Collection 4
Breakthroughs
I had been my whole life a bell, and never knew it until at that moment I was lifted and struck.
—Annie Dillard
First you’re a child, then you become an adolescent, then an adult. You may start out poor and become rich—or vice versa. You may start out foolish and become wise. Your life may be full of strife, but with effort or luck it becomes peaceful. You may be lonely and then find companionship. You may be sick and break through to health. You may be in a trap and suddenly find yourself free. All of us can probably think of breakthroughs we would like to make in our lives and of ones we’ve already made. In some respects, most fiction is about breakthroughs—maybe that’s because we long so deeply for that lucky break, for those changes that will transform our lives.
Writing Focus: Evaluating a Story or Movie
Writer’s Notebook
What makes a story good? Write down all the factors that, for you, make a good story. (You may want to work with a partner.) Write freely now. You’ll focus on these criteria for good storytelling and add to them as you read the stories in this collection. Save your notes for the Writer’s Workshop in this collection.