Friday, July 13: Perspective, Workshop II

If there's a book [or story] you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.  ~Toni Morrison

Elements of Craft: Perspective

First, Second, and Third
Variations on Perspectives

• first person
• first person multiple vision
• first person peripheral
• Unreliable first person
• second person
• third person single vision
• third person multiple vision
• third person omniscient
• third person objective (reporting style)

Game: In pairs, decide on a scene and characters together. Now tell the story from two different perspectives. Be ready to read it aloud to the group.

Prompt: Write a directive piece modelling Jamaica Kinkaid's flash fiction, "Girl." The piece should use second person perspective and should answer a question. Kinkaid's piece answers the question, "How to be a lady." Your piece can be anything, "How to be a man", "How to Make Friends", "How to [        ]." Try to use her techniques: listing, concrete images, second person, and dialogue.

Workshop II
Sarah, Katie, Samuel, Mick, Jake, Rose