In creative writing workshops, we study structure and craft—but how do we learn to fill our structures with compelling substance; how do we learn to apply our craft to subject matters that matter, to the stories that are ours? In this class, we’ll explore these questions with an eye toward discovering our own obsessions and finding those stories only we can tell. Through writing exercises, discussions, and readings in a variety of styles, we’ll investigate the differences between autobiography and invention, focusing on the notion that though something may have happened in life, it has not yet happened in language. We’ll also look at the ways our various experiences—those we’ve had in the physical world, in our minds and dreams, and on the page, as readers—might inform and inspire our creative work, with a particular focus on fiction. This workshop will be devoted to generating new work and ideas, and it is open to writers at all levels.