Writers Who Read: Stella Maris - Cormac McCarthy

October's meeting--IN PERSON at the Boulder Library Main Branch 2nd floor Flatirons Meeting Room & ONLINE (see link when you register)--is Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy (USA, 2022) on Sunday starting at 2:30 pm (for 2 hours). Facilities information here.

Cormac McCarthy's sibling novel to The Passenger is told entirely through conversations between Alicia and her therapist at the titular mental health facility. What is a novel? It is constantly evolving to assume the shape of its story, even if that story requires us to confront the darkest thoughts of a mathematical mind. Better than any memoir, Stella Maris offers us McCarthy's deepest benedictory musings on his life and his art.

We are Writers Who Read. We use Literary Forensics to dissect a recent novel (published within the past 18 months) with the goal of uncovering how the author has utilized their skills for effect. Storytelling is an art, but it's not a mystery. Every writer must address the following:

• Structure, Timeline, Pacing, Suspense, Omission
• Point of View, including Voice, Character, Place
• Language, Tense, Imagery, Metaphor, Symbols
• Motivation: Making a story pop - generating a thrill
• Why this story? And why now? Industry considerations

We ask that all attendees read the entire book in advance of the meeting, and come bearing their discoveries of how the author has addressed each of the five points above.

What is Literary Forensics? Find out here: https://www.garyalanmcbride.com/literary-forensics/