Story School

You ever finish a story and think, Wow, how did that writer do that? 

I love when a story stumps me - and it happens all the time.

Story School is my way of figuring out how other writers do what they do. Firstly, it involves reading and active rereading. A first read for pleasure, a second read with a pencil in hand. The second stage is, partly, learning through imitation, like when you learn a dance or a piece of music for the first time, but for the most part it’s a process of reverse engineering. The third stage: experimentation - writing activities. 

With these blog posts I’ll share parts of this process with stories that I love. I won’t be broadcasting my interpretation or sharing all of my analysis, though, because that takes all the fun out of it for everyone else. 

Benjamin McEvoy has some invigorating podcast episodes/YouTube videos (honestly, they’re very inspiring) about becoming a better reader. Here’s a good starting point: https://benjaminmcevoy.com/readingpodcast/