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#storystructure

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Nina Schuyler

I'll be teaching an online class for Stanford Continuing Studies, "Plotting Outside the Box: Alternative Story Structures." Foregrounded is Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Carrier Bag Theory." Because why can't we have something other than the singular hero's journey?

To register: continuingstudies.stanford.edu



continuingstudies.stanford.eduPlotting Outside the Box: Alternative Story StructuresMost of us have been taught that the causal plot—with one thing causing another, ultimately leading to the protagonist’s transformation—is the only way to plot a story. But a myriad of alternative plot structures exist to explore. What about plotting through argument, associatively or lyrically? Deviating from the traditional plot structure provides another lens for organizing the world, which can feel not only fresh and original but also truer to experience. As Nicole Krauss writes in her novel Forest Dark about the traditional causal plot, sometimes the degree of artifice is greater than the degree of truth. We will look closely at nine alternative forms of plot structures: associative, episodic, expository, argumentative, discursive, thematic juxtaposition, symbolic juxtaposition, epistolary, and lyrical. Some of these structures don’t lead to character transformation. While the traditional plot precludes disorder, several of these alternative forms invite it in and revel in this energy. We’ll study stories that use these different structures by Stuart Dybek, Jenny Offill, Isaac Singer, and others.To put our learning into practice, students will write the beginning of at least two stories, using two alternative plot structures. The course will alternate between discussing different plot structures and workshops of students’ stories. Upon completion, you’ll better understand the vast panorama of possibilities available to you as a fiction writer. NINA SCHUYLER Adjunct Professor, University of San Francisco
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