What "That Place on Daniel Island" Teaches Us About Returning, Distance, and the Quiet Violence of Change
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Constrained writing
14 min read
The article extensively discusses literary constraints as a writing technique, distinguishing them from restraint. Wikipedia's article on constrained writing covers the history of Oulipo, lipograms, and other formal constraint techniques that would deepen understanding of this craft element.
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Flash fiction
15 min read
The article analyzes flash fiction as a distinct form, arguing it's not merely a compressed short story but a 'charged fragment.' The Wikipedia article covers the form's history, characteristics, and notable practitioners, providing valuable context for understanding the craft discussion.
First, thank you so much for all for your enthusiasm and your tremendous kindness yesterday when I announced my new book. I am so grateful for all of you!
Now, for our last week of The Infinite Small intensive. Before we jump in, my god, just look at the incredible work you produced last week from the mad libs style exercise! I feel like we should do that more often. Just gorgeous, compelling, funny, and highly engaging writing.
But, in a pivot, I’d like this week to look at one of my all-time favorite flash pieces. It’s called “That Place on Daniel Island,” and I’ve taught it previously in Writing in the Dark | The WORKSHOP (the January session is full, but you can add your name to the waitlist here for an opportunity to register for the Feb/March session).
I’ll forewarn you that I have, when teaching this essay in the past, found that not everyone responds to it, at least initially, in the way that I did. For me, it was instantly obvious why this essay would have been one of the American Short Fiction’s insider prize in 2020.
What makes That Place on Daniel Island astonishing is the way the story trusts restraint.
And by the way, in workshop last night, a writer asked for the distinction between constraint and restraint, and I know that whenever one person wonders something, it means that many others do, as well, so let me pause here and define the two terms—define them in the context of their use in literary writing, that is. Their meanings beyond the confines of the literary are more elastic.
But in literary terms …
Constraint is a broad concept that refers to writing techniques that involve rules and limitations. These rules and limitations might relate to form (we do a lot of that here at Writing in the Dark in our exercises!), and the limitations can range in strictness level. Some would say that any kind of prompt or exercise is inherently a constraint, but more limiting constraints can, for example, limit you to the use of 5-letter words, or forbid the use of a specific letter, or require you to write in second person, or suggest that you include a subtle rhyme pattern, etc. The reason we use constraints in creative writing (and all other art forms) is because constraints boost
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