Parallax Writing Literary Fiction w. O.G. Rose - What we wish we had known sooner
Jan 10, 2026
In this engaging conversation, Daniel Gardner, a creative writer and co-founder of O.G. Rose, shares invaluable insights into writing literary fiction and the philosophy behind storytelling. He discusses the importance of understanding the purpose of sentences and the deep structure of stories that resonate. Gardner emphasizes the need for a positive vision in literature, critiques modern storytelling trends, and insists that endings should reveal what was always latent. He also advocates for reading the literary canon to find one's voice and creativity.
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Story Reveals What Philosophy Can't
- Literature can reveal lived truth that abstract philosophy cannot fully show.
- Stories change people by making them experience truths, not merely know them.
Write Dialogue As Misunderstanding
- Make dialogue embody misunderstanding, emotional reaction, and misinterpretation.
- Avoid writing dialogue as mere clear information exchange; write the dance of real people.
Unfolding Beats Mere Sequence
- A strong story unfolds from initial conditions rather than merely sequencing events.
- Transformation should be latent in the beginning and blossom rather than appear arbitrarily.
