Shapes of Stories [Waverly Fitzgerald]

Changing the shape can change the story. Using a series of in-class writing exercises, homework assignments, and examples from both creative nonfiction and fiction, we’ll look at popular shapes for stories, including braids, collage, the traditional narrative arc, the circle, and the frame. We’ll also look at the techniques writers use to create them: transitions, flashbacks, tangents, etc. A writer could end this class with five different versions of the same initial story or five different stories.