Sara Schaff is the author of two short story collections The Invention of Love and Say Something Nice About Me. She is a CLMP Firecracker Award Finalist in fiction and a finalist for the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award for short fiction. Her writing has appeared in Catapult, Kenyon Review Online, Yale Review Online, The Belladonna, Michigan Quarterly Review, LitHub, and others. 

A graduate of Brown University and the MFA program at the University of Michigan, Sara has taught at Oberlin College, the University of Michigan, and St. Lawrence University, as well as in China, Colombia, and Northern Ireland, where she also studied storytelling. She lives in the North Country and is an assistant professor of English at the SUNY Plattsburgh.

In this episode Sara and I discuss:

• How approaching her characters emotions more authentically created a significant change in her writing style.
• What a writer can do to best bring a reader into the story, and help a reader fully get to know their characters.
• Why feedback from other writers isn’t always helpful if it relies too much on suggestions for fixes and harsh criticisms, and not enough on building community.

Plus, their #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

Sara Schaff is the author of the story collections The Invention of Love (Split Lip Press 2020) and Say Something Nice About Me (Augury Books 2016), a CLMP Firecracker Award Finalist in fiction and a 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist for short fiction. Her writing has appeared in Catapult, Kenyon Review Online, Yale Review Online, The Belladonna, Michigan Quarterly Review, LitHub, and elsewhere. 

A graduate of Brown University and the MFA program at the University of Michigan, Sara has taught at Oberlin College, the University of Michigan, and St. Lawrence University, as well as in China, Colombia, and Northern Ireland, where she also studied storytelling. Sara lives in the North Country of New York State with her husband, the poet Benjamin Landry, and their daughter. She is an assistant professor of English at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

You can find out more about Sara on her website. You can also follow her on Goodreads, Instagram and Twitter.

The Invention of Love

The stories in The Invention of Love are about, among other things, women taking control of their lives, even as they fall apart. What is love, if not an invention—not just a human instinct but an artful construction? The women who people The Invention of Love, Sara Schaff’s second story collection, long to conceive of themselves  as artists, as lovers, as good sisters and daughters—while contending  with financial insecurity and the reality of twenty-first century womanhood. A college student finds her voice as an artist through a tiny lie. A woman grieves her mother’s death by shopping for houses she can’t afford and will never live in. Against the backdrop of the 2016  election, a copywriter contends with misogyny in the workplace by using that very misogyny against her incompetent male boss. Nostalgic for the women they were or might have been—or still might yet become—their stories illuminate the moments where everything changes—even when what  changes is how we must see our futures.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 333

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 333: Unpacking the Short Story Workshop – Interview with Sara Schaff appeared first on DIY MFA.

Giving critique that is helpful and direct is something you have to practice. Whether you’re working with one critique partner or with a group of writers, or beta-reading a manuscript, these five steps will help you give meaningful feedback. Let’s dive in!

5 steps for giving critique

1. Once you’ve finished the piece you’re supposed to critique, take some time to think about what you just read. Ask yourself the following questions: Was there any moment where you were pulled out of the story? Was the character compelling? Does the piece hit all the major landmarks (i.e., inciting incident, developing conflict, crisis, climax)? Does the character change?
2. Start with a compliment and end with a compliment. Find at least one nice thing to say at the beginning and at the end of your critique. If you’re having trouble finding something nice to say, get really specific.
3. Ask questions. This shows the author you are engaged. Your questions will help the author clarify elements for the reader.
4. Offer suggestions for change. If you think something doesn’t work, give the author suggestions for how they could make it better. Be proactive.
5. Remember, the ultimate goal is to make the piece better. You and the author are working together and on the same team. This is a partnership, not an adversarial face-off.

Link to Episode 16

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 16: An Insider’s Guide to Writing Groups Pt.2 appeared first on DIY MFA.