Experimenting with Style (with Caroline Belle Stewart) - ONLINE
So you have a story that needs to be told. But how are you going to tell it? As writers, words are our building materials. The way we put them together — the length of our sentences, the sound of the words we choose, the size of our paragraphs — is what we call style. And a unique style can make a story stand out from the pack. In this generative workshop, we’ll focus in on a different aspect of style each week –– like sound and rhythm, structural constraint, mindful minimalism and maximalism, and formal vs. informal tone. We’ll read a wide range of writers with varying aesthetics (including authors like Noy Holland, Jamaica Kincaid, and Lily Hoang) to inspire and inform our work.
And, since honing your personal style means experimenting with language, we'll put the tools we learn from these stories into practice in our own writing through weekly prompts that get us to think creatively about language. Three-four times throughout the course of the class, you’ll also have the opportunity to receive feedback on a short piece, to help you figure out how to develop your own style. We’ll come away from the course with a better understanding of the array of stylistic choices available to us as writers, and a newfound understanding of how to apply them to our own work. This class is for writers who are just starting out writing short stories, as well as more experienced writers who are looking to introduce a little flair into their prose. Estimated workload is 1-2 hours per week.
Workshop / Feedback: Each person will be workshopped 3-4 times, once per week, up to 1000 words, uploaded via Google drive. During the workshop we will have a conversational back and forth with the writer in which the writer will state their intentions and we will guide them based on their desires for the pieces and the workshop.
Estimated workload is 1-2 hours per week. All levels. Limited to 10 writers.
WHEN: 4 Weeks: Fridays, March 10 - 31 (6 - 8pm EST)
WHERE: Online, via Zoom video conference
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
CAROLINE BELLE STEWART stories can be found in Gulf Coast, Denver Quarterly, Fairy Tale Review, Black Warrior Review, and elsewhere. She is the author of the chapbook "Husbandly Things" (Factory Hollow) and co-creator of “Mast Year: A Mystical Field Guide" (Mount Analogue). A recipient of fellowships from Monson Arts and MacDowell, she lives in Western Massachusetts.
WORKSHOP GOALS:
- Understand “style” as an element of craft
- Experiment with our writing in exciting new ways
- Learn about the many different stylistic directions our work may take
- Generative several new pieces or sections of a larger work
- Gain supportive and respectful feedback from peers and instructor
- Practice editing our own work and the work of others
WORKSHOP OUTLINE
WEEK ONE – LEARNING THE MAGIC OF SENTENCES
We’ll read selections from writers like Noy Holland and Jamaica Kincaid and think about what different kinds of sentences can do in a story and how they sound.
WEEK TWO – TAKING RISKS WITH FORM AND STRUCTURE
We’ll read selections from writers like Lily Hoang and Lucy Corin and talk about how to use space on the page unconventionally.
WEEK THREE – HONING A UNIQUE VOICE AND TONE
We’ll read selections from writers like Rebecca Curtis and Tommy Orange to practice how to bring out our own voices and investigate formal and informal tones.
WEEK 4 – DIVING INTO RADICAL REVISION
We’ll consider the idea of Cameron Awkward Rich’s “Restorative Revision” and examine Raymond Queneau in order to rewrite a piece we’ve already written in a completely different style.
RECEIVING THE ZOOM LINK: For one-day workshops, we send out the link to attend the Zoom session 1 - 2 days before the event, via email. For multi-week workshops, you should receive info and the link about 3 - 5 days before. Please mark your calendars when you first register and look for our emails. If you don't see the email in your inbox on the day before the class, please check your spam and junk mail folders (and search all folders) for an email from joy@pioneervalleywriters.org before contacting us. We have found that very often our emails end up in those folders. This is based on your own email settings, and you can prevent this by adding our email as a contact.
ONLINE SESSIONS happen remotely, via Zoom video conference. All you need is a laptop, computer, or phone with functioning audio and a webcam. Those who RSVP receive directions and a link to "join" the session via email (please see above note about receiving the Zoom link). All online instructors will log on to the video conference a few minutes before the start of the session, so please plan to log on early if you'd like assistance! We'll do everything in our power to help you get comfortable with the Zoom format, though we are not able to offer technical assistance beyond basic Zoom orientation.
REFUND & CREDIT POLICIES AT PVWW
Because of non-refundable fees that we, PVWW, must pay for every transaction that happens, we are not able to give full refunds to those who register then withdraw from a workshop or class. 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 class of equal value OR a refund minus 10%. If you withdraw from a workshop nine days before the start of the class up until 48 hours before: You'll receive full credit toward another class OR a refund minus 30%. If you withdraw from a workshop less than 48 hours before the start of a class or after the class has begun: We are not able to offer you credit toward another class or a partial refund, unless in the case of a medical emergency. If we have to cancel a class for any reason, you will receive a full refund, or if you choose, a credit in the amount of your payment, to be used for any future PVWW class. Anyone who does not specify whether they would like a refund or a credit for a cancelled class within 3 months will automatically be refunded. Please contact Joy (joy@pioneervalleywriters.org) for all matters concerning credit and refunds.