Even the strongest stories falter if the sentences don’t sing.

For All Writers

You’ve revised your structure, developed your characters, and deepened your themes—but you’re still wondering, is this ready to submit, or does it need more work? Perhaps the prose feels flat, predictable, or cluttered with unnecessary words. Your voice doesn’t feel powerful. It’s not just you! Most writers face this challenge after completing their macro-level revisions: the sentences themselves need work, but it’s hard to see exactly what’s wrong or how to fix it. We all need a clear framework for evaluating prose at the sentence level.

This seminar focuses on the final polish—the sentence-level work that transforms a narrative from solid to striking. We’ll tackle the specific issues that drain energy from your prose: repetitive sentence structures that lull readers to sleep, vague language that tells instead of shows, and filler words that bloat your word count without adding meaning. You’ll learn how to fine-tune syntax, word choice, rhythm, and cadence to create prose that engages, surprises, and resonates with readers on every page. 

Most importantly, you’ll develop the editorial eye to spot when your prose is polished and ready to be shared.

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In this insightful seminar, you’ll:

• IDENTIFY common sentence-level problems and how to avoid them.
• EXPLORE variations in syntax and sentence length to create rhythm, tension, and emotional pulse.
• DISCOVER strategies for sharpening word choice, enhancing specificity, and using fresh, precise language.
• PRACTICE “purging” techniques to eliminate unnecessary words from your prose–easily! 
• LEARN to know when your prose is truly ready to submit. 

This seminar is ideal for intermediate and advanced writers who:

• Have a complete or near-complete draft of a book, essay, or story and want to elevate it with sentence-level polish.
• Struggle with clichés, generalities, or filler words and want to make their language fresher, more precise, and more impactful.
• Are ready to refine their work before submission, publication, or sharing with readers.
• Want to move beyond structural revision into micro-level craft mastery.

Closed captioning is available. ✔
All registrants receive the recording. ✔

ABOUT YOUR Instructor

Katie Bannon is a writer, editor, and educator whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Rumpus, ELLE Magazine, Narratively, and more. Her memoir manuscript, which charts her journey as a compulsive hair puller, was a finalist for the Permafrost Nonfiction Book Prize. A graduate of GrubStreet’s Memoir Incubator, she holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from Emerson College. She is a developmental editor who loves working with memoirists and essayists on how to write and revise their most vulnerable, taboo stories. She teaches at GrubStreet and lives in Central Massachusetts with her partner and two cats.

Student Testimonials

“Katie is the best writing instructor I have ever had. Her presentation was impeccable. She provided an abundance of ideas, details, examples, and information. In fact, the class was overflowing with information. I have nothing but praise for Katie and the class content.”

“Katie was an amazing instructor. She explained core concepts with clarity and ease, provided excellent examples and writing samples, and created a very supportive learning environment. The class truly exceeded my expectations!”

“Holy moly, this was a superb class. Instructor was well-prepared with lots of valuable and well-organized information and ideas. I have already begun applying some of the tools from class to revise—and what a difference it’s making!”

THE FINE PRINT

We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

Before the class, you may request a full refund.

Please keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins.

Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

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