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Off Campus Writers' Workshop - OCWW

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Sarah Stone - The Art of the Secret: Puzzle Boxes and Narrative Engines

  • February 19, 2026
  • 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
  • REMOTE - ZOOM ONLY

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Secrets can drive plots and subplots, complicate relationships, activate slow moments, and reveal characters’ psychological make-up, as well as highlight the constant tension between who we wish we could be and who we are. If not handled well,  this fundamental fictional element can feel manipulative or unbelievable, turn readers against our characters, and call too much attention to the story’s machinery. We will discuss successful examples and have quick writing exercises to discover new secrets for our characters and make deeper use of those we already have. We'll explore secrets in long and short narrative arcs and in both stories and novels. We will consider what secrets can be left unexploded, how to nest secrets, and how to make the connections between secrets, yearnings, and satisfaction.

SARAH STONE (she/they) is the author of Hungry Ghost Theater, a finalist for the 38th annual Northern California Book Awards, The True Sources of the Nile, and Marriage to the Sea (forthcoming in March 2026), as well as co-author, with Ron Nyren, of Deepening Fiction: A Practical Guide for Intermediate and Advanced Writers. Sarah has taught for UC Berkeley, the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers, and Stanford Continuing Studies, and has written for Korean public television, reported on human rights in Burundi, and looked after orphan chimpanzees at the Jane Goodall Institute.

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