The Library Foundation's Writer-In-Residence presented this slide share at one of his Short Story Workshops held at the Library.

1. Short Story Workshop
On Your Way toward Enriching Your Short Fiction
From the Library Foundation’s Writer-In-Residence

2. Intro
• In such condensed time as one afternoon, we will go to the heart of
how to possibly improve your craft.
• Condensing much material in my advanced fiction workshop, but not
leaving out the most significant items.
• You want to be as informed a writer as possible in order to implement
possibilities as expertly as possible in your stories.
• Everyone likely has a short fiction writer he or she latches onto.
• A few exercises will put us in touch with content here.
• I will share some curious “trade gems” that might morph into a new
kind of thinking on your part.

3. Starting Block: “My Jockey”
• Let’s start by reading together a short-short story, “My Jockey,” by
Lucia Berlin.
• In crafting her short story, “My Jockey,” what is Lucia Berlin
communicating to us about her art, her craft…as it pertains to just this
one story?
• What are you “receiving” as a writer? What are things occurring in
the story that speak to you AS A WRITER?

4. Smile: it’s all in Your Characters
Thoughts on that great element
called…Characterization
• Characters are typically the first thing remembered when a story is over.
• Characters always have roles.
• Characterization must differ among characters.
• Characters should always generate action in the storyline. Characters drive plot
or narrative progression. They drive sources of tension, drama, comedy.

5. Smile…It’s Your Characters!
3 Dependencies of Character Development
• Rhythm of characters’ speech, or their ability to speak
• The need for a character(s) to move the narrative…to “push” it.
• To distinguish among characters’ individual nuances, traits, behavior,
issues, goals, positioning, desires, and obstacles.

6. Huh? Whadya Say? …here’s DIALOGUE
Speak Up!
• Dialogue is an element and a virtual art form. It is not required in a
short story, although it is typically depended upon.
• The real impetus that Dialogue provides directly involves
Characterization. Dialogue ultimately enhances Characterization
• Done well, Dialogue is the actual “illusion” of conversation. It is
uniquely crafted to provide “insight” into a conversation.

7. Creating an Echo
Secondary Patterns in Fiction
-- Important that you create one to two “recurring details” or recurring
moments or recurring
-- The “thing” is something readers remember; it helps story resonate.
-- Plant (specifically) one detail early. Utilize it throughout the story.
-- Pattern: the reader locks into the emphasis on and essence of detail.
-- This detail(s) forms a “secondary pattern.”

8. A Big Secret… revealed
• What’s an ‘ingredient’ – a consideration – that successful short stories
have? Hint: again, it has to do a lot with characterization.
______________
• Ahh…here is one ingredient, or consideration that you can now
implement. It is the evocation of CONTRAST.
• Think about ways you can invent & implement “contrasts” in how you
present 1) a character(s); 2) a situation(s) or moment; 3) a detail or
secondary pattern. Examples abound in the world of fiction.
• The best fiction – definitely the best short stories – are well-endowed
with significant contrasts of one order or another.

10. Recommended Focused Readings (for expert use of
short fiction elements, techniques & moments)
Read for Dialogue:
• Grace Paley (any of her stories)
• George Saunders (any of his stories)
• Raymond Carver (any of his stories)
Read for Time / Time Shifts/ Manipulating Time and Place
• Jhumpa Lahiri (Unaccustomed Earth)
• Claire Vaye Watkins (Battleborn)
• Bob Shacochis (Easy in the Islands and The Next New World)

11. Readings (continued)
Read for Characterization
• Antonya Nelson (any of her many books of short stories or novellas)
• Dan Chaon (Stay Awake: Stories)
• Pam Houston (Cowboys are My Weakness and Waltzing the Cat)
Read for Risk-taking Narrative ploys
• Anthony Marra (The Tsar of Love and Techno)
• Karen Russell (Vampires in the Lemon Grove)
• Charles Baxter (There’s Something I Want You to Do)

12. Readings (continued)
Read for “Gutsy” yet Eloquent Bluntness
• Thom Jones (his three books of short stories)
• Mary Gaitskill (Bad Behavior: Stories)
• Edward P. Jones (Lost in the City: Stories)
• Junot Diaz (Drown)
Read for Poetic Quality within the Short Story form:
• Amy Hempel
• Lucia Berlin * Denis Johnson * Lydia Davis

13. Read Continually & Never Stop Observing:
• Alice Munro (her selected stories, or any of her collections)
• Stephen King
• Flannery O’Connor
• Andre Dubus (our “American Chekhov”)
• & pay attention to our wide array of international writers: Francesca Marciano
(Italy); Haruki Murakami (Japan); Edna O’Brien (Ireland); Maxim Biller
(Germany); Margaret Atwood (Canada); Magda Szabo (Hungary)

14. Read Continually & Never Stop Observing:
• Alice Munro (her selected stories, or any of her collections)
• Stephen King
• Flannery O’Connor
• Andre Dubus (our “American Chekhov”)
• & pay attention to our wide array of international writers: Francesca Marciano
(Italy); Haruki Murakami (Japan); Edna O’Brien (Ireland); Maxim Biller
(Germany); Margaret Atwood (Canada); Magda Szabo (Hungary)

15. Learn more about our Writer-In-Residence program.