- Read Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.” Then, do this: start a story about two people having a conversation. Their dialog will form the base of the writing. You can use a conversation you’ve already had or overheard or make something up. What point of view is used in this conversation? brainstorm and jot down the whole conversation. Write quickly! Don’t think too much. After you’ve gone as far as you can go, reread and revise. Set up the scene with physical detail about the setting where the conversation takes place. (Think about how Hemingway opens with a description of the bar.) If it is on the phone or on text, think about how you can physically convey that experience as well. Continue the dialogue, thinking about what the speaking reveals about the speakers in addition to what the dialogue reveals about the subject of the conversation.
Alternative: rewrite Hemingway’s story from the point of view of the waiter. What does the waiter think of these two young people? Keep dialogue a focal point of the story, adding another worker in the kitchen if you need to.
- Write down a story that gets told and retold in your family. Think of character: who is involved? Think of setting: when and where did this take place? Think of conflict: what was at stake? Who stood to lose or gain? Think of plot: what happened? How did the story end? How does it still continue: Do this: Write 200-400 words about the family story. You can always change the names of people involved. You can also write more than 400 words. Keep going! Remember to give your story a title.
- Read George Saunders’ flash fiction, “Sticks” and the brief author’s note at the bottom of the story. Then, do this: begin a flash fiction that tells the story of someone you see in your neighborhood who is quirky or has a strange habit that everyone is aware of. (New York City is great for this one!) Write a story for that person and why they might do that habit. Like Saunders, remember you are developing character, not making fun of someone, though your story may be funny. After you’ve gone as far as you can, reread and revise: What place details can be added? How might the character change over time? Who might your character be afraid of?
- Read Jamaica Kincaid’s flash fiction “Girl.” Then, do this: begin a flash fiction that conveys rules one must learn to grow up. They can be real rules or made up rules, and/or most likely will be a combination real and made up rules. After you’ve gone as far as you can, reread and revise: what details can you add to show place? What details can you add to heighten the conflict? Can you end with a line of dialogue or a question as Kincaid’s story does?
- Read Lucy Corin’s “Miracles.” Then, do this: write a flash fiction about a childhood event that was dramatic and maybe dangerous, but you didn’t understand at the time. Describe it in detail. Then add, as Corin does, a couple of lines of description or dialog that shows the questions you have about it now. After you’ve gone as far as you can, reread and revise: how can you explore the adult or adults in the scene? Were they less trustworthy than you believed at the time? How can you show this? What dialogue might be added?
- Read Hannah Gerson’s “Your Only Job is to Ignore that Phone.” Then, do this: write a short story or flash fiction about something specific that happened while you were a job you’ve had that you didn’t like but felt you had to keep doing it. First, write it like it really happened. Then, change the story. Emphasize and change the setting (you might make the story take place in a different country or on a different planet) or change the point of view (take yourself out of the story) Or, like Gerson’s story, make the job somehow absurd.
- Write a “character profile”: In class we discussed ways to develop character and considered the following questions: How does the character feel about their parents? Does the character have any siblings? How does the character feel about their siblings? How does the character feel about their job? Does the character have good posture? Does the character make direct eye contact? Does the character have any nervous tics? Does the character have a significant other? What sort of person is the character attracted to? Does the character appear confident? Is the character physically healthy? Does the character have any medical conditions? Has the character suffered any trauma in their past? Has the character ever broken any laws? And…what is one thing the character cares about? Do this: choose a character from a story you created and want to follow in a new story and write a 400 word character profile.
