Fiction Commons^™

A Talk With Time, Samanatha Kuban

Master's Theses

I chose to write a collection of genre-mixing short stories to depict the vastness and complexity of time as my English Master’s thesis project. Thinking about the constructs of time and how they function or do not function within our society sparked my interest in this field of knowledge and discussion. I am a person that tends to feel a large amount of anxiety surrounding the passage of time or time limits so reading deeper into studies of time and how we think about it in various ways proved to be an outlet for a better understanding. I chose to …

Falling Down The Rabbit Hole: World Building In Ya Literature, Claire Webb

Undergraduate Honors Theses

World building is a key component to many young adult novels, but what is world building and what are some different styles and techniques that authors use when constructing fictional universes? In this thesis, Falling Down the Rabbit Hole: World Building Techniques in YA Literature, I will examine Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865), The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973), and my own unpublished novel, The Sun Kingdom, to compare different techniques and styles of world building. These works will be explored through the aspect of world building, focusing specifically on the importance of the geography, language, …

Food As A Literary Device In The Hunger Games: World Building, Characterization, And Plot Momentum, Linzee Mitchell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Food relates to the experience of life, survival, and memory. It impacts us every day, whether we have plenty of it or not. It influences our memories and connects us to one another, while structuring details of our identities and cultures. As a creative writer and English major, I recognize that food influences a story to accentuate literary concepts and unveil them, such as a character’s compassion or the poison that a villain uses to unfold the plot. The best example of food as an impactful device within a story is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. From the first …

Tales Of The Keyworld: An Examination Of The Study And Application Of Craft Theory For Writers, Lauren Bruce

Honors Theses

The following consists of a craft essay focused on character and close third-person narration and a novel excerpt. The craft essay begins with a discussion of what craft theory is and how it is useful to writers when used together with reading analysis. It then synthesizes the conversation around close third-person narration and character and applies it to a close reading analysis of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. The novel excerpt comes from the middle of a work in progress and concerns members of the Keyworld, a fantastical sub-layer of the modern world unknown to most humans.

Commonthought (2023), Commonthought Staff

Commonthought

This issue features works created by Lesley University students and covers a broad range of topics. The work itself crosses many disciplines from creative writing to visual arts.

Foie Gras, Ailie Kinnier

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Sugar, Mollie Mcmullan

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Eternal Colleagues, Audrey Ickes

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Audrey Ickes is a junior at DePauw University, majoring in English writing and double minoring in history and communications. She is a member of the sorority, Alpha Phi. She is also the Outreach Coordinator for Tiger Catholic and co-hosts a WGRE radio show. These are her first published works.

Paradise, 46304, Sydney Schloemer

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Sydney Schloemer is a 2026 graduate, studying both psychology and English writing. From the small town of Monrovia, Indiana, she has always enjoyed expressing herself in a multitude of creative media, especially in writing. She hopes to broaden her skills and eventually use them to educate others on a number of psychological topics.

When Time Runs Out, Abby Mcarthur-Self

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Abby McArthur-Self is a senior English writing and German major. They enjoy dabbling in science fiction, fantasy, and any other genre heavy on world-building and concept generation.

Spontaneous Generation., Oliver Spencer

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Oliver Spencer is a junior writing major who loves writing in all genres. He especially enjoys absurdism and magical realism, and loves stretching the truth in his writing, which is evident in his fiction piece. Oliver takes inspiration from writers like Kurt Vonnegut and wants to eventually publish a novel.

How To Write A Letter To Someone You're Going To Lose Forever, Audrey Ickes

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Audrey Ickes is a junior at DePauw University, majoring in English writing and double minoring in history and communications. She is a member of the sorority, Alpha Phi. She is also the Outreach Coordinator for Tiger Catholic and co-hosts a WGRE radio show. These are her first published works.

Dish Pit, Leah Beecher

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Curse Of The Ninth, Mollie Mcmullan

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Sarah Freligh’S A Brief Natural History Of Women: A Review, Jess Marinaro

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Little Eulogies, Griffen Labianca

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

An Interview With Sarah Freligh, Lili Gourley

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

The Black Garden, Madalene Klocke

Theses

“The Black Garden” is a novel-length fantasy fiction work. It follows the narrative of Ryan, an 18-year-old girl, who has great expectations for what her first year at university will hold. Her entire world view is tilted when she attends a party with her new roommate, Blair, and wakes up in an unfamiliar place. Ryan must fight to keep her sanity as she is thrust into the world of faeries, witches, and far worse creatures than she could have ever imagined: including her parents.

Reflecting On Academic Freedom Through Fiction: A Theatrical Exploration Of The Blurry Contours Of The Freedom To Teach, Julie Paquin, Maude Choko

The Qualitative Report

This article aims at exploring the contribution that creative forms of research can make to the study of a little-known aspect of academic freedom in the Canadian context – academic freedom in curriculum development. It seeks to address the methodological challenge posed by research on academic freedom, that is, the fact that any academic writing on this topic necessarily draws initially, though not exclusively, from the researchers’ own experiences and perspectives. The article brings to life a fictional faculty meeting, during which questions about academic freedom in teaching are discussed. Although this meeting is the product of our imagination, its …

A Guide To Farmington’S Magical Entities, Rainier Murray

Research Learning Experiences (RLEs)

A handmade guide to the fictional entities in Farmington, Maine, with a dash of horror narrative.

