Senior Theses

Publication Date

4-22-2021

Document Type

Thesis (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing

Department

English

Faculty Advisor(s)

Joe Wilkins

Subject Categories

Creative Writing | Fiction

Abstract

The Butte is a collection of short stories about a small town in the Pacific Northwest. In these short stories I explore idealistic small-town culture and blend it with the Pacific Northwest’s own (modern) paranormal mythology. This medley of different genre aspects in my stories makes The Butte difficult to label, but ultimately, my goal while writing was to explore various styles and points of view.

The nine stories set in The Butte shift styles on a variety of levels from character switching, point of view (1st person, 3rd person, and omniscient), and formatting (structure and linguistics). These tales focus on ordinary people dealing with the extra-ordinary. Each character is either working to find a place in their community or already has an important role in the lives of the people around them. It was important for me to find the people in small towns we take for granted or overlook and give them all a little adventure.

As I continued to write, I fell in love with the community I created. This fascination drew me to explore new characters and ultimately allowed me to imbue the paranormal folklore of the Pacific Northwest into my own personal experience with small town life. I wrote these short stories by blending two parallel cultures I admire, but rarely see converge. The Pacific Northwest has always been labeled a weird but charming place, and these tales are meant to highlight that.

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