Many of us read fiction to experience precisely the kinds of things we try to avoid in our everyday lives: danger, uncertainty, discomfort, fear — a “shock” that jolts us awake. Aiming to shock your readers is a high-risk, high-reward proposition. How should we approach it?
Taking a close look at a late-career story by Alice Munro as well as two short pieces by Isaac Babel, we’ll explore what constitutes a shock, discuss its advantages and drawbacks, techniques for modulating the effect of upsetting material on your readers, and some of the moral and political considerations involved.
Additionally, students will come away with a greater understanding of craft concepts including:
• Story Structure
• Time
• Scene vs Summary
• Action vs Exposition
Use code EARLYBIRD at checkout for 10% off through May 6! (Porch members, check your email for your special earlybird discount code.)
Andrew Steiner was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 2022 he received an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. In his mid-20s he left a career in nonprofit development to work on a small vegetable farm, providing the setting for his first novel, Let This Remain, represented by The Wylie Agency. His short fiction has been published in Narrative, Epoch, Grain, and other outlets. He currently teaches creative writing at Juniata College in Pennsylvania.
"Andrew was incredible! I learned a ton and I am very motivated to start my novel! He is clear and knowledgeable and such a great teacher. He takes enough time for explanation on a point but asks our feedback and really listens. We learned a lot. Thank you for a perfect first class!"
"Andrew's class was inspiring and informative. When I left, I felt like writing!"
"Andrew was great! Personable and engaging, he kept a solid tempo for the time we had and allowed for a lot of captivating discussion."
