A Sense of Perspective: The Point of View Workshop (2-Part) - Remote!

The story-teller’s first care is to choose [the] reflecting mind [of a story] deliberately, as one would choose a building-site, or decide upon the orientation of one’s house, and when this is done, to live inside the mind chosen.”
--Edith Wharton

Picking a point of view can be a dizzying proposition. Each perspective we inhabit leads down a different path, and often, a different story. The complications and inconsistencies which result can seem endless, and even paralyzing. While it is true that a tale can be told successfully by any number of points of view, there is almost always a best point of view, and this workshop will help you to find that vantage for yourself and develop it to the utmost in any given story you are striving to tell. We will discuss the philosophical underpinnings for omniscient, first-person, and second-person narration, and do exercises which project intimacy, subjectivity, scrutiny, exhortation, and distance. You are invited to bring the first few pages of a story you are writing in which you want to experiment with point-of-view.

Some authors included in discussion/reading excerpts: Chris Castellani, Nicholasa Mohr, Aravind Adiga, Bret Anthony Johnston, E.M. Forster, Zadie Smith, Annie Proulx, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.