Today’s spectacular piece (found over at Winning Writers) is actually non-fiction, and a beautiful example of how form can be used to guide a piece forward and excavate deeper levels of meaning. Courtney Campbell’s winning submission to the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest 2014 begins strong and ends with serious revelation.
My overview:
The choice of narrative stance is part of what makes this piece so strong, using 2nd person address (“you”) and also structuring the piece in the form of “advice” that really reads like one commandment after another. For example, “When he asks you to go upstairs, go. It’s a good idea to make out with older boys, and also to do what other people want you to do.” This is an example of a narrative that truly grows and builds, and which will leave the reader with an understanding of exactly why they’ve been led on this path through the story once they reach the ending. A powerful piece in language and form. Check it out.
>>> Read it here.
swallowable 