Short Fiction: Make that Old Story New and Get it Published
Instructor: Michael Loyd Gray
Workshop Duration: 8 Weeks
Suggested Reading: Narrative Design by Madison Smartt Bell.
Anything by Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eudora Welty, Raymond Carver, Bobbie Ann Mason, Ellen Gilchrist, Leslie Marmon Silko, Larry Brown, Jane Austen, Tim O’Brien…
Workshop Syllabus:
My story “Little Man” languished for about ten years until one day I retrieved it from the slush pile of abandoned manuscripts and the ending finally became clear. It won the 2005 Alligator Juniper Fiction Prize. Proof that old stories can and should be re-examined to see what it will take to get them published.
We will focus on openings and endings and the plot between those two points. Yes, a story ought to have a plot of sorts – a story should have a story in it somewhere, otherwise it risks remaining just a character sketch that’s barely alive. Dialogue, tone, voice, and point of view will figure prominently in our lessons and discussions.
I’ll work with students one on one, but we also need to take advantage of group discussions. Active, constructive participation is necessary. We will have a message board and I like to use those to foster community and a shared experience.
I will be very accessible by e-mail.
The course will culminate with a look at fiction markets and the etiquette of submitting stories for publication.
Basically, I would like each week to feature stories submitted by class members for group evaluation. As we cover stated weekly goals we will also be sampling your work. If you are leery of having others see your work, this is a chance to break the ice. We’ll play it by ear and see how often material comes our way.
Week One: What the Heck is a Story? (Or, Welcome to a Den of Thieves)
A good question. What should we write about? What makes a story a story? We’ll look at some examples for a better understanding of what constitutes storytelling. And we’ll share ideas. There really are just so many stories, and writers are good at devising new ways to tell them. They often read what other writers are doing and from that analysis determine how to tell a story their way, using their own unique voice. Point of view will be analyzed.
Week Two: The Opening (Something Kramer on “Seinfeld” Understood Well)
What makes a good opening for a story? We’ll explore that by reading good openings and analyzing what they do. We’ll also fiddle with some exercises geared toward writing openings. The opening paragraph of your story is where you either seal the deal with a reader to read on, or they give up. If that reader is a magazine editor, it’s your chance to hook them and sell the story.
Week Three: Characters (Remove Lizzie Bennett and Mr. Darcy and What’s Left?)
Without them, fiction would be the printed version of landscape painting. Characters make fiction come alive. We like them, we hate them, we sympathize with them, but we need them to tell the story. Let’s build some characters together and decide how they react to various situations.
Week Four: Dialogue (Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Damn)
Rhett Butler knew what to say at the end. Hemingway wrote dialogue that spawned generations of imitators and admirers. He said a writer needed “a built-in shit detector” to make sure it was how people really talked. Role playing can help us understand better what people say and why in a given situation.
Week Five: Plotting (Some Guy Named Ross Claims There’s Only 36 of These)
A sequence of events is the simple definition of plot. And it’s not exactly the same as theme. Why are characters in a tavern or a grocery store or a used car dealership? What’s the weather? Why is the weather important? You are the creator of this story, so you decide whether it’s raining or not. Does that symbolize anything? Does it have anything to do with tone or mood? There are no accidents, just incidents.
Week Six: Open Mike Week (Stuck in the Middle With You)
This week would be a good opportunity for class members to revisit a topic we have already addressed, or to bring up something new. We will also use it to devote more attention to presenting stories and getting feedback. And we will consider what it means to be at the middle of a story. The middle is often viewed as a crossroads. What road will the story take from here?
Week 7: The End (It is a Far, Far Better Thing That I do Than I Have Ever Done)
Like the opening, the ending is where the glare of the spotlight is intense. Consider how ending a story is similar to ending a balance beam routine. Gymnasts don’t just tumble off that narrow piece of wood – they dismount. Hopefully they dismount with grace and strength and don’t fall on their faces. If they do, they lose points and ultimately the competition. We’ll look at various successful fiction dismounts and play with creating others. And then we’ll examine your dismount. Will it stand the scrutiny of the audience?
Week 8: Publishing ( Or, How to Deal with Weasels)
It’s a tough business, writing. But the really tough part is getting published. F. Scott Fitzgerald claimed that early in his career he papered a wall of his New York apartment with 122 rejection slips. Sometimes it seems capricious, a matter of luck or fate. But there are things you can do to improve your chances and we’ll take a look at them. Specific fiction markets will be addressed.
Workshop Duration: 8 Weeks. Contact instructor for start dates.
Start Dates: Every other Wednesday
Tuition: $105
Private Tutoring: $35 additional
