Vivian Gornick once wrote about what she called “The Situation” and “The Story” in narrative writing projects. As Gornick put it, “[e]very work of literature has both a situation and a story. The situation is the context or circumstance, sometimes the plot; the story is the emotional experience that preoccupies the writer: the insight, the wisdom, the thing one has come to say.” The story is what will keep your reader emotionally engaged and invested in following your narrative. It is the central question you aim to explore with a piece of writing, and the thematic through line that connects everything to leave readers satisfied at the end. But clarifying the story beneath the situation and finding the thematic heart of your narrative can be difficult, especially if you haven’t identified that for yourself yet. You may have a narrative but be unsure of what exactly you want to say with it. You may sense that it lacks a beating heart beneath all of its working parts, but have no idea how to find or create it. This workshop for early mid-level to advanced writers of prose will help you to think more deeply, identify that beating heart driving your writing project, and weave a central theme more clearly into your work to make it cohesive and emotionally resonant for readers. In a supportive, kind environment, you’ll receive feedback on an existing writing project, do writing exercises in class to help develop the story beneath the narrative, and gain clarity about the themes you wish to develop.  

In this workshop, we will offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our week; workshop writing you bring from home.