#186: Story Form with Erik Harper Klass
For this week, we're bringing you something a little different: a takeover contest, written by editor, writing coach, and author Erik Harper Klass. The winning story from this contest will not only receive their $250 winnings, but also an extra special bonus prize: personal feedback from Erik himself. For your chance to get personal insight from one of the best in the business, read on! Here's Erik:
Iâve always been intrigued with the form and structure of stories â as opposed to their content, meaning, subject, themes, etc. Iâm thinking of (to offer just a few examples off the top of my head) David Mitchelâs Cloud Atlas (a book within a book within a book ...), Nabokovâs Pale Fire (a long poem followed by endnotes wherein the real story resides), Georges Perecâs Life: A Userâs Manual (based on the Knightâs Tour on a chessboard), Italo Calvinoâs If on a winterâs night a traveler (which is kind of like reading about someone reading the book's first chapter, over and over again), B. S. Johnsonâs The Unfortunates (in which the novelâs sections come in a box and can be shuffled and read in any order). And so on.
So letâs explore form. I donât care if you want to write about your nieceâs birthday party, the Battle of Stalingrad, BeyoncĂŠ, or the End of Time. Just make it formally interesting. â Erik
Special update: The results đ
After reviewing the judges' top picks and choosing his winner, here was Erik's feedback on the shortlist and winner he chose, which he has kindly given us permission to share with you all! Here's Erik again:
I am astounded, impressed, delighted, humbled. Formal experimentation is alive and well! These couple of dozen pieces made my day. And then my next day. Really, truly, phenomenal work. It would be a clichĂŠ to say that choosing a winner was difficult. But, well, choosing a winner was really f***ing difficult.
It became apparent fairly early in my readings that these writers could write. The solidity of the prose, the delicate construction of story and characterâthese things, I believe with no exception, worked. So, once I realized that these stories were all âgoodâ (at least), I could shift my focus to, and reward, the ways writers used form to tell their stories. Which of course was the point of the exercises.
A few things I learned (and some general thoughts):
- Dialogue, very simply, need not have attributives. I guess I knew this going in (I wouldnât have written the prompt otherwise), but to see this form work so effectively, again and again, was pleasant confirmation. Let this be a lesson to us all. Some standouts: âX-rays, Locking Screws, and Antlersâ by Aaron Kc took this form about as far as one could, to dazzling effect. I thought it was the strongest of the pure dialogue pieces. âRemote Meeting Re: Presentationâ by Will Willoughby is also worth honoring; Will is a craftsman and Iâd love to read more of his work. Finally, âEvery Conversation We Had, at the End.â by Jacky Burke . . . well, in my notes, I wrote âclose to perfect.â It was. (That âclose to perfectâ didnât win this thing says a lot.)
- For the prompt on beginning (or ending) paragraphs with the same sentence: If I could go back in time, I would have allowed for paragraphs to begin (or end) with phrases. This would have allowed for a bit more freedom with this form, which did, at times, feel restrictive. Nonetheless, there were some powerful stories that used this technique well, none more so than the heartbreaking âGood Boyâ by Wendy Rogers and the spectacular âWhy Do You Write?â by Sophia Gardenia. âDale Was Adamantâ by Wally Schmidt must also be on my list; a perfect use of the form.
- I happen to love fragmentary writingâboth reading it and writing itâand the stories sent to me that used this form did not disappoint. âGlass Beachâ by Cindy Strube, my runner-up in the competition, used fragments to describe fragments, all coming together in a way that . . . well, read the piece. Itâs a tour de force. I wouldnât mind seeing this piece expanded into a novella. Cindy is on to something truly beautiful here.
- Before getting to a winner, just a couple of others that stood out: âREAD THAT BACKâ by Susan Catucci, which I could just keep reading forever; I appreciate the work that went into this one, Susan. And âSheâs Not Cryinâ Anymoreâ by Hannah Labouchere, which was haunting, strange and wonderful. A work of art. Because I must stop somewhere, I will stop here.
And the winner is . . .
âMouse!â by MichaĹ Przywara. Clearly, my prompt on utilizing a mathematical sequence to structure a story was not one that most writers embraced. I donât blame them. The restrictions are somewhat daunting. Besides showing an ĂŠlan of language and craft, and an inventiveness of story, I dare say MichaĹâalong with the âtriangular sequenceâ upon which the piece is basedâcame up with a whole new form. A whole new form! (The Oulipians would be proud.) This is what I was hoping for. This was the idea. To see how form could be used to create something inventive, something exciting. And, I must add, completely entertaining.
These pieces brought a great joy to my usual life of reading and editing.
â Erik
Interested in working with Erik on your own project? You can find him here.
đĽ Winner
âMouse!â by MichaĹ Przywara
đ Winner of Contest #186
âď¸ Shortlisted
âDale Was Adamantâ by Wally Schmidt
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âREAD THAT BACKâ by Susan Catucci
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âGood Boyâ by Wendy Rogers
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âShe's Not Cryin' Anymoreâ by Hannah Labouchere
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âWhy Do You Write?â by Sophia Gavasheli
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âGlass Beach â by Cindy Strube
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âEvery Conversation We Had, at the End.â by Jacky Burke
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âX-rays, Locking Screws, and Antlersâ by Aaron KC
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
This week's prompts
Write a story in which each paragraph begins or ends (or both!) with the same sentence.
Fiction â 77 stories
Write a story within a story within a story within a ...
Fiction â 55 stories
Stories
âMouse!â by MichaĹ Przywara
đ Winner of Contest #186
âAnywhereâs Better Than Hereâ by Stevie B
Submitted to Contest #186
âAnswer The Doorâ by Thom With An H
Submitted to Contest #186
âDale Was Adamantâ by Wally Schmidt
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âAmerican Piâ by Wendy Kaminski
Submitted to Contest #186
âWhy I Summoned the Devilâ by Zack Powell
Submitted to Contest #186
âThe Other Suicide Noteâ by Thom With An H
Submitted to Contest #186
âThe Enchanter's Cradleâ by C.B. Chribby
Submitted to Contest #186
âSearch Results for an Unhappy Marriageâ by Story Time
Submitted to Contest #186
âLong Chapters, Short Storyâ by Melony Beard
Submitted to Contest #186
âDisjointedâ by Wendy Kaminski
Submitted to Contest #186
âA Perfect Matchâ by Howard Halsall
Submitted to Contest #186
âDifferent Todayâ by Zack Powell
Submitted to Contest #186
âREAD THAT BACKâ by Susan Catucci
âď¸ Shortlisted for Contest #186
âNot-Fine Printâ by Liv Chocolate
Submitted to Contest #186
$250
Prize money
482
Contest entries
142
Stories
Ended on 23:59 - Feb 24, 2023 EST
Won by MichaĹ Przywara đ
Title: Mouse!
Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.
Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!