Snapshots of desire : a collection of short stories

Abstract

This creative project presents three fictional short stories, each dealing with a different character, point of view, and aspect of desire. This collection is the culmination of my MA at Ball State University, incorporating the craft, structure, and vulnerability that I have learned and wrestled with throughout my time here. The first story is a third-person exploration of Tom Stima, a man who returns to his hometown to wrestle with which is more important: his ego, or his sister’s plan to come out to their parents. The second story, written in second-person, plays with whimsy in its focus on the narrator’s desire for a man she has fallen in love with—a man she has never actually met. Finally, the third story in the collection is a first-person tale of anxiety and failure as Fitzwilliam Carden prepares to go on a date by remembering his failed love affairs and resolving to take the plunge once more into uncertainty.