Writing Workshop Part III

Course Type	Course Code	No. Of Credits
Discipline Core	SCC2CW105	6

Course coordinator and team: SCCE Faculty

1. How does the course link with the vision of AUD?

This course aligns with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi’s commitment to critical, interdisciplinary, and socially engaged learning by foregrounding writing as both a creative and reflective practice. It encourages students to situate their writing within broader historical, cultural, and political contexts, while developing an awareness of writing as a form of knowledge production. By combining creative experimentation with critical reading and self-reflexive practice, the course supports AUD’s emphasis on engaged scholarship and the development of culturally aware practitioners. Students are encouraged to interrogate literary forms, examine their own positionalities, and respond to contemporary concerns through writing.

2. How does the course link with the specific program (s) where it is being offered?

Writing Workshop Part III: Manuscript Development and Critical Revision is a core course within the Creative Writing programme and builds on the foundational skills introduced earlier. It deepens students’ engagement with fiction and narrative non-fiction by emphasizing sustained writing practice, revision, and critical reflection.
The course supports the programme’s objectives by:
Strengthening narrative craft and stylistic experimentation
Developing disciplined writing habits
Encouraging independent creative and critical thinking
Preparing students for advanced workshops and longer-form writing

3. Does the course connect to, build on, or overlap with any other courses offered in AUD?

Yes. This course builds directly on earlier writing workshops by advancing students’ engagement with narrative craft and process-oriented writing. It complements courses in literary theory, cultural studies, and narrative analysis by emphasizing the intersection between reading and writing. While overlapping conceptually with courses on fiction and literary criticism, this course maintains a distinct focus on practice-based learning, revision processes, and workshop methodologies.

4. Specific requirements on the part of students who can be admitted to this course:

(Pre-requisites; prior knowledge level; any others – please specify): None.

None. According to the structure of the two-year postgraduate program, this course is designed for first-year students enrolled in the Creative Writing programme. It is a compulsory course and must be taken as a core requirement.

5. No. of students to be admitted

(with justification if lower than the usual cohort size is proposed): 25

6. Course scheduling

(semester; semester-long/half-semester course; workshop mode; seminar mode; any other – please specify): semester

7. Course Details:

a. Summary: Writing Workshop Part III: Manuscript Development and Critical Revision is a practice-based course focused on the development and refinement of creative writing through sustained engagement with fiction and narrative non-fiction. The course emphasizes conceptual development, narrative structure, and stylistic experimentation while fostering disciplined writing practices.

Students will explore writing as a process involving drafting, revising, and reflecting. Through workshops, readings, and individual writing exercises, they will engage with questions of form, voice, and narrative technique. The course also encourages students to situate their writing within broader literary and cultural contexts, developing both creative and critical sensibilities.

Objectives: The course aims to: Strengthen students’ skills in fiction and narrative non-fiction writing; Develop understanding of narrative elements such as plot, voice, and structure; Encourage disciplined writing practices including journaling and revision; Foster critical engagement with literary texts and writing processes; Enable students to situate their work within broader literary and cultural frameworks.

Expected Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, it is expected that the student will have:

Demonstrate advanced understanding of narrative techniques and structures
Produce and revise substantial pieces of creative writing
Engage critically with peer writing through workshops
Develop sustained writing practices including journals and process logs
Situate their writing within broader literary and cultural contexts.

Module I:
Writing Across Genres and Forms (Weeks 1–2)

Description
This module introduces students to writing across literary genres and forms. Students examine how poetry, fiction, memoir, travel writing, and life writing employ distinct conventions and techniques. Through reading and practice, they learn to adapt their writing to different formal requirements while maintaining an individual voice.
Topics Covered:
Genre conventions and hybridity
Travel writing and memoir
Poetry and prose forms
Experimentation with literary genres

Readings :-
Gautam, Prasanna Chandra, translator. Modern English Translation of the Rig Veda Samhitaa. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2014. 4 vols.

Bhartṛhari. Nītiśataka of Bhartṛhari: With Hindi and English Translations and Purport, a Critical Edition Supplemented with Kashmiri Śāradā Text. Edited and translated by Sugyan Kumar Mahanty, D.K. Printworld, 2023. (Sanskrit verses)

Dandin. Kāvyādarśa (selected chapters). Translated by V. Raghavan. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, selected edition.

Tagore, Rabindranath. Gitanjali. New Delhi: Rupa Publications, various editions.

Naipaul, V. S. An Area of Darkness. London: André Deutsch, 1964.

Desai, Anita. Journey to Ithaca. London: Heinemann, 1995.

