You may be used to reading in order to extract and distil information, but to really develop your writing you need to go a step further and read for technique. This kind of reading is structural; it pays attention to the building blocks of language and narrative.
In this workshop we will introduce you to a forensic approach to reading. We’ll explore how the writers you admire capture and hold your attention, looking for what works – and what doesn’t work. In the process we’ll offer you an understanding of how sentences are internally structured, and how to appreciate the rhythm of language, paying attention to the way it builds within a paragraph, and across a whole chapter as paragraphs accrete. We will look at how metaphor should be integral rather than just decorative, adding depth and resonance to your writing; how rhetoric needs to land in order to make an argumentative point; and how you can develop an awareness of tone. Together we will analyse a range of examples, including your own work, and use these as a stimulus for writing.
You’ll come away with a sense of how to better guide a reader through your work using voice, and an improved narrative flow. Anticipate some rewriting!
Terms and conditions
The following groups are eligible to attend the training
CHASE funded and associate PhD students,
Arts and Humanities PhD students at CHASE member institutions,
and students and members of staff at CHASE partner institutions
Arts and Hum PhD students (via the AHRC mailing list)
By registering below you are requesting a place on this training programme or selected sessions that form part of the programme.
If you are allocated a place but can no longer attend, please email enquiries@chase.ac.uk so that your place can be reallocated. CHASE training is free to attend and events are often oversubscribed with a waiting list. Failure to notify us of non-attendance in good time (ideally 5 days prior to the workshop/programme) means your place cannot be reallocated and may result in your access to future CHASE training being restricted.