Writing Down to the Root of Meaning [Russell Banks]

All Levels | Participants will bring the first page of a new story or novel, typed and double-spaced. We will start with these twigs at the top of the tree and work our way down to the trunk, on our way to the root of meaning. Using the first paragraphs of several classic short stories and novels as guides, we will examine the difference between the start and the beginning of a story or novel. Participants should not bring the first page of an already written work of fiction or one that has been sketched out or outlined. This is not about revision. This is not a workshop. Start fresh with no more than a couple of prose twigs.