The Muse & the Marketplace 2016

A piece of literary work succeeds, in part, because of the strength of the language, the beauty of the writing. And what is good writing if not one good sentence followed by another? But how do you define a sentence—at its essence —and what makes a sentence good?

A sentence without logic fails to do the work it has been assigned by confusing the reader and arresting the reader experience, or by taking the reader on a different path than the writer intended. But good sentences are like music; they not only make sense, they are beautiful to hear. Good sentences also propel the reader forward, building on one another, creating their own narrative momentum.

In this seminar we will study successful sentences and why they work. In the process we will build a tool kit to make our sentences the best they can be.