Week Three - Nancy Kress

Monday, June 21, 2004

We did a couple of critiques today, then Nancy went over some basic fundamentals with us:

Story Openings:

Orient the reader - Where are we? When are we? These things must be vivid and continuous. If not, the reader is jolted out of the story.

No expository information at the beginning. Be interesting first, then clear.

Hint of conflict – You have to grab the reader with conflict and earn the right to go into flashbacks/backstory later, not at the beginning.

Set the tone – Will this be a quiet story? High voltage? Comedy? Myth? You're trying to clue the reader in; be consistent. You're making a promise to the reader as to what type of story you're telling them. You must fulfill that promise.

That just scratches the surface; there was much more and it was VERY helpful. But some people complained afterwards (but not to her). I think they felt like she was talking down to them, but she said, “Several of you are having fundamental problems. Let’s talk about them and work to correct them.” I’m all for that.

Nancy is very to-the-point. She’s really no-nonsense in critiques, but in no way harsh or cruel. She starts out by saying “Here’s what works…” and tells you. Then it’s “Here’s what’s not working,” and she tells you how to fix it. And then to the author, “What would you like to say about your story?” I think she’s a fantastic teacher. She’s really the first instructor to actually “lecture,” which may have turned off some, but I found enormously helpful.