Writers Who Read LIVE!: Burma Sahib - Paul Theroux

April's hybrid meeting--IN PERSON at the Boulder Library Main Branch second floor Flatirons Meeting Room & ONLINE (see link when you register)--is Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux (USA, 2024) on Sunday starting at 2:30 pm (for 2 hours).

19-year-old Eton graduate Eric is off to Burma to police the British Raj. His English father was himself an official in India in the late 19th century at the height of the British Empire, and so the son feels an obligation to do a job that is not at all in his nature. Literature buffs will quickly recognize Eric’s story as taken from real life, knowing that in later years he would go on to pen both stories about Burma and the most influential totalitarian novel of all time, which is still a best-seller.

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.

More information about other Writers Who Read meetings and our WwR Podcast can be found at: https://WritersWhoRead.com