Writing First Person Point of View
with Elizabeth L. Silver (Online)
Two Sundays
2:00 to 4:00 pm (Pacific)
November 17 and 24, 2019
One of the most important decisions a fiction writer must make is the perspective of her story. Will it be a narrative tightly sculpted around one character’s perspective, or a more expansive voice in the third person, covering multiple characters’ perspectives? First person narratives have connected readers for centuries, creating an intimacy that is unparalleled from genre to genre. But how do you create a voice in the first person? What are the benefits and limitations of creating a narrative around a single “I”?
In this two-day online seminar, we will explore the basic elements of point of view, learning how to craft well-defined voices in the first person. Through sample readings from contemporary and classic literature and inspiring writing prompts, this class will provide both instruction and an opportunity to draft and workshop a sample piece of writing. This is a great seminar for writers of all levels looking to explore their voices in new and innovative ways. This class will meet online in real time using the Zoom platform. We will contact you with details closer to the date of the class.
Enrollment limit: 8 students
$130 for new students; $120 for returning students
Elizabeth L Silver is the author of the memoir, The Tincture of Time: A Parent's Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty (Penguin Press, 2017) and the critically acclaimed novel, The Execution of Noa P. Singleton (Crown, 2013), which was the Amazon Best Debut of the Month, an Amazon Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Best Book of the Summer, and published in seven languages. Elizabeth’s writing has appeared The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, Lenny Letter, New York Magazine, Literary Hub, The Rumpus, The Los Angeles Review, The Millions, The Dallas Morning News, among others, and she has received fellowships and residencies from Ucross Foundation, Ragdale, Byrdcliffe Artist Colony, A Room of Her Own Foundation, and the British Centre for Literary Translation. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the MA program in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia in England, and Temple University Beasley School of Law, Elizabeth lives with her family in Los Angeles. Visit her online at www.ElizabethLSilver.com.
Reviews
The Tincture of Time: A Parent's Memoir of (Medical) Uncertainty
“A delicate weave of cultural analysis, personal history, and religious teachings in a meditation on the limits of science and the boundless capacity of the human heart.” —O, The Oprah Magazine
“Silver brings to this moving personal account a novelist’s pacing, a poet’s lyricism and a researcher’s meticulousness for fact.” —The Dallas Morning News
“Smartly conceived and well written. . . . An excellent book.” —Publishers Weekly
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton
“Compelling debut . . . A clever examination of the nature of destiny and the choices we make, this thought-provoking book is reminiscent of John Grisham’s The Confession in its exploration of the death penalty. Silver has successfully written a suspenseful, absorbing tale. This is a special treat for mystery fans.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“[A] searing debut . . . This devastating read stands less as a polemic against the death penalty than as a heartbreaking brief for the preciousness of life.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Bracing and combative . . . a classic slow-burn, with Ms. Silver spinning the web . . . and masterfully revealing the threads that connect [the characters] to each other and to the crime . . . The novel proceeds to its heart-wrenching conclusion by a series of feints and betrayals that would make Gillian Flynn stand and applaud.” —The Wall Street Journal