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I have been reading applications lately, and as often, it's sharpened my sense of what I think is good writing.

So many of the things I'm reading feel like they were produced on some assembly line. I already know everything they have to say by the end of page one. So few of the pieces are startling and fesh.

What makes them stand out? They're weird. They are not boring. They seem new.

A few of the things writing can be, that keep it from being boring:

Weird. Outrageous. Surprising. Funny. Dark. True. Ecstatic. Dysphoric. Transgressive. Shocking.

A few things that are usually boring: Sob stories. Self-righteous characters. Virtuous characters. Horribly aggrieved characters. Moralistic resolutions. Happy endings. Consensual sex. Virtue signaling.

Let's talk about how to keep it good and weird.

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Following a superstimulating discussion on Jan 5, let's look at the second half of Haruki Murakami's "The Elephant Vanishes. This is one of those stories that breaks pretty interestingly into two parts. (Another is Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You going, Where Have You been?" which we looked at in June of 2024.

Things I'm particularly interested in discussing:

• The movement to a conventional scene after the interiority of the first half

• Similarly, the shift from a somewhat dour assessment on page 318

• The question raised by Marina: is the elephant a symbol? If so, of what?

• Annick's provocative point about our narrator's withholding of crucial info: is this the clever deployment craft or just Murakami playing with us?

• Is the story satisfying?

• Or, of course, whatever you want to talk about.

See you there!

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12/29: Building continuity, suspense, and narrative connective tissue

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12/29: Building continuity, suspense, and narrative connective tissue

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While Dave's away, let's discuss the way a story can be strengthened with the technique of leaving narrrative threads hanging and picking them up not immediately but at a carefully choreographed later time. I find I can clearly see the virtues of this strategy through the lens of textile construction or or bookbinding.

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Engines of Narrative | Craft Notes from The 24-Hour Room

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12/18 not topic, just hang out and read!

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12/18 not topic, just hang out and read!

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Jan 5, 2026: Haruki Murakami's "The Elephant Vanishes"

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Jan 5, 2026: Haruki Murakami's "The Elephant Vanishes"

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For our first deep dive of the new year, let's look at one of Haruki Murakami's most famous stories. This was my first encounter with Murakami, when it appeared in the New Yorker several decades ago.

As an extra treat, check out Jon's report (with accompanying soundtrack) on seeing Murakami at NYC's Japan Center in mid December. That's on the group WhatsApp chat called The 24-Hour Room.

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SUBMITTING WORK: NOT Thu 12/11, but Fri Dec 12 at 11 am ET

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SUBMITTING WORK: NOT Thu 12/11, but Fri Dec 12 at 11 am ET

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This week, at the suggesting of Mauro Altamura, we'll cover a Publishing, rather than Craft, topic: Submitting Work. Magazines, agents, publishers, triumphs and frustrations all fair fodder for the trough. We'll hold this convo on Friday 12/12 at 11 am ET, rather than the usual THursday afternoon. But do stop by for Thu Open Mic at 6!

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I'll be out of the country the last two Mondays of 2025, so the thrilling Elizabeth Gaffney will lead those two sessions. (I hope she'll do so in a grey moustache.)

I expect to be back by January 5 for our first-Monday reading chat. Please see the other post for that info.

Happy holidays, all!

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Dec 15: What we talk about when we talk about love

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Dec 15: What we talk about when we talk about love

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As most of you know, my approach is largely strategic: what does this particular decision do; how can we get the most out of this other choice? Writing about emotions doesn't always fit squarely into this agenda--they can feel more like a byproduct of scene, action and metaphor--but for some time I've been wanting to explore the many ways a writer will capture that most ineffable of emotions.

So please bring your thoughts about writing about love. Romantic love, of course, and desire (how are the two different?) but also filial love, unrequited love, deep overweening friendship and so on.

See you there. I'll have my heart on my sleeve.

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We haven't had a Monday open mic in some time, so let's hear what people are up to. Email me at davekingwriter@gmail if you want to get on the list!

Roughly 1000 words, though who's counting?

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Monday, December 1: "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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Monday, December 1: "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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For our December reading, let's look at this short story with a long name.

See you there!

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A month ago we were scheduled to discuss beginnings and endings but never got past the beginnings. That's so like us!

This week, let's continue revving our motors and talk about some ways a writer might kindle a plot at the narrative's start. I know, I know! Many of us don't really care about plot and just want to write pretty sentences that show off our puckish humor. But let's pretend for an hour...

