In this generative workshop, open to writers at any level of experience, we’ll focus on conflict, a narrative element that can push our stories and novels in unexpected directions, propelling and complicating our work. We’ll read published pieces featuring a wide range of conflicts––high-drama events, subtle frictions, internal struggles, external threats––by writers such as Carmen Maria Machado, Tobias Wolff, Venita Blackburn, and Daniel Orozco. We’ll examine how these writers layer conflicts in their narratives, pairing the personal with the political, or the ordinary with the surreal. We’ll also consider the challenge of balancing conflict and characterization. How can we develop a compelling conflict without overshadowing the nuances of our characters? Conversely, how might we use conflict to invigorate a character-focused story that lacks momentum or stakes?

On Saturday, inspired by our readings and conversations, you’ll experiment with different methods of turning up the heat in your own fiction. You’ll generate new writing through a series of in-class exercises that spotlight a variety of tension-building techniques. That evening, you’ll have two options: 1) revise and expand one of your in-class exercises, or 2) write an original scene that belongs to one of your existing projects, drawing upon our day’s work. On Sunday, you’ll have the opportunity to workshop your piece with your fellow writers, in a discussion framed by your own questions and concerns. 

By the end of the weekend, you’ll have a collection of readings and prompts, a portfolio of new drafts to revisit, and concrete feedback for revising your workshop submission. In addition, you’ll have a toolbox of strategies you can use in the future to instill and layer conflict in your fiction.

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; provide feedback on writing you produce in our weekend together.