The Muse & the Marketplace 2017

So often aspiring writers are taught to write what we know, but some of the most memorable works of fiction are by authors who have never experienced what they write about. In Virginia Pye's two novels, she writes about Americans in China at a time before she was born and in a province where she's never set foot. But through inspiration prompted by research, the study of old photos, reading fiction and seeing movies set in similar times and places, she was able to create believable settings and characters. In this discussion session, we'll explore territory that we don't know first hand. Because the sources of inspiration can be so unpredictable, we'll be encouraged to think of unexpected possible sparks--for example, anecdotes passed down in families that lead to the creation of character, or newspaper articles that sound like fictional plots. We'll also study how other authors succeed at creating a full sense of place and character that is completely unfamiliar to them. Come let your imagination run wild in this encouraging workshop.