See you there.

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SPECIAL EVENT TUESDAY 11/25, 5pm: Sentence Clinic 

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SPECIAL EVENT TUESDAY 11/25, 5pm: Sentence Clinic 

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Let's meet halfway between 11/20 and Thanksgiving. With the odd day, I'm not sure what the size of the group will be, so if the clinic runs long, it may take over the open mic, but if the clinic has few takers, we can also start open mic early.

No Craft/Open Mic on 11/20 or 11/27!

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Here's the Krasznahorkai in pdf, thanks to Annick, to read for 12/4 Craft convo

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Here's the Krasznahorkai in pdf, thanks to Annick, to read for 12/4 Craft convo

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Or order your hard copy ahead at your local indie or Bookshop.org — https://bookshop.org/a/154/9780811228404

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Spadework for a Palace by Laszlo Krasznanorkai

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Spadework for a Palace by Laszlo Krasznanorkai

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You can download the book from

Ocean PDF. Com

Annick

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"Look Inside" is such a cool book-browse app. The opening pages are a preview of this strange YA+ book The Thin Door which, when flipped upside down, holds journal-and-sketch prompts that ride along with the story. * 

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"Look Inside" is such a cool book-browse app. The opening pages are a preview of this strange YA+ book The Thin Door which, when flipped upside down, holds journal-and-sketch prompts that ride along with the story. * 

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In this case, "Anonymous" is Rhoda Weber Mack.

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Read a sample: “The Thin Door (The Thin Door and Other Stories)”

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While Dave's busy, let's hold a Monday open Mic. I have my Novel Workshop at 6, so we'll end a tiny bit early.

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Let's consider how villains work, whether they are different from antagonists, whether Ahab is a poorly written character because he lacks the complexity I'm always demanding writers build into their bad guys.

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Monday, November 17: No Dave in the room (but see above, for Brooklyn in the House)

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Monday, November 17: No Dave in the room (but see above, for Brooklyn in the House)

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Hi, folks,

I have to give a talk at my job on Monday night, so I regretfully cannot see you here via zoom. I'm looking forward to November 21, though!

Happy writing--

DK

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How can this group of writers can help each other to write, revise and complete their work, and then get out into the world?

Come at 5 today and discuss ideas, or maybe even find your group.

You can also list your interest on a new ISO Accountability bulletin board.

I'm very much hoping to help people set up some groups during the session and also to hear suggestions for other accountability tools, either ones we can create here, or those that exist outside The 24H.

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On November 3 we dug into this story's interestingly slippery narration style; the possibility of an individual's story being a stand-in for the larger immigration experience; whether the term "dirtbag" justly applies to the protagonist; and a host of other interesting topics.

This coming Monday let's unpack the intriguing ending and the reemergence of the Diaz's narrator, Yunior.

Not to be missed!

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Monday, November 3: "Negocios" by Junot Diaz

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Monday, November 3: "Negocios" by Junot Diaz

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For our November reading, let's look at this essential story by Junot Diaz.

See you there!

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Want to convene a special session of Tell Me About it! anytime? You're welcome to post a Call here.

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Want to convene a special session of Tell Me About it! anytime? You're welcome to post a Call here.

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If you email librarian@the24hourroom.org, I'll also post it on the WhatsApp All 24H chat. (And if you want to join the WatsApp group, you can also email me about that.)

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A propos of "The Town-Ho's Story" chapter of Moby-Dick," let's discuss stories within stories, favorite examples and your own work.... Do you use this technique of embedding stories? If so, on what scale? And why or why not?

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Monday, October 27: Once upon a time they lived happily ever after.

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Monday, October 27: Once upon a time they lived happily ever after.

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With the absolute understanding that writing is a realm of flexible rules, let's talk a little about beginnings and endings, whether of novels, stories, memoirs or whatever. I'm interested in hearing what you seek in the starts and finishes of literary works--maybe what kinds of beginnings/endings you find ideal--but I'm equally interested in hearing about your own techniques for revving a narrative up and then shutting it down.

See you in the lounge at 5!

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Monday, October 20: Sources of inspiration

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Monday, October 20: Sources of inspiration

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There's been a request that we talk about our writing models, so for Monday's session, please bring a very brief text to share. This should be a short passage not by you but by some other writer that somehow inspires you. The inspiration can take many forms: humor, irony, incisiveness, flow, or, of course, beauty. Or something else.

