Great writers are like alchemists. With nothing but keen observation, imagination and words, they can turn any situation into literary gold. Frank McCourt conveys the misery of sodden, poverty-stricken childhood winters with such engaging rhythms that you want to have been there yourself. Alice Munro translates waiting for a train into a lively, almost musical passage. PEN/Hemingway prizewinner Teju Cole transforms a dismal Arizona immigration courtroom scene into a haunting meditation on place, belonging and the routine violence of the deportation process. Nora Ephron expands the focus on a hot pastrami sandwich to include a vivid comparison of the cultures of Los Angeles and New York City.
If you’ve ever wrestled with difficult or apparently dull material — a scene that’s not scenic, a banal or awkward moment, an unpleasant incident — you know how hard it is to make it come alive. More than good description is required. The writer needs to discard cultural blinders and conventional preconceptions and see with fresh eyes. It’s through the writer’s eyes that the reader sees the world anew.
In this workshop, participants will learn to find the action in inaction, the singular in the ordinary, the particular in the general, the familiar in the strange and the humor or thread of common interest in the repellent. Each session, we’ll look at the different ways that great writers have used diction, point of view, tone, figurative language, juxtaposition, contrast and other devices to make apparently unpromising situations come alive. Then we’ll try it ourselves in short writing exercises. Volunteers will read their pieces aloud for guided discussion. Over the three sessions, participants will develop the tools they need to write more confidently and effectively. Bring paper and pen or writing device and an open mind.
