In this lecture, we’ll focus on moments of transformative and unforeseen intimacy between characters. A shared cigarette on a dive bar porch; a run-in at an empty bus station; a confession in the frozen foods aisle. How can we bring our characters together in ways that redefine their relationships and surprise the reader? We’ll look at authors who are masters of these moments—such as Elizabeth Strout, ZZ Packer, and Alexander Chee—and use prompts to create them ourselves.