305 Story Beats: How to Use Cause and Effect to Understand and Revise Your Fiction (ENGLISH)

Plot is often overlooked outside genre fiction, but the truth is, no matter how internal a story may be, it needs some kind of linked cause and effect to move it forward. That motor might be a very subtle interaction between characters, or it might be a classic plot problem for a character to solve. In this class, we will ask writers to bring in (or create in class) a one-page description of the beats in a story or novel they are working on. Then we will discuss how their characters and story get from A to B to C. What feels clear and compelling and unique? What is still under-realized or generalized about their characters and situations? The discussion can do amazing things to shape the story, reveal the characters through their motivations and reactions, pinpoint interesting new ideas and scenes, and offer the writer options to take their story from generalized to particular and effective. This includes recognizing the need for compression or development and how to do both effectively: compress without losing the meat, develop without getting flabby, recognizing what is essential in both cases. Most of all, it asks writers to delve into the situations and characters they have created and make them fuller, more complex creations by understanding why they do what they do.

Instructor

Michelle Wildgen

Literary fiction, upmarket fiction, memoir, food writing, narrative nonfiction, general essays, general editorial work, literary journal publishing, traditional book publishing.