Newsstand alert! Last week New York Magazine published my review of the new Kiran Desai novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.
Last month, in my “Only Ugly First Drafts” newsletter — the part of this Substack devoted to craft reflections, close-reads, and, sometimes, writing prompts — I reflected on Tessa Hadley’s story “Experience,” and offered a prompt about “meeting” a character by way of jealousy.
How to meet your characters, part one
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I often tell students that I start short stories and novels with either conceit or character.
This month, we’ll think about transcendence as a route into characters’ inner lives.
Craft essays and writing prompts take a second to assemble! They’re like little classes. For that reason, I paywall the more labor-intensive installments of “Only Ugly First Drafts.” If you’re a paid subscriber, thank you for helping to make this work possible!
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