"The Germ of the Story: Process and Metaphor in the Writing of Fiction"

Indiana University professor of english and director of the creative writing program in IU's department of english, Anthony V. Ardizzone delivered the annual Sonneborn lecture on May 2, 2005. In his lecture "The Germ of the Story: Process and Metaphor in the Writing of Fiction," professor Ardizzone discusses his novels and short stories and he describes the creative writing process.

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• Opening remarks - lecture outline
  
• The Germ of the Story
  
• Exercise for novice writers
  
• Prof. Ardizzone's early life in Chicago - His early writings
  
• Facts and lies - Writing as an act of discovery
  
• "Imaginary or creative writing is an extremely simple process - References to Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis
  
• Importance of the right specific detail and the logical progression of scenes
  
• "What happens when you run out of knowing?" - Reading from Larabi's Ox - Development of a book
  
• About Sicilian grandparents - Writing and reading from In the Garden of Papa Santuzzu
  
• Discovering pathways into new books - Fiction writer as inchworm - Creative writing teachers teach a process End of Kafka's The Metamorphosis
  
• Presentation of Sonneborn Award by Chancellor Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis