Class

Narration: Finding the Right Voice

First, find the voice. Then let the voice tell the story. This class will examine a variety of narration techniques, looking at different options a writer has, as well as the opportunities and challenges each style presents. We'll cover topics such as first- and third-person POV, filtering through personality, sensibility, reliability, secrets and mystery, omniscience, tense, narrative distance, curation of objects, and narrative strategy, as well as a few wilder, stranger options.

Sample texts will include (very short or excerpted) work by writers such as Rumaan Alam, James Baldwin, Sandra Cisneros, Roxanne Gay, Jamey Hatley, Kazuo Ishiguro, Edward P. Jones, Porochista Khakpour, Jamaica Kincaid, Jami Nakamura Lin, Veronica Montes, Ruth Ozeki, Grace Paley, Brenda Peynado, Salmon Rushdie, Yun Wei, and Hanya Yanagihara. Each session will also include concrete prompts and writing exercises to put the ideas to immediate and tangible use.

All Classes listed on the Loft website take place in Central Time.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.

Some classes use a supplemental Google Classroom page. Should your teaching artist use Google Classroom, you will be invited to join the classroom via email at least 24 hours in advance of your class (check spam folders if you are not seeing this invitation). Please note that Google Classroom requires a Gmail address to access the Classroom. If you do not have a Gmail account, the email invitation will be sent to the email address we have on file and will prompt you to create a free account or enter an existing account to join the classroom. If we are unable to send an email invitation to your non-gmail account, you will be contacted by a staff member to provide a Gmail address. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can create a free account here. Should you have concerns about this, please contact a Loft staff member at [email protected] or 612-379-8999. For more information on how to use Google Classroom, please see our training manual here.