At some point, most writers will re-read their pages or revisit their initial idea and wonder: is this even interesting? As in: is this project worth pursuing, worth staying with? This question can pop up at any point in the process—right at the beginning, when the idea is starting to form; in the middle stages, as we attempt to execute our vision; or toward the end, as we revisit our work and worry whether any of it is landing.
Over the course of four weeks, we'll learn concrete strategies to help us close-read and revise our work. We'll identify where we hold the readers' interest, how, and why. We'll explore the following questions: how do we define “interesting”? How do we measure the way something holds our interest, and why? What tools can we use to amplify what is most interesting and pull away from what is not? Furthermore, what makes something not interesting? As we investigate these questions, this class will offer methods to help us approach our work with a mix of instinct and objectivity, making what is most interesting to us legible to others.
Participants can expect brief lectures, guided discussions, in-class writing sessions, and first-blush feedback on works in progress.
Scheduling note: This class will skip the week of Thanksgiving.
