Author in Residence: Crafting Superb Sentences

Sentences are the foundation of all writing, and mastering the sentence is essential to developing a strong writing voice. In this workshop, we will discuss superb sentences from a variety of genres. We’ll explore what makes a wonderful opening sentence and what kinds of final sentences leave the reader satisfied while also keeping the work alive in the mind. We’ll talk about sentence structure, how it can be exploited to create pacing or heighten certain emotions, and how varying the structure of sentences can make a passage more interesting or beautiful. We’ll see how some parts of the sentence highlight information more than others, much like throwing a spotlight on some of the content, making that portion of the sentence especially memorable. Or how certain devices subtly allude to background information that the reader can quickly construct, without bogging the prose down with boring exposition. Participants should come with pen and paper, and be prepared to write and tinker with some prose. This interactive workshop is relevant for writers across genres, and will be useful for beginning and advanced writers alike.

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Host or Publisher Calgary Public Library