I'm thinking a paragraph or so, so we can get through everyone.Or even just a sentence.

See you there!

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This week, I'd like to invite everyone to come to a longer Open Mic, allowing everyone who's even remotely tempted to read. If there aren't a ton of people, readers might get to read a little longer, and/or we can stay on after the readings are finished to talk about it. See you there!

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How much is too much? Too much not enough? Can foreshadowing cohabit with suspense?

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Monday, October 13: Still rising, still converging

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Monday, October 13: Still rising, still converging

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On Monday, let's continue our discussion of Flannery O'Connor's story "Everything That Rises Must Converge." In particular, let's think about ways the cataclysmic final scenes feel both pre-ordained and very surprising. And if there's time, a small discussion about endings.

Ride the bus with the super cool 24-Hour gang!

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9/19 | (Friday Makeup) | Punctuated (Narrative) Equilibrium

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9/19 | (Friday Makeup) | Punctuated (Narrative) Equilibrium

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On borrowing Stephen Jay Gould’s evolutionary theory Punctuated Equilibrium as a model for understanding (or managing one's own) time jumps, compression and dramatic energy in narrative.

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Dave's away ... the mice shall play. Let's take this hour to launch a new "weekly+" gathering to talkj about our work. (See new column to the right.)

Meeting weekly on Fridays with EG, but I encourage others to convene additional sessions anytime!

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Announcing, by Member Request, a New Weekly+ Gathering

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Announcing, by Member Request, a New Weekly+ Gathering

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You asked for it (or some of you did, last Thursday afternoon)...

Let's gather on Friday evenings to talk about our work. Problems? Successes? Blocked? Inspired? Looking for a bit of feedback or advice?

And on 9/29, 5pm ET, EG will cover Dave's Monday Craft session with an inaugural Tell Me About It....

EG will (usually) host this gathering on Fridays, but it can also be unhosted, and anyone is welcome to institute an additional regular gathering time.

I also invite any and all to summon the people to gather in the Lounge for unscheduled conversation. If you want to get on the Whatsapp group for this, email your name and phone/whatsapp to librarian@the24hourroom.org

This is not an Open Mic (It's a time for candid, supportive conversations about our writing.)

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Monday, October 6: O'Connor, "Everything That Rises Must Converge"

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Monday, October 6: O'Connor, "Everything That Rises Must Converge"

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Is it going to feel old-fashioned and academic if we talk about Flannery O'Connor? If it does, I'll take the blame.

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Monday, September 29: EG WILL HOST A NEW INFORMAL CONVO ABOUT WRITING DURING DAVE's USUAL CRAFT CONVO TIME (See above ^)

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Monday, September 29: EG WILL HOST A NEW INFORMAL CONVO ABOUT WRITING DURING DAVE's USUAL CRAFT CONVO TIME (See above ^)

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I can't meet on the 29th as I will be out of the country. We'll return on October 6 for a discussion of a work of fiction, and I'll post that text soon.

Happy writing!

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Beginning October 8 I'll be teaching an online writing workshop through the 24-Hour Room. The course will run nine Wednesdays, 6-8:30pm NYC time and is open to writers at all levels. Please spread the word if you feel like it.

As in most writing workshops, the primary texts will be works in progress by course members: novels, stories, memoirs and so on. Each writer will submit two or three times, roughly 15-30 pages each time--though I tend not to be strict about that type of thing. Our emphasis will be on constructive but thoughtful criticism as well as broader issues of craft, structure, aesthetics and so on. The goal is to help writers revise current work and move forward with all their projects.

The course runs 9 sessions, 10/8-12/17 (with no meetings on 10/15 and 11/26). Space is limited. For more information, please visit https://www.the24hourroom.org/store/p/engines-of-narrative.

As some of you know, I’ve taught literature and creative writing at NYU for the past eighteen years and was at Baruch before that. I’m the author of a best-selling novel and the winner of a number of awards, including the Rome Prize for Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and an O. Henry Prize.

Thanks!

DK

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10/2 | Temporal Distance in Retrospective Narrators

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10/2 | Temporal Distance in Retrospective Narrators

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Consider Ishmael, Marcel, Scout Finch, Holden Caulfield, John Dowell, Cathy H… How long has it been between the telling and the events our protagonists are recalling? And what's changed? How do various writers—including you—tackle attitudes as nostalgia, insight, forgetting, dementia, repression, denial?

