{"product_id":"the-flexible-lens-third-person-pov-fiction-workshop-online","title":"The Flexible Lens: Using Third-Person Point of View: A Four-Hour Fiction Intensive with Robert Anthony Siegel on Saturday, November 7th, 2026","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\" data-block-type=\"2\" id=\"block-0c22edf6c5f4ee9d89a4\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sqs-block-content\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eBegins Saturday, November 7th, 2026\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eLive Intensive via Zoom from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e🌍 \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClass Times by Time Zone: \u003c\/strong\u003eLos Angeles (PST): 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM \/ Chicago (CST): 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM \/ New York (EST): 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM \/ London (GMT): 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM \/ Berlin (CET): 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eNow Enrolling! Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstructor Robert Anthony Siegel\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of a memoir, \u003cem\u003eCriminals\u003c\/em\u003e, and two novels, \u003cem\u003eAll Will Be Revealed \u003c\/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e All the Money in the World\u003c\/em\u003e. His work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian Magazine, The Paris Review, The Drift, The Oxford American, \u003c\/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e Ploughshares\u003c\/em\u003e, and has been anthologized in \u003cem\u003eBest American Essays 2023, O. Henry Stories 2014, \u003c\/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e Pushcart Prize XXXVI\u003c\/em\u003e. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan, a Mombukagakusho Fellow in Japan, a Writing Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and a Paul Engle Fellow at the Iowa Writers Workshop. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is this class for?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis online fiction workshop is designed for writers at all levels who want to understand and command one of fiction's most versatile tools. Whether you're just beginning or refining an established practice, you'll leave with a working grasp of how third-person point of view actually operates on the page — and how to bend it to your own purposes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat to expect:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThird-person point of view is the most common way to tell a story, and yet it may be the most varied and complex as well. In the hands of some writers, it goes deep into character consciousness; in the hands of others, it avoids thoughts and feelings altogether and sticks to surfaces, actions, and events. In some stories it stays with a single viewpoint character; in others it travels freely, moving from character to character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis 4-hour weekend intensive offers a focused overview of the subject, using published stories as examples. Together we'll examine how the various modes of third-person actually function — the distant \"journalistic\" register, the close and interior, the slippery overlap of free indirect discourse, and the roving narration that shifts between viewpoint characters. After each story, you'll put the craft into practice with generative writing exercises that can be shared with the group.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eAs a live online writing class, the intensive blends close reading, craft discussion, and hands-on writing in a single afternoon. You'll receive the stories in advance, but reading ahead isn't required — we'll look at the key passages together when we meet, so come as you are and be ready to write. This session will be recorded.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the writing goals?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eIn this course, students will practice four distinct approaches to third-person point of view through in-class generative exercises tied to each craft topic. You'll draft short passages that test distant third-person, close third-person, free indirect discourse, and shifting-viewpoint narration, then share your work and discuss technique with the instructor and the group in real time. The goal is a concrete, portable toolkit you can apply immediately to your own fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReadings\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eReadings may include excerpts from \"Hills Like White Elephants\" by Ernest Hemingway, \"Interpreter of Maladies\" by Jhumpa Lahiri, and \"Gold Boy, Emerald Girl\" by Yiyun Li.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCOURSE OUTLINE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis four-hour intensive moves through four craft topics:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTopic 1: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eDistant, or \"journalistic,\" third-person point of view — \"Hills Like White Elephants,\" Ernest Hemingway\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTopic 2: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eClose third-person point of view — \"Interpreter of Maladies,\" Jhumpa Lahiri\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTopic 3: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eFree indirect discourse — the overlap between authorial narration and character consciousness (drawing on all three stories)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTopic 4: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eSwitching between viewpoint characters — \"Gold Boy, Emerald Girl,\" Yiyun Li\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eEach topic is followed by a generative exercise that can be shared with the group.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCOURSE TAKEAWAYS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eHow to write a distant third-person point of view\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eHow to write a close third-person point of view\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eA close, practical look at free indirect discourse\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eHow to switch effectively between viewpoint characters\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePAYMENT OPTIONS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eTuition is $150 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eInstructor: Robert Anthony Siegel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eBegins Saturday, November 7, 2026\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eClass will meet once via Zoom on Saturday, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eTuition is $150 USD.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Writing Workshops Org","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49975978393848,"sku":null,"price":133.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0287\/3917\/4532\/files\/robertsiegelHeadshot_f9b51221-fdf3-4fd7-8a44-d32238b06d75.png?v=1703195669","url":"https:\/\/writingworkshops.com\/en-es\/products\/the-flexible-lens-third-person-pov-fiction-workshop-online","provider":"Writing Workshops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}