Reading and Annotation from What If: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers
This week we’re reading What If: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers. (You should
have the THIRD edition, not an earlier one.)
Start by reading the Preface, Introduction, and first chapter “Beginnings” – that’s
everything up to page 30. And the “Sudden Fiction” section, 223-245. Also read the
selection of short-short stories at the back (p. 273-286).
ANNOTATION DUE Friday, January 27.
Choose a story from “A Collection of Short Short Stories” to work with for this
annotation. Use the following questions to amass a list of details about the story.
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What is the title?
Write a one-sentence summary of the plot.
What’s the first line? What’s the last?
Who is the main character (protagonist)?
Who is the narrator (whose voice is telling the story)?
What’s the point of view (first person “I”, third person “she” or “he”, something
else?)
What does the story show or reveal about the protagonist?
What action does the story show or imply?
What emotions does the story show or imply?
What choices (made by the protagonist or another character) does the story
show/imply?
What theme/s or central idea or conflict do you notice?
What kind of sentence structures do you notice (long/short/ complex/simple/
repetitive/varied)?
What are the most striking words or phrases?
What emotions does the story evoke in you? At what point in the story do you feel
that?
What questions do you have about the story?
What do you think is most effective about the story?
What is least effective?
Finally, what elements or strategies in this story would you consider using in your own
work? What can you learn from what this author has done? Expand on your thinking
here and write a healthy paragraph on what you learned from your analysis. Even if you
find the story ineffective, discuss what you learned from it about how NOT to write a
story.