Word Shop: Turning Truth to Fiction

All fiction writers use reality to inform their work, just as all memoirists must be adept at imposing the structures of fiction onto life in all its untidiness. Author Jon Cotter explores how to locate the center of your story, spin crisp and absorbing dialogue from remembered conversations, and find the dramatic through-line in messy and interconnected stories. Students will also learn to create evocative settings, where to stand on point-of-view questions, and how to usefully alter your subjects. Exercises and recommended reading included. Registration is required. Register online http://denverlibrary.org/fresh#writing or call 720-865-1206.
Tuesdays, July 17 and 31, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

John Cotter’s first novel, Under the Small Lights, appeared in 2010 from Miami University Press. Previously, his short fiction and poetry had appeared in Volt, The Lifted Brow, Lost, and (forthcoming) New Genre, and Redivider. To learn more about the author, visit www.johncotter.net.