The Art of the Prose Sentence: Challenging Your Sentences to Do More

“What does it mean to have a voice? Why does a certain word or sentence make us laugh? How can a sentence increase tension? Is it fair to hate adverbs? What do people mean when they call a story quiet or refer to writing as lyrical? We will discuss these questions and many more as we discuss the craft and magic of the sentence,” say co-instructors Lori Ostlund and Anne Raeff.

In this six-hour class, we will examine style and voice via their building blocks: word choice, punctuation, and syntax. We will study excerpts from various writers to demystify what it is that makes their style distinct and will practice imitating in order to understand. Along the way, we will bring in connotation vs denotation; rhythm and repetition; adjectives and adverbs; figurative language; and tone. We will also offer practical advice on such topics as building tension at the sentence level and controlling narrative distance, and will introduce a variety of sentence structures for those who are feeling stuck in the same old sentence structures.

We will look at lots of prose examples, talk about sentences at the granular level, and write lots of them during in-class exercises. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to write sentences that don’t just cater to content but that create rhythm and emotion, tension and beauty as well as with specific ideas about how to freshen and sharpen their own sentences.

About The Writing Salon's Remote Classes

You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.