BeTWEEN the Lines Class Summary 2/17/14

2/18/2014

with Michelle Cameron

Critique of Stories

What a great batch of first-week stories! As usual, the early weeks of class mean that we discuss a wide variety of story techniques based on critique. Some of the things we discussed included:

How stories that are relatable ― speaking to everyone’s past experiences ― can be instantly compelling
That strong verbs are the best way to tell a story
How description of a character’s appearance should be integrated into the story, rather than just a laundry list of what someone looks like
That you should not dilute or deflate a tense scene (unless that’s your intention)
How a strong voice in a character can carry a story, particularly in a first person narrator
That we all have the instinct to hurry a story when we get close to the end – but that ends up shortchanging the reader
That we “show” a story through: Description, especially when the senses are evoked; Dialogue; A blow-by-blow account of what’s occurring
That we shouldn’t be afraid to “embrace the gross” in our stories
That every story needs conflict, which grows out of what the main character wants
That if you’re telling an emotional story, you shouldn’t dilute it just to be funny
That sometimes we end up telling two stories rather than just one – which can be a nice problem to have!

Today's Prompt

Our prompt for the day was my “treasure box.” Each student selected an item from it and used it to inspire their stories.

There were some great story starts (even one or two that were complete). I hope some of them will complete what they’ve begun.

Homework

This week’s homework is either (pick one):

Complete the story begun in class today
Find an object from home that means something to them, write about it, and bring it in next week (they can write about pets, but don’t bring them in, please!)
Continue with the story begun last week (adding at least 1-2 pages to that story)
Start a new story

I can’t wait to see what they’ll write!

Mosaic Minutes