Courses

What kind of sentence captures anxiety? A feeling of euphoria? Fear? Exhaustion? The style techniques of a sentence—syntax, diction, imagery, rhythm, and sound—are not decoration but content. James Baldwin’s sentences invoke repetitive rhythms, reminiscent of the Bible. Amy Hempel’s precise diction and imagery point to the negative space—that which is left out of the story. Grace Paley combines colloquial and poetic diction to create a distinct voice, while Toni Morrison invokes simile and synecdoche. All writers rely on the same building blocks: words. But what they do with the order and the choice of words distinguishes and defines their voices.

Each week, we will closely read excerpts from a novel, nonfiction work, short story, or poem to decipher what style techniques these writers have invoked on the sentence level. You will then write three to six of your own sentences, employing a specific craft element that we’ve studied, paying attention to the architecture of the sentence and mimicking that structure. We will also look at style techniques used to prepare the reader for magical realism, surrealism, humor, minimalism, and maximalism. At the end of the course, you will produce two written pages, using at least three style techniques, for instructor feedback. You will have mastered the art of writing sentences that do more than move the story along. This course is relevant for both nonfiction and fiction writers.