Woolf, Virginia. Orlando. London: Hogarth Press, 1928.

Chatwin, Bruce. In Patagonia. London: Jonathan Cape, 1977.

Module-II
Advanced Narrative Techniques (Weeks 3–5)

Description
This module explores sophisticated narrative strategies including multiple perspectives, unreliable narration, metafiction, and fragmented storytelling. Students analyse how contemporary writers challenge conventional narrative structures and experiment with these techniques in their own writing.
Topics Covered:
Multiple narrators
Unreliable narration
Metafiction and self-reflexivity
Fragmented and layered narratives

Readings :-

Somadeva. Tales from the Kathasaritsagara. Translated by Arshia Sattar. Noida: HarperCollins Publishers India, 2022
Vetālapañcaviṃśati (Twenty-Five Tales of the Vetala). Translated by Arshia Sattar. New Delhi: Penguin India, 1993.
Kshemendra. Kalāvilāsa (selected passages). Translated selections.
Rushdie, Salman. Midnight’s Children. London: Jonathan Cape, 1981.
Seth, Vikram. The Golden Gate. New York: Random House, 1986.
Deshpande, Shashi. That Long Silence. New Delhi: Penguin India, 1988.
Calvino, Italo. If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller. London: Secker & Warburg, 1979.
Barnes, Julian. Flaubert’s Parrot. London: Jonathan Cape, 1984.

Module-III
Writing for Performance and Public Audiences (Weeks 6–7)

Description
This module examines writing intended for oral, performative, and public contexts. Students study dramatic writing, speeches, and scripts, and learn how audience expectations shape literary production. Workshops focus on adapting written work for performance.
Topics Covered Writing for performance
Dramatic dialogue
Public storytelling
Adaptation across media

Readings :-
Bhāsa. Svapnavāsavadattam. Translated by A. N. D. Haksar. New Delhi: Penguin India, 2008.

Śūdraka. Mṛcchakaṭika (The Little Clay Cart). Translated by M. M. Ramachandra Kale. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

Karnad, Girish. Hayavadana. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1975.

Tendulkar, Vijay. Silence! The Court is in Session. Calcutta: Seagull Books, 1978.

Lal, P. Selected Modern Indian Plays. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, selected edition.

Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New York: New Directions, 1945.

Churchill, Caryl. Top Girls. London: Methuen, 1982.

Module-IV
Editing, Publishing, and Literary Careers (Weeks 8–10)

Description
This module familiarizes students with the practical dimensions of literary production, including editing, publishing, literary magazines, book reviewing, and professional writing. Students prepare work for publication and learn editorial practices.
Topics Covered:
Editing for publication
Literary magazines and journals
Book reviewing
Publishing ecosystems

Readings :-
Rājaśekhara. Kāvyamīmāṃsā (selected chapters on authorship, literary production, and audiences). Translated by Ganganath Jha. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series.

Selections from Subhāṣita literature (anthologies of aphoristic poetry).
Bhoja. Śṛṅgāra Prakāśa (selected passages on literary composition).
Chaudhuri, Amit. Clearing a Space: Reflections on India, Literature and Culture. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2008.
Menon, Ritu. Making a Difference: Memoirs from the Women’s Movement in India. New Delhi: Zubaan, 2014.
Tharoor, Shashi. Bookless in Baghdad. New Delhi: Penguin India, 2005.
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well. New York: HarperCollins, 1976.
Murray, Donald M. The Craft of Revision. Boston: Wadsworth, 2004.

Module V
Project Development and Advanced Revision (Weeks 11–13)

Description
This module focuses on the development of sustained creative projects and advanced revision practices. Students identify a longer creative project that may form the basis of their manuscript work in Writing Workshop Part IV. Through workshops, peer feedback, and consultations, they refine project proposals, experiment with structure and form, and prepare excerpts for presentation.
Topics Covered:
Developing long-form creative projects
Advanced revision strategies
Project proposals and planning
Excerpt presentation and discussion

Readings :-

Aśvaghoṣa. Buddhacarita (selected cantos). Translated by E. H. Johnston. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Bilhaṇa. Vikramāṅkadevacarita (selected cantos). Translated selections.
Ezekiel, Nissim. Collected Poems. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, selected poems.
Ramanujan, A. K. Collected Poems. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, selected poems.
Mehrotra, Arvind Krishna, ed. A History of Indian Literature in English. New Delhi: Permanent Black, 2003.
Didion, Joan. Slouching Towards Bethlehem. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968.
Strunk, William Jr., and White, E. B. The Elements of Style. New York: Longman, latest edition.