It has been several years ago now that I workshopped what I was then referring to as a "story" called "Barry Gibb is the Cutest Bee Gee" at the Tinker Mountain Writers' Workshop at Hollins University. I had whipped it out quite fast and at the last minute, as we are sometimes apt to do. But … Continue reading What is a Story, as Opposed to a Vignette?
More on Pity and Fear in Fiction
Previously posted on my old blog 50 shimmering pages. You might also enjoy "The Intersection of Pity & Fear: A Look at Endings in Short Fiction." October 6, 2013 As a boy I used to go to the Chamber of Horrors at the annual fair, to look at the wax figures of Emperors and Kings, of … Continue reading More on Pity and Fear in Fiction
The Intersection of Pity and Fear: At Look at Endings in Short Fiction
I'm re-posting older essays from my previous blog 50 shimmering pages. Love to hear what you think. October 6, 2013 For my craft thesis in the MFA program, I wrote an essay called "The End is Near: Examining the 'Satisfying' Ending in Short Stories." I'm currently revising my short fiction in hopes of pulling together … Continue reading The Intersection of Pity and Fear: At Look at Endings in Short Fiction
The Enemy of Good is Better: Novels that Resonate vs. Novels that Satisfy
Came upon a few posts from my old blog 50 shimmering pages that I thought might be of interest to some of you. March 14, 2013 For the last several months, I have been obsessed with trying to understand what makes one novel more broadly appealing than another. Because the question is complex and thorny, … Continue reading The Enemy of Good is Better: Novels that Resonate vs. Novels that Satisfy
Found this quote for you on Tumblr
"You become a better writer because you need to become a writer. Nothing else." ~ Grace Paley
The Burden of Expectation
High school students in China understand the burden of expectation. As this article points out, 9.4 million of them compete for the most coveted prize in China -- a spot in one of the nation's top universities. So great is their burden that the entire country takes extreme measures to allow students to perform their … Continue reading The Burden of Expectation
Grading Creative Writing: What’s an A?
For the past several days, I've been working through a stack of critical analysis essays and printed slides of accompanying oral presentations as well as revisions of short stories and personal essays. Every semester I struggle to come up with rubrics that will help guide students toward successfully completing assignments in my creative writing courses. It's not … Continue reading Grading Creative Writing: What’s an A?
