Welcome Fictioneers!

THE IDEA: After a conversation with Michael Martone during his visit and an exercise idea from Kali and a course blog idea from Kel, I was reminded of the often reiterated creative writing phrase: "Writer's Write." But do we? In her craft essay, "Writing Short Stories," Flannery O'Connor says:

I think the answer to this is what Maritain calls 'the habit of art.' It is a fact that fiction writing is something in which the whole personality takes part--the conscious as well as the unconscious mind. Art is the habit of the artist; and habits have to be rooted deep in the whole personality. They have to be cultivated like any other habit, over a long period of time, by experience; and teaching any kind of writing is largely a matter of helping the student develop the habit of art. I think this is more than just a discipline, although it is that; I think it is a way of looking at the created world and of using the senses so as to make them find as much meaning as possible.

Writing, especially at this stage, is not about the product. It is not about creating the perfect story. You most likely will not create the perfect story this semester. (Though you will try your best to turn in a great story and we will in turn try our best to help you improve it and you will again try your best to revise and polish). When we only write 2 or 3 or even 4 stories per semester, they become products, and we become afraid of the blank page. So, we are going to try something different. We are going to try writing 1 story a week (yes, in addition to your workshop stories). But these do not need to be "perfect" or even "good" stories. They need to be stories. Here is a chance to try that crazy idea or that strange technique that may or may not quite work in workshop. Or, simply, here is a chance for you to write more. Don't be afraid of the time constraint. Hopefully it will allow you to free yourself. To realize how many stories you have to tell, and that you can possibly write a story, decide you dislike it and move on to the next. (Or, hopefully, that you love it and want to develop it further!) Every week, I will post a writing prompt. Feel free to use this prompt or do something completely different. There is no word count restriction. A 150 word story would be acceptable (see examples: How To Write Flash Fiction) INSTRUCTIONS: Create a new post. Title the post with the due date (10/31, 11/7, 11/14, or 11/21), the title of your story, and your name. Feel free to read and comment on other's stories. But this isn't about receiving feedback. To be honest, I will probably not have time to comment on or even read all of your stories. This is about developing your habit of art. 4 stories will be due (in addition to your workshop stories): -Thurs, 10/31 -Thurs, 11/7 -Thurs, 11/14 -Thurs, 11/21