Applying to Manuscript Workshop

What is Manuscript Workshop?

CRW-492: Manuscript Workshop is the capstone of the Creative Writing major. It is to be taken in the fall of the senior year and is a required course for the Creative Writing major.

Students should have completed all workshops in the genre they plan to focus on in Manuscript Workshop before enrolling.

The following minimum requirements must be met by the first day of class:

• Prose: 20,000 words
• Poetry: 15 pages
• Play or screenplay: 50 pages

Note: Students who have not completed all other requirements, or who will not be on campus the fall of their senior year, will need to talk with Creative Writing faculty or the English Department Chair to learn about what options are available to them. Students seeking an exception or substitution to the Creative Writing major will need to petition using the English Department's petition form. 

Application Process

• Admission to Manuscript Workshop is by application only.
• To apply, email the application to the course instructor.
• Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. To have your application reviewed before the start of registration, it should be turned in by the fourth Monday in March. It is the decision of the English Department whether applicants meet the requirements of the course and whether late applications will be accepted. All late applications must be discussed in person with the instructor.

The Application

Your application must include the following:

1. Your name and the title of your manuscript
2. A list of the courses required for the major you have taken and are taking
3.  A description (600 words) of the manuscript you intend to complete and the work you intend to do in Manuscript Workshop, which should address the following questions:
   • What form will the manuscript take, i.e. short story collection, poetry collection, novella, novel, full-length play, collection of one-act plays, screenplay?
   • What is the content of the manuscript? For example, if a short story collection, briefly describe each one; if poetry, what subject matter and formal considerations do your poems explore?
   • How complete will the manuscript be at the end of this (spring) semester?
   • What kind of work do you anticipate doing with it before the start of the fall term?
   • What kind of revision do you anticipate undertaking in Manuscript Workshop? What are your goals for this manuscript?
   •  Discuss what literary traditions, artists, communities, or other influences inform the work you are doing in this manuscript?
4. The manuscript in its current stage (in a file separate from the application document)