Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
Arts:Books
Author Benjamin Percy, whose new story collection is Suicide Woods (Graywolf).
This week’s Write the Book Prompt is to consider the blueprint exercise that Benjamin Percy mentioned assigning to his students so that they might better understand structure. Choose a favorite story and read it many times, enough that you know it inside and out. Then read it again, taking notes. Try to identify the beats of the story: the way, for example, that setting might relay theme, or dialogue might inform character weakness. After you make meticulous notes on your discoveries, write a story that tries to follow this same blueprint but bears no resemblance to the original. Perhaps then write an explanation about what you did, so that you can return to it and continue to study and understand the outcome as you write more stories. Most importantly: write more stories.
Good luck with your work in the coming week, and tune in next week for another prompt or suggestion.
Music Credit: Aaron Shapiro
Write The Book Archive Interview #116 (10/25/10) Richard Russo
Write The Book Archive Interview #115 (10/18/10) Sorche Fairbank
Write The Book #114 (10/11/10) Mark Pendergrast
Write The Book #113 (10/4/10) Angelique and Morella Devost
Write The Book #112 (9/27/10) Ann Hood
Write The Book Archives #111 (9/20/10) Thea Lewis
Write The Book #110 (9/13/10) Carol Westberg
Write The Book #109 (8/30/10) Jon Clinch
Write The Book #108 (8/23/10) Susan Weiss
Write The Book #107 (8/16/10) Howard Norman
Write The Book #106 (8/9/10) Jennifer Karin Sidford
Write The Book #105 (8/2/10) Connie May Fowler
Write The Book #104 (7/19/10) Nance Van Winckel
Write The Book #103 (7/12/10) Douglas Glover
Write The Book #102 (7/5/10) Jacob Paul
Write The Book #100 (6/21/10) A Discussion With Four Emerging Writers
Write The Book #99 (6/14/10) James Tabor
Write The Book #98 (5/31/10) Nancy Means Wright
Write The Book #97 (5/24/10) Ginnah Howard
Write The Book #96 (5/17/10) Willow Bascom
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