FOCUS is hard, prolonged ATTENTION is hard. Not abandoning your characters once the early freedom of “anything can happen next” starts to solidify into a need for CONTINUITY is hard. Giving up is giving up, no matter how you slice it. Learning requires humility. Learning is voluntary. [What’s hard about writing fiction for you](https://sdw.padlet.org/mschulte29/what-s-hard-about-writing-fiction-for-you-and-or-what-s-easy-pqsp958rcdq1e9rs)? (I think SDW students can log into Padlet via [Classlink](https://login.classlink.com/my/sdwhom); if not, please let me know?) I invite you to explore that question, and when you find some answers, deliberately go into the difficult parts instead of avoiding them. “Get down in the mud,” as my old Capoeira instructor used to say. You can sample some mentor texts, take a few pages from Goldberg, Lamott, and others, and generally have a good time getting those word counts up. Crucial skills will include analyzing authors’ choices about how to structure a text; applying knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts; and studying mentor texts for inspiration and deeper understanding of elements of fiction and narrative. We will develop stamina for writing longer projects. ## First, browse some of these suggested [[mentor texts for fiction]]. #### Practice observing various elements, like [[point of view]] and [[structure in fiction]]. ### Then, try your hand at one or more of these suggested [[assignments for fiction]].