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Craft in the real world : rethinking fiction writing and workshopping / Matthew Salesses.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Catapult, [2021]Copyright date: ©2021Description: xxiii, 228 pages ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
Audience:
  • Adults
ISBN:
  • 9781948226806
  • 1948226804
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Part 1: Fiction in the real world. "Pure craft" is a lie -- What is craft? 25 thoughts -- Audience, theme, and purpose -- Redefining craft terms ; ...Tone ; ...Plot ; ...Conflict ; ...Character arc and story arc ; ...Characterization ; ...Relatability ; ...Believability ; ...Vulnerability ; ...Setting ; ...Pacing ; ...Structure -- An example from East Asian and Asian American literature -- Part 2: Workshop in the real world. "The reader" vs. POC -- Who is at the center of workshop and who should be? -- Alternative workshops -- Syllabus example -- Workshopping incomplete drafts -- Against page limits -- Four things to grade -- Appendix: Exercises. Purpose-oriented writing exercises -- 34 revision exercises.
Summary: "A groundbreaking resource for fiction writers, teachers, and students, this manifesto and practical guide challenges current models of craft and the writing workshop by showing how they fail marginalized writers, and how cultural expectations inform storytelling."-- Provided by publisher.Summary: "The traditional writing workshop was established with white male writers in mind; what we call craft is informed by their cultural values. In this bold reevaluation of the elements of fiction writing--including plot, characterization, conflict, and structure--and aspects of workshop--including the silenced writer and the imagined reader--Matthew Salesses asks, How can we invite diverse storytelling traditions into literary spaces? Teachers will find suggestions for syllabi, grading, and introducing new methods to the classroom; students will find revision and editing guidance. Drawing from examples including One Thousand and One Nights, Curious George, and the Asian American classic No-No Boy, Salesses reminds us: "When we write fiction, we write the world.""--back cover.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 808.3 S163 Available 33111010820716
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The traditional writing workshop was established with white male writers in mind; what we call craft is informed by their cultural values. In this bold and original examination of elements of writing - including plot, character, conflict, structure, and believability - Matthew Salesses asks questions to invigorate these familiar concepts. He upends Western notions of how a story must progress. How can we rethink craft, and the teaching of it, to better reach writers with diverse backgrounds? How can we invite diverse storytelling traditions into literary spaces?

Part 1: Fiction in the real world. "Pure craft" is a lie -- What is craft? 25 thoughts -- Audience, theme, and purpose -- Redefining craft terms ; ...Tone ; ...Plot ; ...Conflict ; ...Character arc and story arc ; ...Characterization ; ...Relatability ; ...Believability ; ...Vulnerability ; ...Setting ; ...Pacing ; ...Structure -- An example from East Asian and Asian American literature -- Part 2: Workshop in the real world. "The reader" vs. POC -- Who is at the center of workshop and who should be? -- Alternative workshops -- Syllabus example -- Workshopping incomplete drafts -- Against page limits -- Four things to grade -- Appendix: Exercises. Purpose-oriented writing exercises -- 34 revision exercises.

"Versions of some of these chapters were first published in: Pleiades Magazine, Gulf Coast, Necessary Fiction, and Electric Literature"--Title page verso.

"A groundbreaking resource for fiction writers, teachers, and students, this manifesto and practical guide challenges current models of craft and the writing workshop by showing how they fail marginalized writers, and how cultural expectations inform storytelling."-- Provided by publisher.

"The traditional writing workshop was established with white male writers in mind; what we call craft is informed by their cultural values. In this bold reevaluation of the elements of fiction writing--including plot, characterization, conflict, and structure--and aspects of workshop--including the silenced writer and the imagined reader--Matthew Salesses asks, How can we invite diverse storytelling traditions into literary spaces? Teachers will find suggestions for syllabi, grading, and introducing new methods to the classroom; students will find revision and editing guidance. Drawing from examples including One Thousand and One Nights, Curious George, and the Asian American classic No-No Boy, Salesses reminds us: "When we write fiction, we write the world.""--back cover.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 217-225).

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