George Saunders' A Swim in the Pond in the Pond-A Master Class in Fiction Writing

George Saunders (b Amer. 1958) is an award winning novelist and short story writer.  "Lincoln in the Bardot" won the Man Booker ('17) and his story collection "Tenth of December won the Short Story prize ('13).  The title, "A Swim in the Pond" is derived from a short story by one of his admired Russian writers.   Saunders shares what he brings to his MFA students.  We get an understanding of what drives a reader of fiction to engage with a story and, what helps perfect fiction writing.  "Art is the place where liking what we like, over and over, is not only allowed but is the essential skill."  He asks his students and us, "How long are you willing to work on something?" believing writing is not a skill that can be taught, only analyzed.  Saunders helps us understand why we are drawn to what we like about a story.  This may seem simple, but it is deceptively complicated.  "Casualty is to the writer what melody is the songwriter: a superpower that the audience feels as the crux of the matter.  "Focus on just one thing, repeatedly, Saunders instructs.  When editing one's writing..."read a line, have a reaction to it, trust (accept) that reaction, and do something in response, instantaneously, by intuition."  Here Saunders is trusting readers to know whether something rings true.  In fact, Saunders quotes critic Randall Jarrell, "What is good is good without our saying so, and beneath all our majesty we know this."  Saunders dissects short stories by Chekov, Tolstoy and Gogol and infuses us with insights as to why our intuition was directing us forward.   Anyone can google how to hit a curve ball but that doesn't necessarily translate into the batting cage.  Being able to instantaneously make decisions on what to swing at and what to strike out mark the differences between a great writer and a good writer.  There are a set of virtues implicit in the craft of  fiction: specificity, efficiency, lots of details, escalating drama and showing purpose.   Learning the mechanics to creating art or hitting a fast ball do not equate to acquiring the aspired to skill.  Still, learning ways to apply a keener eye generally ensures a greater appreciation.  "A Swim in the Pond" is interesting and thought provoking.  It's helped me fathom crucial, as well as inherent creative writing skills.   Moreover, it's lead to greater depth in my reading.