The craft involved in the writing of short stories on the theme: "The mythic faces of woman"

Abstract

This creative project has examined the craft involved in the writing of a series of thirteen original short stories based on the mythic faces of woman. The stories deal with woman from puberty to old age and are concluded with a look at the myth of the Earth Mother in the final story "Alma Mater."This study analyzes five major devices of the craft: setting, dialogue, person, theme and symbol. Each of these aspects is shown as it operates in the stories. Although every effort has been made to utilize the craft, it is possible to include these five elements in a short story which still does not jell into a coherent and successful creation. An error in judgment in the rigid selectivity necessary to the craft may result in a failure. Two stories rewritten to demonstrate the effect of changes in point of view should clearly establish the permutations which may occur through a variation in only one of the five elements.