12th International Conference on the Short Story in English
June 27-30, 2012
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Workshops
on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Workshops will be held on Tuesday, June 26, 2012, from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, and from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at The Wyndham Hotel. Workshops are limited to 15, unless exceptions are allowed by the workshop director. Cost $100 each. Participants may enroll in more than one workshop.
Register for workshops on the Registration page.
Distinguishing Voice from Gaze in Your Short Story: The Author-Narrator Two-Step
PRESENTER: Bharati Mukherjee
This is a workshop on the importance and consequences of point-of-view (POV) choices. What’s the story you want to tell? Which of your characters is best suited to tell it? The events in the story will be viewed through the eyes of the POV character, and additionally, will be judged by the voice of the author. How much distance do you want to maintain between you as author and you as the imaginary POV character? How do you distinguish your POV character’s ‘take’ on the story’s events from your authorial perspective on them? Participants are encouraged to bring “flash fiction” (i.e. a 2-4-page double-spaced story) or an excerpt of a longer story that they have written for workshop discussion.
Learning to Edit: The Short Story Writer’s Hard Decision
PRESENTER: Clark Blaise
Learning to self-edit is the final step in the writing process. Where does the story really start? Where does it end? Where does it slow down; where is it going too fast? Is a back story necessary; are the scenes too sketchy? Is the dialogue too expositional? These are questions (among dozens more) you have to resolve before sending out a story. Else, an editor will simply say "not for us, sorry." This workshop will take you step by step through this difficult but necessary process.
Creating Fictional Art
PRESENTER: Robert Olen Butler
The workshop will focus on the fundamentals of the creative process for any fiction writers, beginning or advanced who aspire to create enduring literature. We will address such issues as what is art; what is distinctive about the way the artist addresses the world, the inner self, and the objects to be created; and what are the essential characteristics of fiction as an art form. Perhaps most importantly, how do I maintain creative control of the story writing process .
Writing With Tradition: The Structure of the Short Story
PRESENTER: Alistair MacLeod
This workshop will utilize the traditional approaches for writers to understand the necessary skills of short story writing. With an examination of the basic concepts of setting, character, plot, and theme, this workshop will focus on how best to utilize the time and space which short stories allot to develop the story form. Short story writing involves attention to detail, precision with words, vision into character types, and training, development, and eventually knowledge of how to make the best use of pace, mood, and space. This workshop will be beneficial to both emerging and experienced writers, and you should come prepared to share your work and ideas with others in the class. My approach will be both lecture and participatory in nature.
Plotting for Poets
PRESENTER: Katherine Vaz
An intensive session on how to take the fear and loathing out of creating structure in short fiction. We’ll view how plots are indivisible from character and will focus on a close reading of a story to develop an X-ray understanding of what forces, principles, and actions create the dynamics of motion in writing. The challenge of developing one’s unique voice will be addressed via a few creative exercises. Please read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited” prior to our meeting and bring a copy along.
Why Are You Telling Me This? Exploring and Writing First Person Narratives
PRESENTER: Moira Crone
First person short stories are double-natured: they render what happened,and they reveal why the narrator believes you “have to hear this.” Who was the teller before these events and who was he after? Why is the anecdote important to him? Answers reveal why first person stories remain such a dimensional and intense experience. Though inextricably entwined, these two levels of first person narrative will be examined by close reading and critique of classic stories and works by participants. Participants will be expected to bring their own stories to share and discuss at this workshop
Short Story Conversions: From Asia to the World
PRESENTER: Kirpal Singh
As the world globalizes, so, too do writers. In recent years the writers of the world have begun to engage with each other across vast divides of culture, especially language. Short story writers everywhere know just how sensitive readers are (and can be!) when our stories get converted/translated/transcreated into a different language, or, even when in the same language the story enters a different culture with markedly different expectations. This global phenomenon is presenting us all with new challenges as writers. My workshop will discuss some of the key issues involved in all of this and we will explore different solutions that a writer may utilize to address this dilema. I will be using specific examples of stories to illustrate the challenges, the possible dangers as well as solutions.
The "Fantastic" Element in Science Fiction Writing
PRESENTER: Shi-Kuo Chang
This workshop will explore the unusual topic of the science fiction short story, a genre that has consistently grown over the past several years. This workshop will help both emerging and experienced writers learn and develop the techniques associated with science fiction. Beginning with a focus on the "fantastic" the workshop will discuss the technique for "crafting" the form and style of the science fiction short story.
SHORT STORY TRADITIONS:
BRIDGES TO MODERNITY AND BEYOND
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