Today was the first day of class. My Intermediate Fiction creative writing class will meet twice weekly for the next eight weeks (taking a week off for Thanksgiving).

Planning: I spent mid-August to mid-October reading textbooks, building and re-building a syllabus, reading fiction to place in assignments, re-reading all of the above, completing adjunct employment paperwork, and designing the course on the college’s learning management system. I had a great deal of help and guidance (i.e. I would have failed without it) from my wife, and my colleagues Lauren, Brent, and Thad. I learned a great deal about what goes into sound planning while leaving room for flexibility—especially in a creative writing course.

Producing: The goal is to generate student enthusiasm over and growth in writing and ensure this results in a creative community of productive writers, of which I am seen as one. There’s evidence from this first meeting that this goal is within reach.

While the students were clearly interested in understanding how this course will fit into this quarter’s workload, they were also attentive and engaged. They are readers and writers and I believe together we identified the raw material among us that will result in a creative collaboration. Here’s to the weeks ahead!