Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer

389 Pages·2008·1.72 MB·English

by  Bret Anthony Johnston

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
NAMING THE WORLD
“I always thought there were no secrets to writing well, that only hard work, rare talent,
and plenty of luck made a writer good. Naming the World proved me wrong—it opens
the doors to some of the best writing classes in the country, the best teachers, and the
minds of many of the best writers themselves. A fantastic resource for any writer (or
writing teacher) looking for inspiration or guidance or support.”
—HEIDI PITLOR, series editor of The Best American Short Stories, and author of The
Birthdays
“Forget about getting an MFA! Bret Anthony Johnston has put together the equivalent
of a master class in writing by some of the best writers/teachers around. Here are the
nuts and here are the bolts for any writer struggling with the essentials of his craft.”
—BETSY LERNER, author of The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers
“Here's a book full of bright doorways into our writing, set out with specificity and
reason. Not only is Naming the World a rich compendium of provocative prompts, but as
a whole it serves as a timely conversation of the larger aesthetic of well-made fiction, a
roomful of caring experts. Mr. Johnston, by assembling these worthy exercises, has done
us all a valuable favor.”
—RON CARLSON, director of the Graduate Program in Fiction at the University of
California, Irvine, and author of Five Skies
“At last—the book about writing I have been needing for years and that I will now keep
on my desk at all times. Witty, warm, intuitive, inspiring, and hopeful, the writers
gathered here feel like the best possible company as we all attempt to do this
impossible, vital thing called writing.”
—STACEY D'ERASMO, assistant professor of writing at Columbia University, and author
ofA Seahorse Year

In memory of Frank Conroy,
whose presence here is as profound as his absence
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Bret Anthony Johnston
GETTING STARTED
GERMS
John Dufresne
WRITING PROMPTS
Joyce Carol Oates
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Christopher Castellani
FICTION THROUGH ARTIFACTS
Thisbe Nissen
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ENVIOUS
Tom Robbins
MOURNING FALLS, USA
Daniel Wallace
A POSTCARD FROM THE VELVET REVOLUTION
Rachel Cline
WHAT IF IT WAS MORE THAN THAT?
Lee Martin
THE TITLE GAME EXERCISE
Dan Chaon
LIVING TO TELL, TELLING TO LIVE
Norma E. Cantú
MY FAVORITE FICTION-WRITING EXERCISE
Alan Cheuse
HOW TO NAME THE WORLD
Bret Anthony Johnston
UNTOLD STORIES
Dorothy Allison
BULLIES I HAVE KNOWN
C. Michael Curtis
OUR EVER-CURIOUS MINDS
Tom Barbash
ADOPT A MYTH
Tom Bligh
CHARACTER
ON CHARACTER
Bret Anthony Johnston
WRITING AS PARLOR GAME
Debra Spark
OBJECT OF AFFECTION
R. T. Smith
NONFICTION TIME-TRAVEL EXERCISE
Kyoko Mori
YOUR FIVE SECONDS OF SHAME!
Steve Almond
INTERVIEWING YOUR CHARACTER
Ann Packer
FROM AUTOBIOGRAPHY TO FICTION
Jason Brown
PUTTING CHARACTERS INTO ACTION
Varley O'Connor
SUBVERSIVE DETAILS AND CHARACTERIZATION
Lee Martin
COMPLEX CHARACTERS
Eric Goodman
TWO LITERARY EXERCISES
Melissa Pritchard
GET CLOSER
Julia Fierro
THROUGH YOUR CHARACTER'S EYES
Michael Knight
POINT OF VIEW AND TONE
ON POINT OF VIEW
Bret Anthony Johnston
STRATEGIES OF THE STORYTELLER
Thane Rosenbaum
EXERCISE ON POINT OF VIEW
Elizabeth Strout
THE POINT OF POINT OF VIEW
Paula Priamos
AN EXERCISE IN WRITING MEMOIR
James Brown
WHAT DO YOU WANT MOST IN LIFE?
Vu Tran
POINT-OF-VIEW EXERCISE FOR PROSE WRITERS
Susan Straight
TWO EXERCISES
Tom Grimes
THE CHICKEN CROSSED THE ROAD
Katherine Min
WALKING A MILE IN THEIR SHOES
Amy Hassinger
THE GLORY OF GOSSIP
Bret Anthony Johnston
PLOT AND NARRATIVE
ON PLOT AND NARRATIVE
Bret Anthony Johnston
THE FIVE MODES
Dan Pope
THICKENING YOUR PLOTS
Jacob M. Appel
THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
Josh Emmons
FROM ANECDOTE TO STORY
Elizabeth McCracken
SEEING THE SCENE
Adam Johnson
THE PARTICULAR GESTURE: WRITING SEX SCENES
Michelle Wildgen
CREATING THE MEMORY MAP FOR YOUR MEMOIR
Danielle Trussoni
USEFUL LIES
Robert Boswell
REWRITING THE CLICHÉS
Aimee Phan
FROM IMAGINATION TO PLOT
Vanessa Furse Jackson
WHAT EVERY FICTION WRITER CAN LEARN ABOUT PLOT FROM
THAT LOVABLE, FURRY OLD GROVER
Bret Anthony Johnston
ON PLOT
Michelle Wildgen
RECYCLING PROPS
Nick Arvin
DIALOGUE AND VOICE
ON DIALOGUE AND VOICE
Bret Anthony Johnston
DYNAMIC DIALOGUE
Jewell Parker Rhodes
HE SAID WHAT?
Colette Sartor
CHARACTER AND SITUATION THROUGH DIALOGUE
Richard Bausch
ON DIALOGUE
Katherine Min
THE THING ABOUT DIALOGUE
Bret Anthony Johnston & Robert Torres, Illustrator
USING SUMMARY, INDIRECT, AND DIRECT DIALOGUE