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Don't Bore Your Reader: a Zoom Seminar on the Battle of Speed v. Authority (for Writers of Stories, Essays, Memoirs, and Novels) Zoom Seminar, Saturday, October 19th, 2024
Regular price
$75.00

Don't Bore Your Reader: a Zoom Seminar on the Battle of Speed v. Authority (for Writers of Stories, Essays, Memoirs, and Novels) Zoom Seminar, Saturday, October 19th, 2024


Unit price per

Saturday, October 19th, 2024

Live Seminar via Zoom from 12PM CST - 1:30PM CST 

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Instructor Kyle Minor is the author of Praying Drunk, winner of the Story Prize Spotlight Award. His work appears online and in print in Esquire, The Atlantic, Iowa Review, Story, the New York Times Book Review, and three volumes of the Best American series. Sarabande Books will publish a new collection of essays, How to Disappear and Why, in August 2024.

Read an Interview with Kyle on the Battle of Speed vs. Authority.


This seminar will explore practical strategies for making the pages turn quickly.

The central battle for the writer, while drafting and revising, is between the need to keep the reader briskly turning the pages and the need to ably manage information.

In this seminar, we'll discuss practical strategies to achieve in the reader what John Gardner called "the vivid and continuous dream," so the reader might forget that he or she is reading at all, and might feel, instead, that he or she is now, through the power of prose, living "a life not one's own."

You'll leave this seminar with a practical understanding of these writerly tools and notions:

  • Scene v. not-scene
  • The six sentence types and their relationship to inherent drama
  • In-time v. not-in-time
  • The strengths and weaknesses of exposition and what to do about them
  • The reasons for deploying the rhetorical, summary, informational, and reflective modes
  • And the role of language (especially the verb) in all of this.

Course Takeaways:

  • Mastering Narrative Pace: Participants will learn how to balance speed and authority in their writing, ensuring that their stories, essays, memoirs, and novels maintain a brisk narrative pace without sacrificing depth and clarity.

  • Effective Use of Scene and Exposition: Writers will gain a nuanced understanding of when to employ scenes versus exposition, mastering the strengths and weaknesses of each to create dynamic and engaging prose.

  • Enhancing Reader Engagement: By delving into the practical application of John Gardner's concept of "the vivid and continuous dream," participants will develop techniques to keep readers fully immersed and engaged, making them forget they are reading and instead feel as though they are living the story.

Why Take This Seminar? 

In the fast-paced, competitive world of writing, captivating your reader from the first sentence is crucial. This seminar, led by acclaimed author Kyle Minor, equips you with the essential tools to achieve just that. Whether you're crafting stories, essays, memoirs, or novels, this seminar will transform your writing, making your pages impossible to put down. By mastering these strategies, you'll not only keep your readers engaged but also elevate your writing to new heights, ensuring your work stands out in any literary landscape.

No Required Reading:

No assigned course texts, although you'll probably be seeking out a lot of the stories, essays, and books we discuss after the course is over.


Can't Make It Live?


No problem! The session will be recorded and available to watch after the seminar concludes.


PAYMENT OPTIONS
:

Tuition is $75. 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.
  • Kyle Minor, Instructor
  • Saturday, October 19th, 2024 | 12PM - 1:30PM CST
  • Tuition is $75
  • Seminar is fully ONLINE and meets via Zoom.

If you have questions, please us the Chat Button or contact us via email HERE.