Writing Compelling Beginnings With Matthew Duffus

In this episode, novelist, short fiction writer and Gardner-Webb University professor, Matthew Duffus, talks about strategies for compelling beginnings in fiction, pitfalls to avoid and the five “Ws” that should appear early in the work. He also reads from his debut novel “Swapping Purples for Yellows” to illustrate his points.  Access the episode HERE.

Matthew received graduate degrees in English and creative writing from the University of Mississippi and the University of Minnesota and currently teaches and directs the writing center at Gardner-Webb University, in Boiling Springs, N.C. His creative work has appeared in more than two-dozen publications He has also published articles and book chapters on everything from teaching American literature to Ian McEwan’s Atonement to photographic representations of Billie Holiday.