You Must Be This Tall to Ride : Contemporary Writers Take You Inside the Story

by Hollars, B. J.

• ISBN13: 9781582975740
• ISBN10: 1582975744
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-05-27
• Publisher: Writers Digest Books

Summary

Welcome to the Ride of Your Writing LifeCompelling stories have the power to generate infinite wonder: It’s nearly impossible to imagine how the author began, and yet we sense there’s much more beyond the final word. It’s this mystery—a combination of inspiration and craft, smoke and mirrors—that makes writing feel momentous. But it can also feel overwhelming, causing us to become small, scared, not quite ready for the big” rides, such as finishing that story, that novel, and finding the courage to share it with the world.In You Must Be This Tall to Ride, you’ll find 20 works of fiction and nonfiction by acclaimed contemporary authors, each offering fresh perspective on coming of age” (a story to which we can all relate), as well as exclusive personal essays and practical exercises. In their own words, these writers grant you a guided tour of craft with unparalleled access to the process behind their creation, including how to: grow a story from the seed of an image or sentence allow experiments with language to lead you to plot turn even the most unlikely characters into heroes transform raw anecdotes from your own life into compelling fiction and essay Join these 20 writers as we grow up and down, taking a rollercoaster ride in stories. You’ll not only begin to understand what makes the wheels of a story turn, you’ll also gain the tools and strategies to transform lost characters and runaway plots into the greatest show on earth. So go ahead, step right up. Listen for the calliope music, and take your place in line.Your ride has just begun.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Conjuring All the Old Ghosts	p. 1
Tell Me Where It Hurts	p. 6
Inside "Tell Me Where It Hurts": Writing What Matters	p. 16
Writing Exercise	p. 20
Tiger Mending	p. 21
Inside "Tiger Mending": One Question Leads to Another	p. 29
Writing Exercise	p. 31
A Tulip's Tale	p. 33
Inside "A Tulip's Tale": Lead With Your Obsessions	p. 38
Writing Exercise	p. 40
The Littlest Hitler	p. 42
Inside "The Littlest Hitler": From Preparation to Evaluation	p. 50
Writing Exercise	p. 53
Immersion	p. 54
Inside "Immersion": Word Games	p. 67
Writing Exercise	p. 71
Prodigal	p. 73
Inside "Prodigal": The Fictional Essay	p. 84
Writing Exercise	p. 88
The Apology	p. 90
Inside "The Apology": Starting With an Image	p. 101
Writing Exercise	p. 103
Janice the Mantis	p. 104
Inside "Janice the Mantis": Creating Conflict From Character	p. 116
Writing Exercise	p. 118
Field Trips	p. 120
Inside "Field Trips": 'Like This Really Happened'	p. 125
Writing Exercise	p. 128
The Spirit of St. Louis	p. 129
Inside "The Spirit of St. Louis": Beginning With an End	p. 133
Writing Exercise	p. 136
Here on Earth	p. 138
Inside "Here on Earth": Dividing the Self	p. 145
Writing Exercise	p. 148
Pampkin's Lament	p. 149
Inside "Pampkin's Lament": The Loser Hero	p. 155
Writing Exercise	p. 157
Sex Devil	p. 158
Inside "Sex Devil": Using the Dark	p. 161
Writing Exercise	p. 164
Refresh, Refresh	p. 165
Inside "Refresh, Refresh": Showing Creative Restraint	p. 180
Writing Exercise	p. 182
Departure	p. 184
Inside "Departure": Mining a Setting for Emotion	p. 197
Writing Exercise	p. 201
Especially Roosevelt	p. 202
Inside "Especially Roosevelt": Uncovering Meaning in an Anecdote	p. 213
Writing Exercise	p. 218
Voted Most Likely	p. 220
Inside "Voted Most Likely": Our Never-Dry Well	p. 233
Writing Exercise	p. 236
Otis Is Resurrected	p. 237
Inside "Otis Is Resurrected": The Core of Longing	p. 248
Writing Exercise	p. 252
To the Good People of Mars	p. 254
Inside "To the Good People of Mars": Experimenting With Language	p. 258
Writing Exercise	p. 261
Youth Group	p. 263
Inside "Youth Group": Surrendering to Memory	p. 276
Writing Exercise	p. 280
Notes: About the Contributors	p. 282
Index	p. 287
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