Have you ever thought that you might want to write a story but simply couldn't find a way to get started? This book, What's the Story?, just might launch you on the road to writing fiction. It consists of twenty casts of characters - made up of three to seven personages, with each character described in a paragraph. Both the individuals and the casts differ greatly from one another. Most are presented as currently living in various locations across America; others are no longer alive or are set in different parts of the world. No group of characters suggests any particular story, but rather hints inconclusively at numerous possibilities. The given information is designed to prod the imagination without constraining its flight. The witty drawings that accompany the casts should inspire readers to try their hands at fiction and learn the art of writing.

About the Author
Rudolph H. Weingartner spent his adult life as a teacher of philosophy and an academic administrator. Although he has written several books and quite a few articles, this is his first effort in the realm of fiction. Isaias Zelkowicz has been playing the viola professionally for forty years, the last thirty-one of them with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He has been drawing even longer than that.

Reviews
In What's the Story? Rudolph Weingartner offers an original and intriguing approach to the teaching and learning of creative writing: he gives you the characters for different kinds of stories and urges you to mix and match them on your own. The book allows you to test what is often said, that the best fictional characters take on a life of their own. The illustrations are a hoot too! -- Gerald Graff, 2008 President of the Modern Language Association, Professor of English and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago
Weingartner offers the struggling fiction writer numerous possibilities to inspire the art of writing. * Columbia College Today *
The author gives readers a cast of characters and then asks them to invent a story. These casts can be used by an author, a teacher for the classroom, or as a game for writers' groups. Each cast is accompanied by an illustration to be used as a starting point and to stimulate the writer. * Writers' Journal *
What's the Story is a creativity exercise of sorts, as Rudolph H. Weingartner gives a description of countless characters who he has created simple little profiles for. The exercise comes in creating stories surrounding these characters to help would be authors get a grasp on fiction writing. What's the Story is a fun and exciting way to practice the fiction writing process. * Midwest Book Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9780761852766
Author Rudolph H. Weingartner
Format Paperback
Page Count 84
Imprint University Press of America
Publisher University Press of America
Weight(grams) 156g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 154mm * 6mm