What makes a sentence so powerful and enduring that it will stick in your mind forever? In this four-week class, we’ll take a look at some beautiful sentences and try to figure out exactly what makes them work, what distinguishes a writer’s style at the syntax level, and where the music of prose resides. We’ll talk about the sentence as the unit of composition in fiction, and take a look at some examples of revised sentences from published writers to see how they made their words sing. You’ll be asked to write creative responses to some of these examples. I’ll also give you some short exercises designed to help you focus on diction, syntax, rhythm, and structure. Then we’ll move to on sharing, discussing, and improving passages from your own work. You will receive personal feedback from me on your writing, and you should also be prepared to discuss the work of (and receive feedback from) others in the class.