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Today I'd like to talk about various approaches for gleaning writing inspiration from one's reading and also to brainstorm a little to see if we can come up with ideas for additional programs, forums, resources or anything else the 24H might be able to offer to further support its members' writing productivity. Join me for some literary fellowship and then the Open Mic, starting at 6.

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Okay, this is kind of a weirdo topic, entirely from left field, but for some time I've been wanting to talk a bit about punctuation. How we use it more subjectively in creative work than in, say, reportage; what it feels like when we "misuse" it; how punctuation colors (or maybe doesn't) tone and readerly experience.

So what do you say? Shall we give this odd topic a go? We may find that the conversation leads us to thinking about structure, metaphor and other notions; or it may fall dead at our feet. Who knows?

I hope to see you there!

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We talked about revising once process to restore creative energy and spark new ideas and inspiration

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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Monday, September 15: A Hand Continues to Guide me

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Monday, September 15: A Hand Continues to Guide me

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On 9/8 we talked extensively about the pacing of David Gates' story "A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me." The first half of the story is largely exposition, and there was a lively discussion of how Gates established the characters and situations and maintained reader interest without the use of a conventional plot

But the second half of the story does have plot, and many of the characterizations are deepened through Gates' remarkable dialogue. Let's pick at that dialogue with all the acuity and courteous disagreement that so characterizes these sessions. See you there!

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You asked, so here it is: the cover art for THE THIN DOOR, out soon.

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You asked, so here it is: the cover art for THE THIN DOOR, out soon.

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Designed in Greece by Turkish book designer Baris Sehri. The ARC/print proof will be available for advance readers and review in a few quick weeks.

More details here www.webermack.com

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There's been a suggestion that we talk about the choice of present or past tense when telling a story. What are the advantages of one mode or the other, and how does each function linguistically when we move, for example, into a flashback?

I think this is a great suggestion, and I'm looking forward to picking the topic apart. I might also fold in questions of first person/third person, etc, as these are also broad concerns that affect the sweep of a manuscript.

Bring your genius or bring your confusion, but bring it!

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Mondays September 1 & 8 and David Gates' "A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me."

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Mondays September 1 & 8 and David Gates' "A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me."

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I'm going to take Monday, Sept 1 off. It's Labor Day and also my birthday, so I wish you all happy holidays, strong unions and good benefits for every writer, published or not.

But on Monday September 8, let's roar into fall with a discussion of David Gates' "A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me." I look forward to your thoughts.

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Monday, August 18: The Anxiety of Influence

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Monday, August 18: The Anxiety of Influence

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For some time I've been thinking about books that evoke other books, whether by reimagining plot or supplying a sequel or something more subtle: theme, tone, whatever.

On Monday let's talk about how this is done technically but also talk about the writers who've influenced you. How important is it to you to bring those authors' voices and ideas into your own projects, and how are you approaching this?

As always, I look forward!

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Thursday, August 21: Back by popular demand!

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Thursday, August 21: Back by popular demand!

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There was a pretty unanimous interest in continuing our editing/revision discussion another week, so let's do that. Please bring your own secrets, tricks, techniques, spells and formulae to share. Meanwhile, attached is the handout from last week.

After the discussion, open mic! Email if you want to get in line!

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Thursday, August 14: The second (third, fourth, eighteenth) draft

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Thursday, August 14: The second (third, fourth, eighteenth) draft

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Let's talk about editing on Thursday. This seems to be an area where each writer needs to discover a personal approach, but there are strategies for exploring the possibilities, and I keep a small list of techniques others have recommended. I hope the rest of you will also share what works for you.

Open mic to follow, 6pm-7pm. Email me at davekingwriter@gmail.com if you want your name on the list. See you then!

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Let's talk about physical action on Monday. A lot of our writing is comprised of description and verbal exchanges, but sometimes there are fistfights, avalanches, barn raisings. How is the strategy for such stuff fundamentally similar or different from other portions of the text?

See you there, I sincerely hope!

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Dave King here. I'm looking forward to facilitating these sessions for the next couple of weeks while Elizabeth is away. On Thursday let's talk a bit about dialogue: its deployment, its uses, its variations and implications. Possibly a kind of basic topic but one I like because it embodies so many of the challenges and contradictions of making realist fiction. I look forward to your thoughts.

And following the 5pm discussion we'll have an open mike at 6. Feel free to email me at davekingwriter@gmail.com if you want to get on the list.

