Family Life Stories

Stephen King on Short Stories

Lynne — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:34:04 +0000

Leave it to Stephen King to tell it like it is; this time about short stories. “…man, this is a grab bag, this is a pinata. I don’t know if I’m going get a nice prize or a bad prize.”

You’ve got to watch this interview. And then read some short stories. I’m looking forward to reading his new collection, FULL DARK, NO STARS. Due out in November, it’s being called, “…a pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales.”

Here are two short story collections I’ve enjoyed this summer.

OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in fiction 2009.
It’s a novel told in stories, centering around a stern, yet compassionate woman who lives on the coast of Maine

IF I LOVED YOU, I WOULD TELL YOU THIS by Robin Black
This heartbreaking collection of stand alone stories was a highlight in my summer reading. The title story will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Anxious to go to school

Lynne — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:17:49 +0000

Summer is winding down which means it’s time to go back to school. While most children will experience some fear or anxiety as the new school year begins, for some, the worry is overwhelming. I sat down with Boston’s Fox anchor Kim Carrigan to talk about back-to-school anxiety.

Solving Novel Problems

Lynne — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:59:11 +0000

I’m so excited to be offering this new course through Grub Street South. Space is limited. Register today!

Solving Novel Problems

8 Mondays, 7:00pm-10:00pm at Buttonwood Books. Begins September 27th.

Are you fifty pages in and losing your way? Do you have a first draft that doesn’t quite sing? Every novel offers puzzles for the writer to solve. Early in writing a novel, you must choose the right point of view for the story and which characters will have a voice. Along the way, you may be plagued by two-dimensional characters, stale dialogue, weak plot lines, or perhaps a setting that doesn’t support your novel’s themes and premise. In this eight-week course, you’ll learn to examine key aspects of craft to be sure your story structure is strong. Through lecture, discussion, and exercises using your own manuscript, novelist Lynne Griffin will help you dig to the heart of your story.

Instructor: Lynne Griffin

Lynne Griffin writes about family life. She is the author of the novels, Sea Escape (Simon & Schuster, 2010); Life Without Summer (St. Martin’s Press, 2009); and the nonfiction parenting title, Negotiation Generation: Take Back Your Parental Authority Without Punishment (Penguin, 2007). Lynne teaches family studies at the graduate level, and writing at Grub Street Writers in Boston. She appears regularly on Boston’s Fox Morning News talking about family life issues. To learn more about Lynne and her work, visit www.LynneGriffin.com

Level: Advanced
Type: Full-length Workshop
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, September 22, 2010