TWFest: WRITER’S CRAFT—WENDY CHIN-TANNER

THE DUAL GAZE: WRITING FICTION INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS–WENDY CHIN-TANNER
Do you have a piece of family lore that haunts you? Are you obsessed with a particular place and time? Did something happen in real life that you just can’t get out of your head? Led by Wendy Chin-Tanner, author of the novel King of the Armadillos, this craft session will examine some of the elements of writing fiction inspired by true events. Focusing on research and its methods, purpose, implementation, and challenges, we’ll explore how to balance fact and fiction to create a compelling, page-turning narrative. “Research is formalized curiosity,” writes Zora Neale Hurston. “It is poking and prying with a purpose.” This sentiment will be our touchstone for discussing: How to find the story inside the history; how to become a story detective, zeroing in on what your reader needs to know; how to let gossip (or the concept of it) be your guide; how to avoid info dumping; how to conduct detailed research; how to keep your research lean and mean so you don’t waste time, get overwhelmed, or otherwise drive yourself nuts. Topics will also include creative license, ethics, authenticity, conflict, urgency, narrative arcs, stakes, and more. We’ll do some writing exercises, workshop some ideas, and troubleshoot any issues you might have. No matter where you are with your work-in-progress, our goal is for you to gain a clearer sense of what’s at the heart of your story and how to research it with purpose.