Meet our New Fiction Instructor, Diana Fenves

We asked Diana Fenves, who will be teaching Fiction I in Raleigh, about writing rituals, recently read books, and the revision process. Diana is a playwright and graduate of NC State’s MFA program. Read on to find out what Diana had to say on these topics and more!

Do you have a writing ritual? Share it with us!

I tend to get into rituals based on where I live and then one thing changes, and - poof! It’s gone. The best coffee shops close. Processes change with new projects. A few things I keep coming back to: making a collage or drawing to help me feel out a plot in a new way and going back to past validations to boost myself after a raw rejection.

What is the best, or worst, piece of advice you’ve gotten about how to write fiction?

The best piece of advice is that life intercedes, and we all have crises that demand our attention. It’s not about always choosing writing over say work or family. Rather, it’s about always remembering to come back to it, to make sure that you don’t never choose it and to forgive yourself for being away. I often get great advice from people working in completely different crafts from poets to printmakers. 

What is a recent work of fiction you’ve especially enjoyed?

I recently read The Child Garden which is a book from the 80s by Geoff Ryman. It’s extremely ambitious, unique and unexpectedly tender. It’s a kind of dystopia that I’ve never seen before and has a lot of elements that absolutely shouldn’t work yet somehow do.

Revision can be an especially daunting task for many writers. Do you have any advice about how to tackle revision?

I think the best advice has been to remember that you can receive a good suggestion but not be able to apply it because it isn’t true to your vision for your work. The same goes for process - your process may change over time and something that used to work for you or works for someone else may not be applicable for where you are with your work.

What is one of your favorite topics to teach in a beginning fiction class and why?

I have a passion for dialogue because I started out as a playwright. I love the way language sounds, and how resonate it can be.

Anything else you would like to share?

I really enjoy teaching and creating a space where people can come together to write. Thank you to all the students for putting themselves out there and giving yourselves the opportunity to be creative.