An update from the thirty-third Writing Workshop with Conner Bassett A summary of the workshop held on Saturday March 26, plus some of the output published below Last week, Conner gave us the choice to select the final topic of the winter session workshops from a number of options, and we chose this: How to Outline a Novel. To begin, we discussed the importance of characters in outlining a novel and how every outline should begin with the personality and desire of our characters. One technique for establishing the personality and desire of our characters was to ask ourselves various questions/prompts to answer in the voices of our characters. The next step was setting/place. One technique for creating setting was eliminating characters and story and writing only about place for thirty minutes, trying the best we can to inhabit the place. The next step was establishing the story/the conflict. A few of the prompts for establishing conflict were as follows: write scenes wherein the character receives bad news, wherein the character has to make a decision (big or small), wherein the character commits a minor crime, and wherein the character has an awkward conversation with a friend or family member. We then discussed the three act structure. We learned that the first act consists of setting the story in motion by establishing character and setting and establishing conflict through the “inciting incident,” or the scene in the story that sets the conflict in motion. In the second act, we raise the stakes and increase the action, which could be looked at as a sequence of the hero/protagonist failing then suffering, failing then suffering, until they reach the “point of no return,” and act two ends with the protagonist gaining clarity about their dilemma. As an example, we looked at the Lion King, establishing the inciting incident as Scar’s murder of Mufasa and the point at which the protagonist, Simba, gains clarity as when Simba has a vision of Mufasa telling him that he is the true king. Finally, we looked at the third and final act, which consists of two parts: the final conflict, the climax, or a battle between want and need, and the resolution. The Challenge: Either 1) Complete the get-to-know-your-character exercises, 2) Write one scene to establish conflict, or 3) Outline an entire novel. The Participants: Amelia, Penelope, Emma, Sophia, Nova, Gwynne, Lina, Josh, Quinn, Ellie, Samantha, Chelsea, Amber, Alice To watch more readings from this workshop, like Ellie’s below, click here. Ellie, 9
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Book Club Report: The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
An update from our thirty-fourth Book Club meeting! This month we read and discussed The Wolf Wilder, an enchanting and suspenseful novel set in tsarist Russia, which follows Feo, a young girl who works with her mother to help re-wild wolves who have been kept in captivity by aristocrats. When the evil General Rakov arrests her mother, Feo sets off to rescue her, along with her new friend Ilya, who has deserted the army, and her fierce wolf companions. It was a very small group today, but we still had a lively discussion. We talked about our favorite parts of the book, including Feo and Ilya’s developing friendship, the clever way that the children sneak into Saint Petersburg, and the inspiring moment when all the children band together to storm the jail. We agreed that the writing was beautiful throughout, and, although the settings had a fairytale-like quality, the characters felt real! We also talked about themes and questions that the novel poses, including the difference between fear and cowardice; how Feo learns to trust and rely on other people; the right of children to fight for the world they want to live in; and the ways in which the book is similar to and different from a fairytale. For our writing prompt, we took a page out of The Wolf Wilder and had the chance to write a scene where a character interacts with an animal, preferably one that isn’t very tame! One student read aloud a fun scene about a girl who plans to try to ride on a bull in her family’s farm. The Wolf Wilder was a great read, and I look forward to seeing more folks on Zoom next month for our next book club meeting. Make sure to sign up for the spring session! Our Next Book: April 30th A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Starry Night: A Series in Ekphrasis by Ella Yamamura, 14
Our village looks like a mirror without a reflection, lively, but bland. It wouldn’t, normally, but the village of Starry Night just a couple fields away outshines us by a million stars. Literally. Their side of the sky seems to favor the village of Starry Night by thousands, sprinkled with glittering souls of light that send down feathery beams of gold and silver. I lugged a basket of apples into the village of Starry Night, carrying out my mother’s bidding to sell the apples from our apple trees. It was a desperate move—especially when almost no one in their village went outside anymore. The dirt streets were barren, and all the doors of the houses locked shut. Nothing could be heard except for the faint chirping of birds, and the ringing of the church bell, which sounded steadily, a heartbeat for the village of Starry Night. A signal that they weren’t completely hiding. I rapped on the door of each house, waiting 12 seconds before moving onto the next. Soon the basket of apples seemed to grow heavier, in contrast to how I wanted it to grow lighter. I suppressed a sigh of irritation. I didn’t understand why the people of Starry Night were such hermits. As the sky grew darker and the first lights began to appear, I had almost given up. Not a single person had bothered to come out to buy an apple, or at least acknowledge me. I began to doubt the existence of these people. Wearily, I took a break at the front steps of the church and bit into one of the apples, eyes catching on a winding, twisting tower of cypress. It was just outside the village, like a guardian, or maybe a tree of curses. I wiped the juices from the apple away from my chin and tossed the core aside. Standing up, I turned and pounded on the church doors. “Apples!” I screeched like a madwoman. “Apples for sale!” After a while, there was still no response. “Or half off! You can have them at half price!” I banged on the church doors. I desperately threw my body against the door. The home my mother and I had barely gotten was slipping away from our grasp and if I couldn’t drag in at least a little bit of money we’d be living on the streets. Instantly, I could feel the wall I’d built for so many years crumble away inside me. Still, there was no response. “But we really need this money…” I whispered quietly. An overwhelming surge of anger rolled in waves through my head. “Open up!” I shrieked. Hundreds of more stars were starting to appear now, turning their watchful gazes upon me as they radiated in gold, their faint glows swirling slowly. I gazed silently at the heather hills that seemed to be moving along with the breeze. It was so quiet…
