Writing Workshops

The Art of Reading as a Writer with Omer Friedlander

$175

2 Sessions

Out of stock

Saturday & Sunday 12:00 pm EDT - 3:00 pm EDT October 5 to October 6, 2024

The Center for Fiction

According to Joyce Carol Oates, when we read a story or a novel, we understand that “we’re reading the end result of another writer’s efforts, the sum total of their imagination, and editorial decisions.” To expand on that idea, an essential way for fiction writers to improve their craft is to read like writers, asking thoughtful questions along about the choices an author made—and whether they work or not.

Why this opening scene or that opening sentence? Why is the story unfolding from this character’s point of view? Why are we being given such detailed description or moving with this pacing? The very best stories are often highly constructed even if they appear perfectly natural. In this course, we will read stories and pick them apart, learning by dissection how a story is built and the choices the author made to create their work. We will do close reads of passages from short stories and novels by Jhumpa Lahiri, Claire Keegan, Tessa Hadley, James Baldwin, and many other great authors. By examining these works of literature at the sentence level, we’ll come to understand what works and why.

Along the way, I will also provide writing prompts to help you put the craft tips and tricks we learn about into practice. This class is designed as a comprehensive deep dive into fiction that will equip students with all the skills they need to read and write well.

Course Outline:

Session 1: Close reading and discussion as well as writing prompts. We will focus on beginnings and openings, constructing scenes, and utilizing detail.
Session 2: Close reading and discussion as well as writing prompts. We will focus on endings, characters and points of view, narrative time, and voice.

This course is held in person at The Center for Fiction.

Led by

Omer Friedlander

Omer Friedlander

Omer Friedlander is the author of the short story collection The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land, winner of the Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Award and a finalist for the Wingate Prize. The book was shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize, chosen as an American Library Association Sophie Brody Medal Honor Book for outstanding achievement in Jewish Literature, and longlisted for the Story Prize. Omer has a BA in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and an MFA from Boston University, where he was supported by the Saul Bellow Fellowship. He was a Starworks Fellow in Fiction at New York University. His collection has been translated into several languages, including Turkish, Dutch, Italian, and Slovak. His writing has been supported by the Bread Loaf Fellowship and Vermont Studio Center Fellowship. He currently lives in New York City and teaches creative writing at Columbia University.

About this series

Writing Workshops

We strive to make our classes the most inviting and rewarding available, offering an intimate environment to study with award-winning, world-class writers. Each class is specially designed by the instructor, so whether you’re a fledgling writer or an MFA graduate polishing your novel, you’ll find a perfect fit here.

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