I had a conversation with my good friend Jeff recently — not a wholly original conversation — about the inconsistent pleasures of reading fiction in “The New Yorker.” Just today, I cracked open my latest issue and read the story “Bad Neighbors” from Edward P. Jones.
It’s a good story.
I love the way Jones writes about people of color without having to spell out explicitly that he’s writing about P.O.C., at least not at the beginning.
But, way more importantly, I noticed “Bad Neighbors” is a good story because it breaks some serious rules of workshop fiction.
Jones uses flash-forwards liberally, for one thing. In one moment, and just for a paragraph, in some cases, he jumps ahead years in the future. He also starts the story in a way that makes it difficult to immediately answer the Number 1 Workshop Question of All Time: “Whose story is this?” Of course you know soon enough.
Jones got himself an MFA. I think he must have heard bad feedback about techniques like these.
All of which goes to show you that you can undergo what some describe as the indoctrination process of MFAs and workshops, and still emerge with what reads like an original and refreshing voice.
Post-MFA Lesson for the Day: Recall some of the most vehemently negative/critical feedback you got in workshop. A flash-forward, internal dialogue, not explaining through backstory how the two main characters fell in love — whatever it was that irked your workshop. Now, write (or rewrite) a story utilizing those techniques. Make it all work for the story.
Comments 1
You know, strangely, in the post-workshop world, I actually miss having a group of people to read my story. I now have three or four people who I rely on, but it took years to get even that small number together.
I do understand that workshops can have a negative side, but at the time, I was lucky enough to find a couple of readers with whom I connected, and I felt that they were giving me good feedback on my writing and stories.
As an aside, I have not been reading much New Yorker (we do subscribe, but it’s my wife who’s the real fan) but have been reading the serialized novel, Happyland or maybe Happy Land, in Harpers, and I love it despite the fact that it’s got this summer reading tawdriness to it. (Kind of like season one of Desperate Housewives)
cheers-
Armand
Posted 11 Aug 2006 at 11:05 pm ¶Speak Your Mind