“We might think of a story as a kind of ceremony, like the Catholic Mass, or a coronation, or a wedding. We understand the heart of the Mass to be communion, the heart of a coronation to be the moment the crown goes on, the heart of the wedding to be the exchanging of the vows. All of those other parts (the processionals, the songs, the recitations, and so on) will be felt as beautiful and necessary to the extent that they serve the heart of the ceremony.” (George Saunders, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain)
Writing Exercise: “The Heart of the Ceremony”
Key Writing Techniques Illustrated
Structural Precision: Every element in a story must serve the central moment—the emotional or thematic core. Symbolic Centering: The story’s “ceremonial heart” should be emotionally resonant and symbolically rich, like a vow or communion. Economy with Purpose: Supporting material (scenes, dialogue, setting) gains beauty and power by orbiting tightly around the central transformation.
500-Word Prompt
Write a short scene centered around a single ceremonial or ritualistic event—a family tradition, a workplace rite, a spiritual observance, a farewell routine, or a personal habit elevated to symbolic status. Your task is to design this scene with a clear “heart”—a single beat of change, revelation, or emotional truth around which every other detail rotates. That core moment must feel inevitable by the time it arrives, and every element before and after it must deepen, complicate, or echo that moment.
Examples of central “hearts” might be:
A retiring librarian handing over a key and revealing she’s been hiding a rare book for decades. A father fumbling through a bedtime story, only to break down and ask for forgiveness for something unsaid. A child rehearsing a prayer she doesn’t understand, and suddenly asking the question no adult wants to answer.
Scene length: 500 words. Use time pressure to focus the narrative around a single emotional or thematic turn.
Evaluation Criteria
Central Moment
Strong: One clear emotional/thematic heartbeat, symbolically grounded, quietly earned. Weak: Multiple emotional pivots, unclear what the story is “about,” lacks weight.
Structural Cohesion
Strong: Each paragraph builds toward or reverberates from the central moment. Weak: Scene includes filler, tangents, or meanders away from the ceremony.
Symbolic and Emotional Precision
Strong: Objects, gestures, and dialogue resonate with thematic depth. Weak: Generic setting, vague symbolism, or emotional ambiguity with no payoff.
Follow-Up Questions for Workshopping/Revision
What is the emotional core of your ceremony, and does the prose lead us there with clarity and weight? Which details or passages serve that core most powerfully? Which ones distract from or dilute it? Is the central moment earned or forced? Do we feel the gravity of what’s changing? Could any supporting elements be made more symbolically precise or sensorially vivid? Is the pacing right for this kind of ceremony—does it feel rushed, bloated, or timed just right?
Recommended Reading
Tessa Hadley’s short story “The Stain” (in After the Funeral and other collections) exemplifies this technique. The story centers on a young girl’s encounter with a seemingly minor domestic ritual that, by the end, becomes the story’s emotional and thematic heart—quiet, precise, and devastating. Every paragraph orbits the eventual reveal, and the final beat retroactively sanctifies every earlier detail.
Concrete Examples
Strong Response
A grandfather insists on teaching his granddaughter how to fold the family’s flag before she leaves for college. Each movement becomes an echo of generational silence, until he finally says, “This is the last time I’ll do this with you.” The folding becomes a metaphor for preparing to let go. Every line folds into that final sentence.
Weak Response
A family gathers for dinner. The mother talks about work. The son complains. The daughter leaves early. Halfway through, the father mentions they should say grace again, but it’s offhand and leads nowhere. There’s no defined center; the emotional architecture is diffuse, the symbolic elements unanchored.
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