Description
Book SynopsisHave you ever thought that you might want to write a story but simply couldn''t find a way to get started? This book, What''s the Story?, just might launch you on the road to writing fiction. It consists of twenty casts of characters - made up of three to seven personages, with each character described in a paragraph. Both the individuals and the casts differ greatly from one another. Most are presented as currently living in various locations across America; others are no longer alive or are set in different parts of the world. No group of characters suggests any particular story, but rather hints inconclusively at numerous possibilities. The given information is designed to prod the imagination without constraining its flight. The witty drawings that accompany the casts should inspire readers to try their hands at fiction and learn the art of writing.
Trade ReviewIn What's the Story? Rudolph Weingartner offers an original and intriguing approach to the teaching and learning of creative writing: he gives you the characters for different kinds of stories and urges you to mix and match them on your own. The book allows you to test what is often said, that the best fictional characters take on a life of their own. The illustrations are a hoot too! -- Gerald Graff, 2008 President of the Modern Language Association, Professor of English and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago
Weingartner offers the struggling fiction writer numerous possibilities to inspire the art of writing. * Columbia College Today *
The author gives readers a cast of characters and then asks them to invent a story. These casts can be used by an author, a teacher for the classroom, or as a game for writers’ groups. Each cast is accompanied by an illustration to be used as a starting point and to stimulate the writer. * Writers’ Journal *
What's the Story is a creativity exercise of sorts, as Rudolph H. Weingartner gives a description of countless characters who he has created simple little profiles for. The exercise comes in creating stories surrounding these characters to help would be authors get a grasp on fiction writing. What's the Story is a fun and exciting way to practice the fiction writing process. * Midwest Book Review *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Cast of Characters Number One: Six Personages, New York City, the Present Time Chapter 3 Cast of Characters Number Two: Five Personages, Siena, Italy, the Present Time Chapter 4 Cast of Characters Number Three: Six Personages, Small Nebraska Town, the Present Time Chapter 5 Cast of Characters Number Four: Four Personages, Small West Virginia Town, the Present Time Chapter 6 Cast of Characters Number FIve: Six Personages, Chicago, the Present Time Chapter 7 Cast of Characters Number Six: Six Personages, Pittsburgh, the Present TIme Chapter 8 Cast of Characters Number Seven: Seven Personages, New York City, the Present Time Chapter 9 Cast of Characters Number Eight: Four Personages, San Francisco, 1946 Chapter 10 Cast of Characters Number Nine: Four Personages, Chicago, the Present TIme Chapter 11 Cast of Characters Number Ten: FIve Personages, College in New England, the Present Time Chapter 12 Cast of Characters Number Eleven: Five Personages, Olean, New York, 1866 Chapter 13 Cast of Characters Number Twelve: Five Personages, Paris, c. 1950 Chapter 14 Cast of Characters Number Thirteen: Five Personages, Washington, DC and Texas, the Present Time Chapter 15 Cast of Characters Number Fourteen: Five Personages, Long Island, the Present Time Chapter 16 Cast of Characters Number Fifteen: Five Personages, an American College, Vietnam War Period Chapter 17 Cast of Characters Number Sixteen: Four Personages, the Pacific Ocean, World War II Chapter 18 Cast of Characters Number Seventeen: Five Personages, Mexico City, the Early Seventies Chapter 19 Cast of Characters Number Eighteen: Five Personages, Heidelberg, Germany, 1936 Chapter 20 Cast of Characters Number Nineteen: Five Personages, New York City, the Present Time Chapter 21 Cast of Characters Number Twenty: Five Personages, the Bay Area, c. 2001 Chapter 22 About the Author and About the Illustrator
