Minimalism with Chuck and Suzy

Minimalism. What is it? How does it work? Come find out in this two-week workshop led by Chuck Palahniuk and Suzy Vitello.

Your Instructor: Chuck Palahniuk (FIGHT CLUB) and Suzy Vitello (THE EMPRESS CHRONICLES)

Where: Online — Available everywhere!

When: This class is not currently enrolling. To be notified when it is offered again, Click Here

Enrollment: Limited to 16 students

Price: $250

Class Description

minimalism

noun

min·i·mal·ism

\ˈmi-nə-mə-ˌli-zəm\

a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity

In this two-week workshop, Chuck Palahniuk and Suzy Vitello will explore minimalism, the style of writing introduced by Raymond Carver under the editorial knife of Gordon Lish in the early 1980s.

Both Chuck and Suzy studied with Tom Spanbauer, who combined his own understanding of Lish’s paradigm with his version, now famously known as Dangerous Writing.

The class will consist of lectures and exercises, and culminate in one writing assignment.

What more do you need to know? 

What This Class Covers

Day 1: The basic lexicon and essential definitions.

Day 2: What is Line of Flight, where can we find examples, and why is it important in minimalism? (Reading list provided)

Day 3: “Destroying the sentence” and other ways to particularize your voice.

Day 4: The dreaded topic sentence and how to avoid it.

Day 5: Getting physical – a lecture and exercise.

Day 6: Paring down your bloated prose – step-by-step instructions, and an exercise.

Day 7: Creating scene from exposition – a lecture and examples.

Day 8: Q & A thread – offer up questions and get some answers.

Day 9: Assignment day! Chuck and Suzy will cook up a meaty assignment and will critique.

Day 10: Critique and discussion as the assignments come in.

Day 11: Critique and discussion as the assignments come in.

Day 12: Critique and discussion as the assignments come in.

Day 13: Assignments due – critique continues.

Day 14: Wrap up and last minute questions.

Goals Of This Class

  • Develop a toolbox of terms and techniques developed by the masters of minimalism
  • Cultivate a reading list and other resources that exemplify the style
  • Develop an understanding of how to revise work in progress using the techniques of minimalism
  • Get your work critiqued and questions answered by two giants of the minimalism technique
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