“Good stories have a quality of authorlessness. The better they are, the more authorless they seem. . . They give a sense of being out there, like facts.” (Janet Malcolm) I have this quotation in front of me on my writing desk, and every once in a while I read it and ponder once again…
WHEN I WAS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL for creative writing, we never talked about craft. Instead, the standard class consisted of reading and critiquing other writers’ scenes. This has its place, certainly; I learned to think (or try to think) as a reader as I was writing and re-writing. Are the characters believable? Is the ending satisfying? Or—and this was a phrase much in vogue then—does the story ring true?
A few years later, I was in a workshop in which the instructor sometimes led craft discussions. She lectured on the variety of ways to start a story: The Cold Open. (There are actual techniques!) This was a revelation. So too, I learned, you could think out the advantages and disadvantages of first person narrative, or multiple points of view, or present vs. past tense. Some of these choices writers make instinctively. But sometimes a little analysis can go a long way—especially at the outset.
As an instructor of creative writing now myself, I like to include craft discussions in my classes. Below are some of my posts on writing topics; click the title to read the entire post.
And feel free to add to the discussion! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Daydreaming Your Novel
A PARENT IN MY child’s school recently forwarded me an 11-minute video about skills we’ll need for the 21st century. What really stuck with me was the bit about creativity: “Most creative thoughts happen when your mind is left to wander: daydreaming; doing the dishes; exercising.” This rang true for me. My last novel, Thieving Forest, had…
Following the artery of a character’s life
Some years ago I was at the bookstore Book Passage in Corte Madera. I couldn’t find anything new I wanted to buy, but before I left empty-handed I stopped by the second-hand (nearly new? gently used?) bookshelf. There I found a collection of short stories set in Quebec and Paris by Mavis Gallant. I’m a…
Exploring Your Main Character
WHO IS THE PROTAGONIST of your story? Sometimes as you are building a story—outlining, writing notes, running through scenes in your mind—you realize that the main character is not the most interesting character. This might prompt you to change your protagonist. After all, any story can be told from any viewpoint. The main criteria is…
How To Be Creative
I RECENTLY READ A POST asking whether creative writing programs were worth the bother. As usual, responders (most of them writers) had many different opinions on this question. One writer claimed that creativity just couldn’t be taught: end of story. As someone who has both taken and taught creative writing classes, I felt a bit…