See you then!

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Dave King covering August 7, 14 & 21...and a group read conversation about Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony on Aug 28

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Dave King covering August 7, 14 & 21...and a group read conversation about Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony on Aug 28

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I will be traveling in August and Dave King will cover the Thursday Craft Talk and Open Mics as well as his usual Mondays. (Plus, he'll be leading a 9-week workshop in the fall, so stay tuned for more details or email me to save your spot...)

On August 28th, we'll devote our usual craft/open mic time to talking about Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, because many people who just finished reading it in the morning Flow Reading sessions have said they already want to reread the book, and and a number of others who aren't morning flow reading regulars have expressed interest in the book.

Till then, there won't be any weekly emails, so check this bulletin board for info on Dave's upcoming topics.

--Elizabeth

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Hi Dave,

I enjoyed last week's craft meet-up and I'd like to join you on a regular basis, but next Monday I will not be available.

Thanks, and see you on the 11th.

Carrie

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Monday, August 4: James Salter, "Last Night"

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Monday, August 4: James Salter, "Last Night"

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For our August first Monday reading, let's take a look at James Salter's "Last Night." I welcome your thoughts!

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The George Saunders discussion prompted a request that we look at works that pointedly fence of individual POV's for a variety of effects. (Generally we're talking more about Faulkner's As I Lay Dying than about Dickens' use of omniscient 3rd-person narration.)

I have thoughts about ways this works or doesn't work for me, but hey, I'm just the moderator. Please bring your own ideas, queries, examples and so on. I look forward to seeing you!

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Why is it so cathartic to hear your work read aloud? It has a certain weird clarity we don't get sitting alone in our towers, rearranging commas.

On Monday please feel free to read something you're proud of, something you're struggling with, or just something you need to hear the sound of.

Email me if you want to get in the cue--or just show up! I'm looking forward already.

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On July 7 we discussed the beginning of George Saunders' story "Tenth of December." We spoke of the difference in language registers between the two point-of-view characters; of Saunders' interesting decision to reverse the chronology so as to create the most interesting entry point for the reader; and of his technique of talking about subsidiary characters before identifying who they were.

But we didn't get very far into the story, and there was an apparent consensus that we'd like to continue this coming week. I don't think I'll start where we left off (page 227) but let's look at the way Saunders handles the end of the story, especially with regard to misdirection, maintaining reader interest and so on.

I look forward to seeing you all there!

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Monday, July 7: George Saunders: "Tenth of December"

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Monday, July 7: George Saunders: "Tenth of December"

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For Monday, let's read and discuss George Saunders' very celebrated story "Tenth of December." I'll admit I had some misgivings about the choice, given that many of you may have read this one already. But in some ways that's almost a reason to give it a real cross-examination to nail down exactly why it's so astonishingly successful, moving and fresh!

(On a side note, the other candidate was Saunders' "Escape From Spiderhead," but on rereading it I feared that some might justifiably find it triggering. For those who are curious, however, I'm happy to provide a pdf. Just email me.)

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In the wake of our reading of Kafka in June, let's consider what constitutes surrealism in literature and think about its purpose and powers. One sharpening question here, might be about boundary lines between so-called genres, from myth to legend to fantasy, from dystopian to science fiction to alternate reality to, um, literary realism. Is Kafka actually any weirder that Flannery O'Connor, Homer, Toni Morrison, Ursula K. LeGuin, George Orwell, or Jenny Egan?

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EG here, covering for Dave, today....

Forget war crimes, murder, betrayal and other major league mayhem, for a minute. How do writers use small-scale problems and incidents, from the cat bite in Paula Fox’s Desperate Characters to the social anxiety that plagues Clarissa Dalloway, to drive big stories?

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Monday, June 30: Guest host Elizabeth Gaffney

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Monday, June 30: Guest host Elizabeth Gaffney

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Hi folks,

I'll miss everybody this evening! I have a long physical therapy appointment that will run past 5pm, and unfortunately the same thing will happen Thursday, despite my earlier plans to take that evening's slot. So Elizabeth will be graciously filling the host chair tonight, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on July 7. Thanks for bearing with me during this long, incredibly boring recovery!

