CW 25 — The Bleeding, Pounding Heart of Prose: The Art and Craft of the Sentence
Quarter: Fall
Instructor(s): Robert Hoekman Jr.
Date(s): Oct 19—Nov 16
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Mondays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Please Note: This course has a different schedule than what was previously published. The course will meet on 5 Mondays, October 19 - November 16, 5:30 - 8:00 pm (PT).
Tuition: $430
Refund Deadline: Oct 21
Unit(s): 1
Enrollment Limit: 40
Status: Closed
Quarter: Fall
Day: Mondays
Duration: 5 weeks
Time: 5:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Oct 19—Nov 16
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $430
Refund Deadline: Oct 21
Instructor(s): Robert Hoekman Jr.
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 40
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Closed
Please Note: This course has a different schedule than what was previously published. The course will meet on 5 Mondays, October 19 - November 16, 5:30 - 8:00 pm (PT).
One by one, sentences either quicken our pulse or lie there limp, fill us with tension or leave us flat. Whether you’re a novice or a novelist, writing an email or an epic, sentence craft is the key to stronger writing. In this course, we’ll first explore composition through emulation and diagnose structure as a vehicle for content. Next, we’ll look at recursive writing and sonic agreement and conjure concepts of our own through language- and referent-based writing techniques. Finally, we’ll dig into 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 feel. By the end of this course, you’ll know how to turn clunky, airless sentences into masterworks. The sentence will be your playground, and your writing will never be the same.
This is the first of two courses that examine the anatomy of writing. "The Skeleton of Prose: The Art and Craft of Structure" will be offered in Spring Quarter 2027. Each course can be taken independently as well.
ROBERT HOEKMAN JR.
Author
Robert Hoekman Jr is a textwork artist and the author of nine professional and technical nonfiction books. His writing has appeared in publications such as Fast Company, Wired, and Maxim. His creative work has appeared in Five Minutes, Genrepunk, 50-Word Stories, Nanoism, Spelk, and elsewhere. Hoekman has served as an arts and culture journalist, magazine editor, and manuscript developer. 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.