First off READ!!!!

1. Instructional: An instructional story is a story told within the structure of a directive. On the surface, they take the style of “how-to” manuals, which naturally use the “you” pronoun as their default. However, the “you” is not the reader but a yearning, sensitive character inside a story of their own. That said, the form does ask the reader to imagine the character’s life and situation in a more intimate way. The form is one that is often hard to pull off. Here are two articles with tips on writing the form: 1) Electric Literature, 2) Book Fox

Instructional stories are narrated from a second-person point of view and it sometimes (not always) has “How to” in the title. You will see variations on this in this week’s readings. The second-person “you” in an Instructional story can be direct or implied. Some examples of a direct address: You go to the store; You remember what your mother told you, Don’t forget to keep your head up, When you find out your boyfriend lied. . . Some examples of implied address: Don’t tell anyone the secret, Walk to the edge of the park and look at the sky, Make good grades, On Wednesdays wear a skirt, etc. Stories often use both direct and implied directives in order to cut back on repetition and keep the language less monotonous. Once you establish that there is a “you”—a writer can often scan and story and cull unnecessary “you”s out to make the prose tighter.

2. Epistolary: An Epistolary story is a story told in snippets of documents—letters are most common (though you can also find it in diary entries, newspaper clips, etc). Sometimes, these letters go in one direction—from the main character to an addressee. Other times, these letters are in both directions, going back and forth between characters. This form has been traced back as early as the 18th century and it continues to be used today. Attached you will find a modern take on the form in Robin Hemley’s “Reply All” and a second story by Edwidge Danticat about two estranged lovers who write letters (that can’t be mailed) about their experiences.

DO FIRST!!!!

Read the stories assigned this week and then answer the following questions.

1) One of the biggest mistakes a writer makes in the Instructional form is forgetting to make the character a fully realized person. The “you” should feel specific, unique, and filled with desires and the complex feelings, fears, etc. of an individual human experience. The stories in this week’s reading create full characters, except for Orozco’s “Orientation.” Describe the protagonist in each of the other stories—what do you know about them, their personalities, and their longings/desires? (100 words each)

2) Why do you think “Orientation” chooses to pan its narrative camera across the entire office instead of telling the story of one character? (100 words)

NEXT!!!!

For this week’s writing exercise, select one of the following prompts and write 250-400 words. Make sure you balance the “how to” aspect with character development and plot. And if it helps, refer to the two articles I linked to in your reading for more tips on writing stories in second-person POV. This exercise does not need to include an entire story arc—a page or two is fine!

1. Write a second-person story after Orozco’s “Orientation” where you write an orientation to a specific place, year, experience, etc. The “you” here should not be specific but instead a group of people who would need this specific type of orientation. (Examples: Orientation to art school, Orientation to freshman year, Orientation to divorce, etc.)

2. Write a second-person story after Orringer’s “Note to My Sixth-Grade Self” where a character addresses themselves at a specific age and provides advice. Select a time period that contains a story. (Note to my college self, Note to my 10-year-old self, Note to my twenty-something self, Note to myself as a new parent, Note to myself as a divorcee, etc.)

3. Write a second-person story after Moore’s “How to Become a Writer,” however fill in the blank yourself: “How to (up to you).” Think about how the set of instructions might lend itself to a story of a specific protagonist with a desire, conflict, and character arc. (Examples: How to move in with your boy/girlfriend, How to forgive your mom/dad, etc.)