attention to what people are saying is "literary".

We've had the opportunity to here from two people who have English degrees and are out in the world working NOT in teaching. And I am hoping to have more. But, given what you've heard, what you think about, what you worry about, what you dream about: what are you thinking about what you come next for you? What is your pie in the sky? What do you want to know about how to get there? That might be the most important question of them all. More specifically, what could we do in class for the next 6 weeks or so that would help you figure something out, make a move, get started at something? 

PREAMBLE: There is a lot of discussion in the world of writing about what Genre Fiction is or isn't. But one of the things that defines genre fiction is expectations of reader. Reader's expect certain elements--certain characters, tropes, plotting--in certain genre. Even if you are not a big reader of a particular kind of genre fiction, you most likely immediately know what I'm talking about. 

For tonight's ICRN, I am asking you to work in small groups on the two fantasy short stories we read tonight (not the sci-fi one). What elements do the two stories share? In other words, what to do they have in common? What elements feel unique to each story, but seem, still, to be related to Fantasy? 

The short stories we read, keep in mind, are considered "best" by somebody. So they are in a certain way exemplars, so are there ways that these short stories seem to defy the genre. 

Once you've discussed the two stories for the above. Identify a third example from popular culture of any kind that you can point to as evidence that the meet the expectations of someone interested in this genre--fantasy. 

POST: Write a group ICRN. Cover your group discussion of what elements seem central to the genre as you've  identified them. Cover any things that you think play against type (if you see any). And, finally, include your discussion of whatever popular culture fantasy you brought into the conversation--be sure to identify it, how you encountered it, and where you made connections to the stuff we read for today. 

And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE: Make sure I see that you actually read the stories. Make sure you include enough detail so that I can tell. 

I started class by saying that the one thing that unites all of the reading we are doing in class is that everything is, on some level, a story. Sometimes it is easier to see  than other times. For this ICRN, write about the collection of articles you were assigned to discuss in your small group. Think about what you said and what you heard from your colleagues in the class. Then consider this: what is the story that your collection of articles wants to tell? And, equally importantly, how does it do it? If it helps, think about it in terms you might apply to fiction--is it character driven? Plot? Dialogue? How does it employ pathos? What is the narrative arc? 

Try to include details from the reading that would support your ideas. Remember that part of what the ICRN is is evidence you actually did the reading. 

For this ICRN, please answer the following: after five hours of listening, what is the main argument(s) of this story? What makes you say that? Be as specific as you can. I suggest looking at the transcripts of the program if you are struggling to be specific. Secondly, the print version of this kind of reporting is what I would call feature-length. Features are not breaking news and are usually a personal story that sheds light on a wider cultural concern. I think you can see how this series mirrors that. But this is not print. It won a Pulitzer for sound reporting. So after you've talked about what, talk about the how: what are the elements that distinguish this kind of reporting? And in what ways does it overlap or not with "traditional" print? You can talk about this from a technological, research, or narrative perspective--preferably from all three. 

A NOTE: one thing I wanted to do for this week but did not get to is write up a sample ICRN so you can better see what I'm looking for. As is sometimes the case, I notice that when I make something in class and/or make it something you post on a discussion board, students take it a bit less seriously than I hope. Last week folks did not have a ton of time to write so I don't want to make a thing out of it. But consider that as you respond to this prompt. I will try to make sure I have a sample for this week.