Lit Lesson #37: Things I Couldn’t Help Notice, Portrait and Victory Lap

The goal is not to keep the TICHN cart empty and thus write a “perfectly normal” story.  A story that approaches its ending with nothing in its TICHN cart is going to have a hard time ending spectacularly.

~ G. Saunders, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

In this Lit Lesson, we expand our teaching about character sketches and profiles/portraits by taking on Victory Lap by George Saunders which shows, brilliantly, three the deeper character creation technique. (NOTE: I’m using the term profile/portrait interchangeably here! They are the same thing.)

1. Watch the above teaching and get acquainted with the TICHN teaching. Handout here.
2. Go read Victory Lap while noting down your own list of “Things you couldn’t help but notice” or TICHN.
3. Answer your own list, that is see if you can find out if all the TICHN’s are dealt with in a satisfying way by the end of the story (or not)
4. BONUS: In the prompt work you’ve done around character sketches/portraits (profiles) can you imagine creating a braided story with as much impact as Victory Lap? If yes, could you sketch out such a story with a solid through-line?

Bring your list to class and answers to class to talk this out with your peers.

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