Read: “Hearts and Hands” by O. Henry; “The Flowers” by Alice Walker
Optional commentary: O. Henry is famous for his twist endings, much emulated to the dismay of college writing teachers everywhere, because beginning writers think a twist ending means throwing a random monkey wrench into the story in the last paragraph. The key to a good twist ending (or mystery) is that when you go back and read the story again, you see the clues were in plan sight all along. Read the O. Henry story again after you find out what the ending is. Do you agree the clues are there?
Do you think the same is true of the Alice Walker story: are the clues to the ending there all along? Are they present in the same way that the O. Henry clues are?
In my Wednesday class, one student talked about how when she teaches literature, she talks about the "internal story" vs the "external story"-- basically, what is contained in the story on the page (internal) vs what context it comes from in terms of culture, the writer's place in the culture, etc. (external). Do you think both of these are at play in Walker story?
How do you write this type of story or passage, with a surprise or a twist at the end? I'm sure there are as many ways as there are writers, but two possibilities are: 1) you can come up with the ending first and plant the clues as you go or 2) write something, see where it takes you, and then go back and plant the clues when you revise. (I would be a #2 type of writer.)
Write: For some reason, this exercise often brings me to a surprising place in the space of fifteen minutes. Try it!
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