Advanced Creative Writing Seminar: Point of View

This seminar focuses intensively on point of view in fiction. We examine close third, limited omniscient, omniscient, first person, first-person direct address, and second person point of view (POV) in a range of published works, with an eye to how these techniques work and how and why we might use them on the page. This is an opportunity for students to solidify their knowledge and build new POV skills. Never tried omniscience or direct address? Here is your chance. Students submit 10-20 pages of original fiction (a short story or novel excerpt; students may draw on a project in progress) for workshop, and there are exercises on the techniques we study. At the end of the semester, students submit a revised version of their short story or novel excerpt and give a class presentation on the use of point of view in their work. Students must be admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature to enroll in this course.