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Available Online

Writing Strong Voice in Fiction

2 Hours • with Elizabeth Gonzalez James • Beginners / All Levels

Starts Dec 7
60 US dollars
Online via Zoom

Available spots


Class Description

Voice is the intelligence behind the narration. It is the attitude and the emotion. It gives subtle clues about who’s speaking and what’s going on. Over time, voice forms a distinctive pattern that makes your work recognizable and unique to you. For anyone planning on publishing their work, voice is vital. Agents and editors frequently cite voice as the most important element that makes a manuscript stand out from the slush pile. In this session, we will discuss six elements of voice in fiction - Inflection, Dialect / Jargon, Saying exactly what you mean, Sentence length and rhythm, Characterization, and Access -with examples of each pulled from works by Deesha Phillyaw, Albert Camus, Denise Chavez, and John Kennedy Toole. Through a combination of lecture, Q&A, and exercises we will explore how we can strengthen our narrative voice. You can expect to also have some take-home exercises at the conclusion of the session. " INSTRUCTOR ELIZABETH GONZALEZ JAMES is a screenwriter and author of the novels, Mona at Sea and The Bullet Swallower, as well as the chapbook, Five Conversations About Peter Sellers. She teaches fiction writing at Grub Street. Originally from South Texas, Elizabeth now lives with her family in Massachusetts.


Upcoming Sessions


Cancellation Policy

If you withdraw from a workshop TEN DAYS OR MORE before the start of the class: You'll receive full credit toward another workshop OR a full refund (minus 10%, a transaction fee that is non-refundable and that we would otherwise be charged). If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive a refund minus 20%. If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of a class or after the class has begun: We cannot offer credit or any refund. If you are absent on the day of your workshop or miss it for any reason, we are unable to offer any kind of refund or credit. If we have to cancel a class you have paid for, you will receive a full refund, without the service charge deducted. For our full listing of policies, visit www.PioneerValleyWriters.Com, Policies page (under Home). To withdraw and receive a partial refund according to the above, please get in touch with Joy at joy@pioneervalleywriters.org


Contact Details

joy@pioneervalleywriters.org


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