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Dizzying and gorgeous, equally compelling up close and at a distance, mosaics transfix me more than almost any other form. The floors and ceilings that have dazzled me, when I've traveled in Greece and Italy. Evanescent pictures I created in the sand as a girl with bits of broken shell. The confrontational rage of Jack Whitten's Black Monoliths. The way the stories or poems in certain volumes -- Eady's Brutal Imagination, Plath's Ariel, so many others -- differ yet interlock; shine alone yet mean more in concert. The six nested stories of Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. A twin, vanished in utero but persistent because she left a tile — or more than just one tile — of her genetics behind in her fraternal survivor, a smattering of what was never never born but is nevertheless expressed as a freckle, a hairy patch, a Bowie eye, my cousin's Tetrology of Fallot....

Mosaics are simple and profound and absolutely everywhere, once you start to look for them.

Are you building your story in pieces? In tiles? Could you be? Should you be? When does this sort of chopped and mortared structure make sense, as opposed, say, to a more continuous, contiguous realism? The artist Jack Whitten wrote of his own mosaic process: "When I break it down into these little bits that I work with, it’s like a pixel. Like each tesserae is a piece of light. . . . The message is coded into the process.” His materials for "Black Monolith II (Homage To Ralph Ellison The Invisible Man)" (above, left) included Acrylic, molasses, copper, salt, coal, ash, chocolate, onion, herbs, rust, eggshell, with razor blade on canvas!

How can we as writers put that onion, that rust, that rage, into our texts, how can we make a monolith of a pile of scraps and trash? Let's talk about literary mosaicisms this week.

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https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/QfVUPlkCEUnv_Ec3Je1lcAsg401hQVoyGKb-HBkfKkOY7ErjtyEzCFR-a0qtgNtr.oXBbRXVYeyoBe3We

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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I would love to read Rebecca West's The Saga of the Century Trilogy. Annick

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Today, let's discuss how various forms of narrative change can move stories forward. Consider various narrative places with the potential for change.

Change is one lens through which to analyze a story's plot twists and turns. It might even suggest opportunities for writers to inject narrative dynamism without resorting to more conventional seeming plot work.

-World building: does the place or situation change, or the rules of the game?

-Character: did someone grow up, grow wise, grow cynical, or fail to change at all?

-Reader engagement: Are there shifts in our understanding of who's telling the truth, or who's the hero and who's the antihero.

-Time: did a decade or a lifetime or a minute pass?

Finally, what about lack of change? When is stasis as powerful and interesting and unexpected, or possibly even more so, than change.

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This is the writing book I mentioned last week by Duras. It's fascinating, sometimes complex, but she is so sure of herself and so willing to share everything. It's published by Lumens Editions...D

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A couple of weeks ago we had a really lively discussion about abundance and restraint. I really loved hearing your thoughts, but we remained pretty theoretical, and I know several of you were interested more strategic moves.

So on Monday the 23rd, let's expand (contract?) the discussion to the actual page, the actual manuscript. How do we know when we're overwhelming the reader with detail, and what can we do about it? How do we know when we're not giving readers enough?

Again, this will obviously vary from writer to writer, but let's talk about how these issues of more and less text can be applied in the most practical sense as we sit alone in our sad half-lit rooms, channeling the glory of our own thoughts.

See you then!

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Oh, damn! I thought I'd posted this announcement--my apologies!

Anyway, as per my announcement last week, on Monday we'll have our usual third-week open mic. Bring stuff you're proud and delighted with, or bring stuff you're uncertain about. Any and all texts welcome!

Email me at davekingwriter@gmail.com if you want to join the cue. I look forward to hearing your work!

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This is possibly a very broad--or abundant!--topic, but it's something I've been dealing with in my own work, so I thought we might devote an hour's inquiry to questions of how much information to provide--and when and where--and how exactly to cast it in terms of style, figurative language and so on.

A couple of you are working in pretty spare modes, while others' projects are more lush. It's all good, but let's hear about your experiences of working as you do, also perhaps what kind of prose you're done to when you read for pleasure.

See you there, I hope!

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We've thought about the virtues of pattern and motif a lot lately... Now let's discuss the corollary virtues of breaking away from what's expected: how variation, weirdness, surprises and well thought out oddities can bring life to our stories and make space for artistic innovation and individual literary visions.

