Story Structure and Shape

When you write a story, do you find it hard to get things off the ground? Does your middle sag? Do you have problems sticking your ending? In this two-hour craft intensive, we'll consider how structure and shape can help resolve these problems, making your story more focused and more propulsive. We’ll discuss the elements of good beginnings, middles, and endings—the basic building blocks of structure—and figure out how to use these elements to move readers through your stories. We’ll consider story shape—both classic shapes and those which might already be inherent in our drafts, just waiting to be revealed. How might story shape suggest directions for your story? How might it be used to create surprise? Bring a project you’d like to work on, and come prepared to read, discuss, reflect, and write.