Preface to the Instructor Introduction to the Student I. ON PREWRITING Getting Started: Essay and Writing Suggestions Section One: Creating Raw Material Peter Meinke Unheard Music Meinke on Journaling Steve Almond The Soul Molecule Almond on Generating Story Ideas Section Two: Discovering Stories Through Personal Experience Janice Eidus Vito Loves Geraldine Eidus on Transferring Personal Experience Into Fiction Section Three: Discovering Stories Through Observation and Research Elizabeth Graver The Mourning Door Graver on Where Stories Come From Julianna Baggott Dr. Ishida Explains his Case Baggott on the Role of Research in Fiction II. ON WRITING Writing the First Scene: Essay and Writing Suggestions Section One: Story Structure and the Fundamentals of Plot John McNally The New Year McNally on Story Beginnings Aaron Gwyn Of Falling Gwyn on Story Middles Jarret Keene Son of Mogar Keene on Story Endings Alice Mattison In Case Were Separated Mattison on Story Structure Section Two: Developing Characters Turning Ideas into Characters: Essay and Writing Suggestions Lorrie Moore Debarking Moore on Breathing Life into Characters Amy Bloom By-and-By Bloom on Creating Dynamic Characters Tom Franklin Nap Time Franklin on Story Tension Section Three: Choosing a Point of View Michael Knight Geralds Monkey Knight on First Person Point of View Adam Johnson The Death Dealing Cassini Satellite Johnson on Second Person Point of View Judith Claire Mitchell A Man of Few Words Mitchell on Third Person Limited Point of View Lee K. Abbott One of Star Wars, One of Doom Abbott on Third Person Omniscient Point of View Josh Russell Yellow Jack Russell on Third Person Objective Point of View Section Four: Scene Construction Reginald McKnight Palm Wine McKnight on Creating Detail and Setting George Singleton Show-and-Tell Singleton on Fictional Time Keith Morris The Children of Dead State Troopers Morris on Dialogue Section Five: The Short-Short Story Tom Hazuka Field Trip Homeward Bound Mixture Utilitarianism Vaporware Hazuka on Writing the Short-Short Story III. ON REVISING Identifying Common Fiction Problems: Essay and Writing Suggestions Section One: Revision Techniques Melissa Pritchard Salve Regina Pritchard on Drafting and Large-Scale Revision Stephen Graham Jones Adultery, A Failing Sestina Jones on Revising Scenes and Line-editing Section Two: The Story and Its Audience T. Coraghessan Boyle Greasy Lake Boyle on Managing Tone and Controlling Reader Sympathy George Saunders Jon Saunders on Humor and Audience Concerns Section Three: Theme, Meaning, and Vision Mary Gaitskill A Bestial Noise Gaitskill on Building a Storys Theme and Meaning Virgil Suirez Lalos Skin Suirez on Staking Out Your Own Territory Appendix A Biographies Appendix B Further Readings Appendix C Sample Writer Groupings/Alternate Table of Contents Appendix D A Brief Glossary Credits General Index Index of Authors, Titles, and First Lines.