Ellison P. (2003) : Essential Fiction Genres.Folens Publishers
McKee R. (1998) : Story. Methuen
King S. (2001) : On Writing.New English Library

The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available (where relevant) to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook.

The Portfolio to total 5000-6000 words

This will include one or two pieces of creative writing accompanied by critical commentaries re genre and story templates. [Learning Outcomes 1-7]

This module aims to give you further experience in both the critical and creative reading and writing of literature from specific literary genres. The programme will include examples from a wide variety of literary genres and you will be expected to write in these different genres: you will have the opportunity to study examples of different types of writing and try them out yourselves. The emphasis will be on experimentation and a high level of engagement with literary genres; you will have the opportunity to adopt and adapt different genres and types of plots based on legends, myths and real-life situations. You will also have the option to write more extensive works, in the genre or form of your choosing. The selected texts will be studied by means of a programme of workshops and tutorials, and further tutorial time will be provided to support individual students' writing. Some workshop time will be devoted to the discussion and critical analysis by students of their own work.

Examples of texts, which may be varied:
Booker, Christopher: The Seven Basic Plots (Continuum Publishers 2006)
Brunvand, JH: The Vanishing Hitchhiker - American Urban Legends and their Meanings
Highsmith, Patricia: Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction (St Martin's Press, 2001)
Milhorn, Thomas: Writing Genre Fiction (Universal Publishers 2006)
Grifton, Sue: Writing Mysteries (Writers Digest Books 2002)

There will be a programme of ten two-hour workshops and tutorials related to the literary texts, with further individual tutorials to support your own more personal writing. One of the principles underlying this module is the belief that the practice of writing can be assisted by knowledge and understanding of literature, so, the process of critical analysis in the programme of workshops will accompany the writing, reading and evaluating of student work in the sessions evaluating more creative work. There will be some consideration of literary form, as an aid to students' own writing.