Form small groups to address each of these sets of questions.

1. What sort of “contract with the reader” is created early in each story? What expectations are likely in readers as a result of the way each story begins?
2. Discuss the disadvantages of adding the sentence “And then she slowly blinked her third eye” to the end of each story. Why, specifically, would that probably be a poor choice?
3. Which story uses setting more? How do you know? Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the approach to setting in each story.
4. Describe the ratio of scene to summary in each story. Is there a range between scene and summary? If so, provide examples of extremes and middle ranges. How does each story control its presentation of time?
5. What does each story do to hold a reader’s attention? What gives each story tension? Provide quotations to support your answers.