Besides being a brilliant writer, Flannery O’Connor wrote quite a bit about the craft of writing.
In this six-week course, we will look at O’Connor’s essays about writing in Mystery and Manners, examine ways that she implemented her principles in her short stories, then implement those principles ourselves in short writing exercises.
My goal as instructor will not be to get you to mimic O’Connor, but to help you find your own voice–to help you write in your native tongue, just as O’Connor wrote in hers.
Though O’Connor’s essays deal mostly with fiction-writing, most of her principles are equally applicable to non-fiction narratives.
Writing with Flannery O’Connor includes twelve 30-45-minute pre-recorded lectures, six 60-minute live Zoom discussions, as well as a dedicated online forum for discussion and optional writing exercises.
*The live Zoom discussions will be on Tuesdays, at 1pm Central and 7pm Central. Attend whichever time works best for your schedule. Recordings of the discussions will also be available for learners who can’t attend the live discussions.
Dates:
April 25-May 30, 2023
Times for Live Zoom Discussion:
Tuesdays, 1:00-2:00 PM OR 7:00-8:00 PM Central
(Lectures are pre-recorded; you will watch them at your convenience before the Tuesday discussions)
Cost: $97
Intended Audience:
Adults, college-age and up
There will be no younger cohort for this class.
Flannery O’Connor, Mystery and Manners
Flannery O’Connor, Complete Stories
Jonathan Rogers, The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Connor
Flannery O’Connor, The Habit of Being
WORKLOAD:
Reading: One essay and one story from O’Connor (there will also be optional readings)
Writing: 300-500-word exercise
Watching: Twelve 30-45-minute pre-recorded lectures & six 60-minute live Zoom discussions
Online Discussion: Each week I’ll post a writing exercise in the class forum. The class forum is also a place to continue the conversation about the reading, lectures, and Zoom discussions.
Essay: “Writing Short Stories”
Short Story: “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”
Essay: “The Fiction Writer and His Country”
Short Story: “Greenleaf”
Essay: “The Nature and Aim of Fiction”
Short Story: “Good Country People”
Essay: “On Her Own Work”
Short Story: “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
Essay: “Novelist and Believer”
Short Story: “A Temple of the Holy Ghost”
Essay: “The Catholic Novelist in the Protestant South”
Short Story: “The River”
