MASTERCLASS

We often talk about the craft of writing, but what about using crafting to expand your story possibilities, says Helen Waters, using an example story

by Henry van Dyke

This month’s story, ‘A Handful of Clay’ by Henry van Dyke, is a very unusual one that breaks some of the commonly accepted rules of fiction. We’re going to look at what makes it so unusual, and how the vivid description in it adds interest to the story. As always, you will get the most out of this masterclass if you read the story for yourself: https://americanliterature.com/author/henry-van-dyke/short-story/ahandful-of-clay/

The most unusual, rule-breaking, aspect of this story is that there aren’t any human characters except for some peripheral ones. They have deliberately been left anonymous and in the background without names, faces or personalities. They are simply ‘unknown hands’, and later part of a congregation in a church.

The main ‘character’ in this story is the ‘handful of clay’ in the title. Now, you might not think a lump of clay would make a very interesting character, but it works better than you might expect. Before we look at the handful of clay in more detail, let’s look at some of the other non-human characters.

Firstly, we have the trees. They whisper to each other and are aware of the beauty of the world around them. Then we meet the flowers, who are mostly interested in their own beauty as they congratulate each other on how lovely they are. Lastly, the river shows a keen perception of its place and function in the world. It knows its job is to flow down from the mountains and put itself at the service of humankind by floating ships out to sea and powering water mills.