The Muse & the Marketplace 2016

Given how essential employment is to our survival, it is surprising how little we see of the workplace in literary fiction. Characters’ jobs are often only mentioned, not seen, yet there is so much potential for the development and deepening of various craft elements – characterization, setting, plot, mood – through the daily work of the people who occupy those stories. In this interactive seminar, we will read and discuss excerpts from a diverse selection of short stories and novels featuring work and the workplace, and examine how it can enrich a story when it is done well. We will also do in-class writing exercises using participants’ own work experiences as well as job descriptions pulled from various sources, including help wanted ads and workplace blogs. The goal is to capture the aesthetic, beauty, and rhythm of work and render it on the page.