Subtlety in Your Stories

Everyone knows about action: Character A yells at Character B, Character A runs through a dark forest in fear, Character A lifts her hand and the skies darken in an upcoming tempest. But how many of us actively practice subtlety in our stories; where we try to make the reader feel something through actions that don't explicitly spell out what's going on?

This Meetup will start out with a discussion of subtlety in stories with some examples from my favorite books. I would encourage other attendees to have an example or two from their own reading where an author conveyed a message very clearly without blatantly describing it. We'll spend the remainder of time reading a section from our stories (please bring three printed copies with you -- and a pen or pencil) and we'll try to do a writing exercise.

The Dargon Project was founded in 1985 as a way for aspiring fantasy writers to meet and become better at their craft through both mutual contact and collaboration. We always welcome new members, regardless of their skill level. Learn more at dargonproject.org.