The best way to learn how to write is to read, and read widely. Read things you love, things you don’t, things that intimidate and confuse you, things that inspire. In this recurring class, we’ll approach a series of texts from the perspective of how they got made, what makes them work, and what we can learn about our craft by reading them together.

Reading Like A Writer is like a book club where you talk shop. It’s a discussion-based class with writing prompts, hosted on Zoom every other week for 8 weeks. Classes will be 1½ hours, and the course fee includes books at a 15% discount. (If you already have a copy of the book in question, you’ll receive a gift card from M. Judson for its value. This is how we help support the bookstore that supports us.)

June Session:

FICTION: Making and Breaking Genre Rules

Genre-based writing has specific rules and regulations that give it structure, tension and satisfaction, and in that, each particular genre has particular strengths. You can learn a great deal about how to run a plot from a crime novel, or how to establish a connection between characters from a romance We’ll read four strong novels from four different genres—crime, romance, science fiction, and young adult— considering what each form offers whatever we might personally be working on.

June 3, 17, July 1, 15, 7-8:30pm, $155

Books

The Last Good Kiss, by James Crumley

How To Walk Away, by Katherine Center

The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin

A Heart In A Body In The World, by Deb Caletti