Bird And Bix, Emma Holley

English Student Projects

This short story was originally written for Advanced Creative Writing. I was inspired by a little bird that tapped on the window of a study room on 2 Breu. I wondered if he was looking in at me to say 'hello'. I knew I wanted to write a story about a bird who lived in the Breu parking lot, but the story didn't click until I found another character to befriend him. As I scratched out ideas, I heard the little voice of a bug delightfully shouting about the time he found an entire potato chip in the parking lot, …

Chaos, Damon Stone

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Over the duration of the summer and this past semester, I have revised a story which I wrote in middle school, known as ChAos. The story focuses on fictionalized version of friends of mine from middle school, as they survive a zombie apocalypse together, while bringing down the corporate entity that started it, and dealing with the political aftermath of such an event. Throughout this, I have started work on an audiobook as well, consulting with several different voice actors to help with the project.

Throughout this process, several changes had been done to add to the quality of the …

Full Issue, Journal Editors

Yalobusha Review

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Journal Editors

Yalobusha Review

No abstract provided.

Balanced Blended Space: Proposing A Universal Theoretical Framework For Combinative Reality, David Smith, Frederick Bianchi

Publications and Research

In today's fragmented societies, a unified framework for communication and collaboration across different realities is crucial. We introduce Balanced Blended Space (BBS) as a framework for describing combinative reality, encompassing virtual, physical, and conceptual realms, all intrinsically connected. Interactions within these environments shape our perceptual space. This paper outlines key axiomatic assumptions, criteria for a universal framework, and fundamental terminology. We identify deep symmetries enabling the BBS framework, including Cognitive and Computational Symmetry, Physical and Virtual Symmetry, Mediation Pathway Symmetry, Space-Time Symmetry, and Sensory Symmetry. We propose tests to determine its viability, emphasizing virtual intelligence as a collaborative partner. We …

Ships In Houston, Nadia Villafuerte, Julie Ann Ward

Undiscovered Americas

Ships in Houston by Nadia Villafuerte, translated by Julie Ann Ward, is a harrowing and heartrending collection of fifteen stories that bring to life characters who, though they exist independently from one another, inhabit the same world: Mexico’s southern border. Using acute attention to language, such as various dialects and slang, to create a nuanced and varied mood and setting, Villafuerte’s stories track exotic dancers, sex workers, truck drivers, drug dealers, immigration officials, and even a mayor’s daughter to create compelling fictions rooted in the harsh realities of borderlands that many choose to overlook. While the US’s southern border with …

Antología Vol. Iii Crónica, Cuento, Microrrelato, Poesía Y Relato, Jose Higuera Lopez, Dejanira Alvarez Cardenas

CUNY Mexican Studies Institute

Creada por iniciativa del Instituto de Estudios Mexicanos de CUNY,

la Feria Internacional del Libro de la Ciudad de Nueva York es el espacio

por antonomasia de la promoción del español en la ciudad más

vibrante y cosmopolita de los Estados Unidos. Un español que se

mantiene vivo y cambiante por las muchas migraciones que componen

el entramado de la metrópoli y cuya vitalidad se ve reflejada en

la expresión escrita de la lengua; no solo en el terreno de la literatura

sino también en los de la academia y el periodismo.

La literatura producida en español en la ciudad …

Self-Listening & Envisioning Audience Exercise & Assignment, Jacob Kose

Open Educational Resources

This assignment and exercise encourages students to pick a formative story, artifact, individual, or moment in their acquisition of language and/or literacy. Students record themselves telling this story, then type that recording, and make choices about how to edit that text.Instructors may invite students to read these aloud, and/or peer edit. Students may also submit reflections and comment on each others' reflection.

Revising And Marketing Creative Writing 2021, Danny Alexander

Sabbatical Projects

During my Fall 2021 sabbatical, I focused on revising a novel I had been developing for over 15 years and researching how to market fiction in a rapidly evolving publishing landscape. With a background in journalism and creative writing, I confronted the challenge of transitioning from non-fiction to fiction, where the industry rules differ significantly. I began by re-evaluating the novel’s core themes, particularly the role of place and magical thinking, eventually rewriting large sections to restore the story’s authenticity and coherence. Daily journaling and playful methods like sketching helped clarify character dynamics and setting. Concurrently, I studied current industry …

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Twenty. Twenty-One. Twenty-One. Twenty-Three. Twenty-Four. Twenty-Five. Twenty-Six., Liza Lacroix

Theses and Dissertations

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-one. Twenty-three.Twenty-four. Twenty-five. Twenty-six." is a biographical fiction of violence toward the protagonist. Comprised of writing, audio, documentation and intervention. This text is the first iteration, and the thesis work is the second iteration of the same.