Class Description
We have all picked up books or stories that have enthralled us from the first lines. The result? We, readers, are hooked! But how does a writer cast this kind of spell? What do successful openings have in common? In what different ways can a reader be hooked? What are the reasons a reader keeps reading, or doesn't? In this class, we'll consider these questions as well as study a range of different openings with an eye towards how they hook us - or don't - from the first lines. In addition to discussing a number of different strategies for successful openings, we'll try our hands at writing a few opening lines of our own that you can build on later. Open to writers of all levels and genres.
NOTE: You might also be interested in Surprising, Yet Inevitable: The Art of the Ending, taking place later in the day.
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.