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In Aspects of the Novel, E.M. Forster defines the only merit of a story “that of making the audience want to know what happens next,” and the only fault “making the audience not want to know what happens next.” How do we make our readers want to know what happens next? This workshop will focus on snagging and keeping our readers’ attention by imbuing characters with fears and desires, appealing to the reader’s sensory memory, and escalating tension over the course of a story or novel chapter. We will consult the essays of a range of writers including Robert Olen Butler, Steve Almond, Flannery O’Connor, and Thomas Harris for their insights into the craft of fiction writing, and we will read widely for models of stories that make us sit up straighter wanting to know what happens next.