CNF Outliers: The Flash Essay, Prose Poem, Lyric Essay & Hermit Crab Essay*
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Whether you're new to creative non-fiction -- or an experienced writer just discovering these four "outlier" forms -- this course will inspire you to tell your stories in innovative new ways.
Join a small cohort of 10 learners led by award-winning writer, Nicole Breit, for a 6-week exploration into the creative possibilities of flash non-fiction, the prose poem, lyric essay, and hermit crab essay. Students will be encouraged to read and discuss essays by diverse writers working in each sub-genre with an emphasis on craft. In addition to weekly readings, discussions in our private forum, and skill-building pre-writing exercises, learners will submit five written assignments for instructor feedback.
By the end of the course, learners will have gained experience and confidence writing in each of the four CNF sub-genres, with a deeper understanding of how form and craft work together to create compelling stories.
* Instructor feedback will be tailored to learners' needs based on information provided by each student.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
The instructor will be available for "office hours" Tuesdays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm PST and Thursdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm PST. At these times, students can expect the instructor to be available for "live" discussions in our Facebook group, communication by instant message, and/or prompt email response.
Outside office hours learners can expect to receive a response to their emails within 24 hours.
Current session: January 30 - March 6, 2017 (class full)
Next session: February 27 - April 3, 2017
Fee: $349 USD via e-transfer or Paypal*
*Some students have had issues with Paypal settings defaulting to USD. Please contact me directly to make payment in CAD funds.
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Nicole Breit
Welcome to CNF Outliers!
FREE PREVIEWMy teaching philosophy
FREE PREVIEWA bit about me and CNF...
FREE PREVIEWCourse schedule & due dates
The Flash Essay and POV
Lesson 2 Reading: Bear Fragments
Lesson 2 Summary
Isaac Yuen interview (audio)
Rhythm - Isaac Yuen (audio)
Lesson 2 Pre-writing exercises
Lesson 2 Writing Assignment
The prose poem and CNF?
Quitting Smoking - Lorna Crozier
Craft mini-lesson: imagery
Charlie - Laisha Rosnau
Charlie Q&A with Laisha Rosnau
Lesson 3 Pre-writing exercises
Lesson 3 Writing assignment
Fish-Bird-Kite: found imagery presentation
Lesson 3 summary
The Lyric: Fragments, Segmentation, Juxtaposition
A Rake's Progress - Q and A with Susan Olding
Mini-lesson: How to make your writing "lyrical" using sound devices
Lesson 4 Pre-writing exercises
Lesson 4 Writing assignment
Lesson 4 - A Good Metaphor for Something deconstruction
Lesson 4 summary