Mary Robison

A little info on Mary Robison, whose story "Pretty Ice" we'll discuss at some point. (Probably this Friday? Maybe next week?) Robison has been called a "minimalist." We'll talk about that concept when we talk about the story.

Programming Note

On the column to the right, you will find the conference and critique schedule for the remainder of the semester. I've adjusted things a little: we'll critique two stories a week and I'll conference with two of you each week. That means two-thirds of you will have some form of draft due on Friday mornings.

Here's how the week will look:

Monday -- Conferences/Receive critique drafts
Tuesday -- Talk about published story
Wednesday -- Critique
Thursday -- Critique
Friday -- Receive reading assignment/Conference & Critique drafts due

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Shirley Jackson

The next famous American short story we'll read is "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. You may have come across it before; you may come across it in the future. That's because it's famous. But I already said that. We'll talk about it on Tuesday. I want to think about it in terms of Plot and in terms of so-called Realism. Should be a hoot.

James Baldwin

Here's a little bit about James Baldwin. He's, like, a famous writer and stuff. And his "Sonny's Blues" is one of his particularly famous stories. Read it and we'll talk about it on Wednesday and/or Thursday. Think of it in terms of our essential elements of fiction. Jot notes in the margin. We'll go through each element and see what you've observed. Sounds like fun, yes?

Story Idea #2: Images

Write a page or so on each of the images below. Don't worry about all the elements of story just yet. Simply describe what you see for a while and see if that leads anywhere. When you've done that for each image, pick the one that seems the most promising and make a full-fledged story out of it. Of course, print out all you write and turn it in. I'll start keeping a file of all the stuff you do this semester.

Strategies for Revision

Revision gets a bad name. Most people think of it in terms of copyediting: "correcting" grammar, spelling, and other surface-level issues.

Fiction writers understand that writing is revision, and revision is writing. Revision is re-seeing. Taking a new look from a new perspective.

That's what you're doing with the "show-and-tell" story. That's why I want you to actually print out the new versions (at least some of them).

Here's how I suggest you proceed from here on out:

1. Read what you've got in your latest version. Just read it, without taking pen(cil) to paper. The whole thing.

2. Think about the areas you've worked on so far. Have you addressed them to your satisfaction. Are there things you missed? Note them in the margins.

3. Pick your next area of focus. Make notes in the margin, cross things out, add things.

4. Go and make those changes on the electronic copy. Allow yourself to add and riff, but only focus on that area. Even if you see something that's driving you crazy in another area -- you can address that next.

5. Return to the most recent printed version, this time focusing on a new area. Again: make notes in the margins, cross things out, add things.

6. Make the changes to the electronic copy.

7. At this point, print it out again.

8. Lather, rinse, repeat. Focus on two distinct areas, then print out and "re-see."

9. A word of advice: save "Voice" and "Intention" until the end. Even if you've already addressed them, you're going to do it at the end again anyway.

10. At the "end" you're going to have to revisit all the areas anew. Have any of your changes required changes in other areas? If not, you may not be re-seeing things as dramatically as you could.

You're going to turn in your latest version (wherever you stand on it) at the end of class tomorrow.