Finding Your Writing Style
Taught by Stacey Kahn
Stacey Kahn is a native New Yorker, a writer and a teacher. She received her MFA in nonfiction from Sarah Lawrence College and has had work appear in Epiphany Magazine and Print Magazine. She has worked for a couple of literary journals and freelances from time to time. An avid music fan, she often writes about the subject and attends concerts whenever she can. Aside from music, she is also an enthusiastic eater; you can find her around the city in search of the perfect rice krispy treat.
It's hard determining your style - it often takes years to find one you're comfortable with and it usually changes gradually over time (no more cordoroy overalls or Starter jackets for me!) And as much as this concept applies to clothing and hair, it applies equally to writing. In many creative writing workshops you will look at other writers' styles and try to emulate it in your own work - by experimenting and taking a little from here and a little from there, you will eventually craft your own unique style. Some styles will appeal to you more than others, and that's okay!
In this one day workshop, we'll look at a variety of different writers' styles (from Junot Diaz to music writer Lester Bangs, from Sandra Cisneros to Annie Dillard, from fiction to nonfiction), discuss what's unique to each, and then apply one or two or three to your own writing. There will be some time left at the end of class for some writing - I will provide some prompts for those who need ideas, or if you happen to already be working on a piece, feel free to bring an excerpt (though you can come with nothing but a pen and paper, too!) Even if you don't find a style that speaks to you, it never hurts to try one on - after all, some things look better on than they did on the mannequin.
