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"Make [your] characters want something right away - even if it's only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time." - Kurt Vonnegut"'The cat sat on the mat' is not the beginning of a story, but 'the cat sat on the dog's mat' is." - John Le CarrNothing is more inspiring for a beginning writer than listening to masters of the craft talk about the writing life. But if you can't get Vladimir Nabokov, Virginia Woolf, and Gabriel Garca Mrquez together at the Algonquin, The Modern Library Writer's Workshop gives you the next best thing. Stephen Koch, former chair of Columbia University's graduate creative writing program, presents a unique guide to the craft of fiction.