2025-2026 Academic Catalog

Aug 14, 2025

2025-2026 Academic Catalog

CRW 217 - Publishing Manuscripts and The Writing Career

This Problems of Practice (PoP) course is designed for students who are in the advanced stages of and revising a book-length manuscript. Students will study contemporary American literature from a writer’s perspective with a special focus on prose style, structure, scene development, and other
elements of the craft of writing. Students will also be introduced to the workings of the American publishing industry, including the roles of literary agent, editor, and Big Five, independent and university presses. Classes will be taught in seminar fashion and will include a combination of
short lectures, class discussion, guest speakers, and workshops where students discuss prose, novel synopses and queries. By the end of the course, students will have developed a plan and timetable for finishing a book-length manuscript, conducting agent searches and querying, while also thinking about a long-term plan for a writing practice as well as sustainable careers where their writing skills will be valued. Successful completion of Writing the Novel (CRW 206) is a prerequisite for this course.

Prerequisites: CRW 206

Course Designation/Attribute: POP

Anticipated Terms Offered: Annually