“be a sadist,” and other excellent writing advice
Dear writers,
As we head into fall and I continue working away on my novel draft, I've been thinking a lot about the craft of writing. The more I study narrative, the more impressed I am with its complexity--and I'm so grateful for the savvy writers who have taken the time to share their strategies for creating powerful stories.
In my classes this September, we've been studying the late, great Kurt Vonnegut's theories about story arc and looking at some of his core beliefs about what makes for a strong story. Here are just a few of his "Creative Writing 101" tenets:
Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
Want to delve deeper into the craft of storytelling this fall? If so, there are three new classes on the Fresh Ink schedule that will introduce you to new writing strategies and inventive approaches to narrative.
Writing with Magic, a drop-in workshop on folding elements of magic and myth into your storytelling
Monday, September 21, 7–9pm
Otherworldly: Magical Realism in Fiction, a six-week workshop exploring the power and drama of magical realism
Sunday, October 25–December 6, 10am–12pm
Advanced Memoir, an eight-week workshop guiding memoir writers in developing and refining their manuscripts
Sunday, October 25–December 20, 1pm–3pm
Later on in the year, I'll also be offering a drop-in workshop on Writing from Dreams, as well as a special seminar on sensory description led by the one and only Ashleigh Bell Pedersen (date to be announced in the October newsletter).
In the meantime, I'm wishing you lots of creative inspiration as we head into autumn and some much-needed cooler weather!
Jaime