I just wrapped up my first quarter teaching a fiction class as an Artist in Residence at Northwestern. The students were lovely — hardworking, talented, and thoughtful. Above all, I was impressed by how they attended to each other’s work during this incredibly challenging time.
We used Thrill Me, by Benjamin Percy, as a core text. It’s an entertaining and witty guide to writing that focuses on creating suspense and tension. Percy offers easy-to-apply antidotes to some of the trappings of literary fiction (e.g. long wistful gazes out of kitchen windows, “epiphanic dew,” an overreliance on flashbacks), and he’s funny as hell.
Looking forward to teaching another class in the spring!
Love this book!