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Sigrid Nunez, quoted in latest NYer (Book Currents, p. 7): “You don’t need a plot, but you do need a story.” Where’s the line, what’s the diff? Maybe obvious to some of us, but not to me. (Story of my life!) I’d love to hear a discussion. And yes, I’ll show up for it. (Threat? Promise?) - Low-profile Cliff. :)

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Monday, June 2: Kathrine Kressman Taylor: "Address Unknown" 

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Monday, June 2: Kathrine Kressman Taylor: "Address Unknown" 

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At our last open mic, Jon presented a piece with a one-sided phone conversation, and that got me thinking about one-sided dialogues. So for our June reading, let's weigh Kathrine Kressman Taylor's epistolary story "Address Unknown." See you then!

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Monday, May 26: Your finish is my command.

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Monday, May 26: Your finish is my command.

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Jon has requested a discussion of endings, particularly, how to do them. As it turns out, there's a very simple formula which will be revealed at Monday's meeting.

Nah, I'm kidding. Like everything we do in this darned business, endings are occult. But let's have the discussion anyway. Please bring your theories, your experiences and any recommendations of unusually strong endings you'd like to share with the group.

See you there! And if you miss the session because you're off at a Memorial Day picnic, that's cool too, but watch out for bees hovering above the potato salad!

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Today, no craft / open mic. Join the Book Talk link at 6:30 pm ET to hear Mo Ogrodnik and Zeeva Bukai read from and discuss their debut novels!

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The 24-Hour Room virtual writers space — The 24-Hour Room

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Here's the Mary Gaitskill stoy "Don't Cry" which is mentioned below.

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Hi, folks, apologies for being off the grid all week. I meant to post this announcement last week but was lost in a haze of post-surgery self-pity, and it just got away from me.

Anyway, let's do our open mic tonight. It'll be so great to see all of you! Email me at davekingwriter@gmail.com if you know you want to present.

See you then!

DK

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I’m writing a short story that moves back and forth in time quite rapidly, and my tenses are getting confused. Is there a technique to help with tense fluidity and coherence? Is there a short story that you might recommend?  

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I’m writing a short story that moves back and forth in time quite rapidly, and my tenses are getting confused. Is there a technique to help with tense fluidity and coherence? Is there a short story that you might recommend?  

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.

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So, I started thinking about the way that a prism breaks up light light beams to reveal the multitude of colors hidden within a seemingly uniform whiteness. Which got me thinking about how writers create effective complexity in characters, how they make the unexpected, previously hidden qualities of their characters believable, even delightful. How does this work and how does it differ from attempts at complicating characters that fall flat because they just feel contradictory?

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Folks, on Monday the 12th, I will be having surgery literally while our 5pm session is taking place. While I'm tempted to zoom the entire process for your edification--doesn't every work of fiction require a gory hospital scene?--cooler heads have prevailed.

The great Elizabeth Gaffney will sit in on the 12th, and I'll be back on the 19th for an open mic. To your health!

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Oh, hell, let's laugh a little. On Monday, let's discuss Simon Rich's story "Guy Walks Into a Bar" and maybe also say a little bit about the strange and slippery nature of humor.

See you there!

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How do we get our short stories and novels to "finish" in a satisfying way instead of just petering out (apologies for the imagery). If we've assembled a bunch of threads how do we know we've tied them up nicely enough at the end? How do we get better at that? Doesn't the real end of things in life often come with a whimper not a bang? How do we make portraying that compelling? -Jon

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Today, let's discuss alternate histories, whether literary, speculative, sci fi or otherwise. What'd different and what's the same about The Plot Against America, The Man in the High Castle and The Handmaid's Tale, just to invoke a few well read examples? What's the function of this sort of thinking and storytelling? Is it always political?

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(Fri) 4/18 Why and How We Write about Altered States

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(Fri) 4/18 Why and How We Write about Altered States

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Ap 21: Open Mic, hosted this week by Elizabeth Gaffney

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Ap 21: Open Mic, hosted this week by Elizabeth Gaffney

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On Monday, let's build on Jon's suggestion (on the convo page under "Request a Craft Topic") and talk a bit about including current political situations in works of fiction. (I confess I'm wrestling with this myself.) Probably a deeply subjective topic, but it will be really interesting to share ideas. See you there!

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We may have done this before but I think it would be interesting to think about what the threshold is for putting an event like 9/11 into a story or novel. I think it's not enough to say, "Well that was the year, I have to include it." Something like that is of such immediate weight to people and continues to have so much meaning that I think inserting it has to connect to something. Maybe some internal clash in the characters maybe some struggle between powers or against history or something. Because otherwise that event in and of itself a kind of whirlwind, will capture your story and take it from you. -- Jon

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4/3 Plot, Story, Narrative Arc and how we Grab readers attention

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4/3 Plot, Story, Narrative Arc and how we Grab readers attention

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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Monday, April 7: Suzanne Rivecca's "Philanthropy"

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Monday, April 7: Suzanne Rivecca's "Philanthropy"

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I'm looking forward to your thoughts on Suzanne Rivecca's piece, which appeared in "Best American..." some years ago. See you Monday!

