Class Description
The Augustan author Joseph Addison once compared “the sounds of our English words” to the notes of “string music, short and transient, which rise and perish upon a single touch.” In Reading Like a Writer, Francine Prose maintains that “rhythm is as important in prose as it is in poetry,” while the paragraph may be considered “a form ... a bit like a stanza.” But how does the writer compose this beautiful music?
In this one-day workshop, we will look closely at the smaller units which make up great writing—the right word, the elegant turn of phrase, the startling epithet, the apt figure of speech. We will analyze the sharp, staccato, lyrical and downtempo lines from authors ranging from Shakespeare to Stein, Melville to McCarthy, Hardy to Hemingway, Orwell to Ondaatje. We’ll note the pauses, predicates, parallel structures, and punctuation of sentences which endure, and spend time imitating the syntax of writers whose style contrasts with our own. Opening lines and paragraphs of the classics as well as the latest volume of the Pushcart Prize stories will form a special focus; we will also dissect a page of nonfiction from the New Yorker to reveal the elements of “house style.” Part of the class will be dedicated to a workshop of your paragraphs, and the metrical test of reading aloud.
The goal will be to stretch the limits of our set form of expression, to strive for clarity, subtlety, and power, one word at a time.
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.