Fiction has the ability to capture thousands of years in a single sentence, or just one moment in thousands of sentences. Time can progress quickly, slowly, or not at all. These changes of pace – these rhythms – are what makes the best prose vibrant, enticing, unnerving or exciting.
This masterclass will guide students in thinking about their creative writing in terms of rhythm – the rhythms of composition and editing; of time, place and prose. We will consider how writers of fiction deal with the passage of time in their work: how they work within particular temporal frames and telescope history or past events through small details. The masterclass will help students distinguish between and use ‘macro’ rhythms such as plot and pacing, and ‘micro’ rhythms such as sentence composition. Students will be guided through examples before having the opportunity to be guided in a series of writing exercises, and then receive feedback.
The masterclass will be delivered via Zoom and will last two hours (11:00am – 1:00pm) including time for you to write. You will need to have a computer or smart device and a reliable internet connection in order to participate. This is a live event only and it will not be recorded.
There are limited number of grants available for people on low-income. These are allocated on a first come first served basis. Please contact communications@arvon.org to apply.