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Mondays, April 21 & 28:  Elizabeth Gaffney on Board!

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Mondays, April 21 & 28:  Elizabeth Gaffney on Board!

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Elizabeth Gaffney will take over Monday sessions twice in April, while I'm out of the country.

On April 21, she'll host an open mic.

On April 28, she'll discuss an Octavia Butler story. Stay tuned!

And I'm happy to be going to France but sorry to miss all of you on those dates. DK

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4/28, Dave'll be away. Join EG to discuss Octavia Butler's "Amnesty"

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4/28, Dave'll be away. Join EG to discuss Octavia Butler's "Amnesty"

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First of all, apologies that this didn't go up last week; my laptop must have been offline.

Anyway, let's continue our discussion of narration. At the end of last week's session there was a question about foreshadowing and moving into the future. I don't have a whole lot to say about like that, but I'd like to make a few points and also talk generally about styles and modes of narration. I look forward to your thoughts!

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This evening we discussed integrating Process passages into narrative, considered examples of how various writers do it, and how this narrative strategy impacts reader engagement

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Zoom is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, CA.

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On Monday, let's continue our discussion (initiated at the open mike last week, when so many pieces dealt with these kinds of shifts) about the uses of flashbacks, foreshadowing and other temporal leaps. What are the strategies, and what are the effects of the strategies?

I look forward to seeing you there!

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The twist on Monday's open mic is that everyone will be required to perform with an Irish accent. Nah, I'm kidding. But please do bring a short section to share with the group. I believe Laura and Eric and Jon are already on board; anyone else?

Also, there've been occasional questions about the utility of an open mic. For me, the benefit derives from simply listening to your words aloud and hearing them more or less as they'd resound in the reader's mind. Reading aloud is also a great way to identify weaknesses in what you've produced. If you stumble over a passage, that passage might warrant another look; if your mind wanders at a particular point, give some thought to how to make the text more irresistible.

Anyway, see you Monday!

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I read today’s Substack on Point of View and Parallax with interest.  So, maybe a discussion on shifts and changes in narrator and character POV (and the related issue of distance zoom ins and zoom outs) would be worthwhile.  I’m personally interested in getting a sense of how and when this is signaled to the reader, when and where juxtaposition and shift works best in a piece, and when it furthers the point of a story and when it doesn’t.  This obviously relates to structure and shape, tone and voice, withholding and disclosing, progression and trajectory, and other things. – Dan S.

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3/13: Unguided Open Mic and Happy Hour (EG will be away)

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3/13: Unguided Open Mic and Happy Hour (EG will be away)

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Monday, March 10: Bludgeoning, subtlety, active readerships and so on

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Monday, March 10: Bludgeoning, subtlety, active readerships and so on

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In response to a couple of requests on the Convo page, let's talk about issues of subtletly and obviousness, reader engagement, clarity, interpreatation and so on. Warning: this is probably not an area where there are rules or even guidelines beyond a writer's individual sensibility. But sometimes it helps to talk this stuff through.

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3/6: Craft topic: Allegory. Plus Open Mic and Happy Hour at 6.

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3/6: Craft topic: Allegory. Plus Open Mic and Happy Hour at 6.

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Allegory. Etymologically, it means "talking about something else." From historic to alternate to future worlds to slipstream, how and why do writers create stories that comment obliquely on their realities? Is this actually/still/was it ever an effective way to bring about social change? How do writers navigate the fine line between being subtle but hiding their message and heavy handed but churning out drivel?

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3/20: What do you want... and what world do you want it in?  Today, let's merge a convo begun back in February about using what characters want to drive story with questions about managing transitions between various kinds of alternate realities...  Then,OPEN MIC at 6

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3/20: What do you want... and what world do you want it in?  Today, let's merge a convo begun back in February about using what characters want to drive story with questions about managing transitions between various kinds of alternate realities...  Then,OPEN MIC at 6

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https://enginesofnarrative.substack.com/p/alternate-realities

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Getting more specific about what drives your characters