Muse & the Marketplace 2019

How do we write fiction and creative non-fiction that makes our readers feel love, hope, dread, sadness, and the impact of loss and betrayal? How do we achieve this without veering into sentimentality? While pacing, setting, and structure all come into the play, one of the most powerful (and often overlooked) techniques for any writer is the use of specific and significant details. As Janet Burroway says, “details (as every good liar knows) are the stuff of persuasiveness”. But too much detail can backfire and too little can take the reader out of the dream. In this session, we will learn how to use details effectively so our readers share our characters’ emotional worlds. We’ll look at how specificity, filtering, and use of the active voice can build meaning for the reader and how to insert details and expository information into drama for the best effect. We’ll discuss examples from R.O. Kwon, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Toni Morrison and end with a short writing exercise that will help us apply what we’ve learned.