There’s no doubt about it: “plot” is a useful term for a writer. It can remind us to make things happen in our fiction, and to make those things have meaning and weight. But this isn’t the only lens through which to see a work of fiction, especially a work-in-progress—there are other ways to think about/feel through action and conflict, ways that might seem less static, pre-planned, or final than “plot.”
In this session, we’ll explore several practical alternatives to plotting—shape, “stepping up,” tightening the net, and more. The goal will be to walk out with concrete ideas for where to go next with one of your writing projects, as well as how to make the going-there exciting, surprising, and vital.
Joseph Scapellato was born in the suburbs of Chicago and earned his MFA in Fiction at New Mexico State University. He is the author of the novel, The Made-Up Man (2019), and the story collection, Big Lonesome (2017). Joseph is an assistant professor of English in the creative writing program at Bucknell University, and lives in Lewisburg, PA, with his wife, daughter, and dog.
9:30-12 Program