CW 25 — The Art and Craft of the Sentence: The Bleeding, Pounding Heart of Prose
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Robert Hoekman Jr.
Date(s): Jan 27—Mar 3
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Mondays
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Please Note: No class on February 17
Tuition: $565
Refund Deadline: Jan 29
Unit(s): 1
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens Dec 2, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Winter
Day: Mondays
Duration: 5 weeks
Time: 5:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 27—Mar 3
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $565
Refund Deadline: Jan 29
Instructor(s): Robert Hoekman Jr.
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Dec 2, 8:30 am (PT)
Please Note: No class on February 17
Holding up every paragraph and hiding in plain sight in every indelible piece of writing is its bleeding, pounding heart: the sentence. One by one—ants in a line—sentences either burn into our brains or lie there limp, fill us with tension or leave us flat. Whether you are a novice or a novelist, whether you’re writing an email or an epic, sentence craft is the key to stronger writing.
In this course, we will dig first into techniques of sentence composition through emulation and learn to diagnose structure as a vehicle for content. Next, we’ll look at recursive writing and sonic agreement, and we’ll conjure concepts of our own through specialized techniques with language- and referent-based writing. Finally, we will try out pro tips on choosing dynamic verbs and using syntax for surprise. At every stop, we’ll blast through skill-play exercises—writing for sound, precision, concision, rhythm, tension, disruption, surprise, tone, style, idiolect, and even feel. By the end of this course, you will know how to turn clunky, airless sentences into the masterworks they deserve to become. The sentence will be where you go to play, and your writing will never be the same.
In this course, we will dig first into techniques of sentence composition through emulation and learn to diagnose structure as a vehicle for content. Next, we’ll look at recursive writing and sonic agreement, and we’ll conjure concepts of our own through specialized techniques with language- and referent-based writing. Finally, we will try out pro tips on choosing dynamic verbs and using syntax for surprise. At every stop, we’ll blast through skill-play exercises—writing for sound, precision, concision, rhythm, tension, disruption, surprise, tone, style, idiolect, and even feel. By the end of this course, you will know how to turn clunky, airless sentences into the masterworks they deserve to become. The sentence will be where you go to play, and your writing will never be the same.
ROBERT HOEKMAN JR.
Author and Editor
Robert Hoekman Jr. is the author of The Build: How the Masters Design Custom Motorcycles and eight other books on design and leadership, including Experience Required: How to Become a UX Leader Regardless of Your Role. He has published articles in Fast Company, Wired, Maxim, and elsewhere and has edited business books, a magazine, and a memoir. He is also a product and process leader specializing in rapid innovation. He received an advanced certificate in creative writing from the University of Pennsylvania. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.