Finding the right ending for your story might be the most difficult part of the writing process — we need to thread the needle with theme, magic, metaphor, and character, all without being too preachy or heavy-handed. In this class, we'll look behind the curtain of great story endings and adapt what we learn to our own endings. We'll work on fitting resonant images and powerful character choices into story endings — all while balancing the bitter and the sweet. We will read examples of great stories and discuss what makes them great (readings may include works by Alice Munro, Toni Morrison, Richard Ford, James Joyce, Sandra Cisneros, and others). We will engage in practical exercises to revise our own endings.
This course is perfect for beginning or intermediate writers in the process of drafting novels or short stories. Students will come away from the class with a new ending for their story or novel drafted.
• In-Class Writing Lift: Light
• Homework: None
• Workshopping Drafts: None
Blair Hurley is the author of The Devoted, which was longlisted for The Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. Her second novel, Minor Prophets, was published in 2023. Her work is published in New England Review, Electric Literature, The Georgia Review, Guernica, Paris Review Daily, and elsewhere. Her story “The Telepathist” was listed as a “Distinguished Story” in Best American Short Stories 2022. She is a Pushcart Prize winner and an ASME Fiction award finalist.
Blair is new to The Porch. Welcome!
