Alternative Narrative Shapes [Mary Potter]
All Levels. Learn how to shape stories and essays that don’t fit the mold of a classic linear or epiphany narrative. We’ll analyze six alternative narrative structures: lyric, fluent/spiral, disruptive, list, braided, and collage. Each week we’ll read examples, identify a structure, and write a short narrative in that shape. Discover what happens when you dare to step outside the classic dramatic pyramid!
Required texts: Art of the Personal Essay, ed. Phillip Lopate; You’ve Got to Read This, ed. Ron Hansen, Jim Shepard.