9,131 Sentences: Reverse-Engineering Great Writing

In this generative and craft-focused class, we’ll explore how close reading can unlock our own voice. We’ll study excerpts from your favorite authors, examine sentence structure, tone, rhythm, and emotional pacing, and organize our findings into a living document you can return to again and again. Whether you’re writing fiction, memoir, or personal essays, this method will sharpen your eye and help you write with more intention, clarity, and confidence.

Writers of all levels welcome. Bring a laptop or notebook—and a few favorite sentences to get us started.

“Ten years ago, I started keeping a spreadsheet of sentences that stopped me in my tracks—lines from novels, essays, memoirs. I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, only that I wanted to understand why certain writing worked on me and how I might replicate that effect in my own work. That spreadsheet now holds over 9,000 sentences and has become the most powerful tool in my writing practice.” – Marian Schembari

Access Program
We want our writing classes to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class and seminar tuitions at a reduced rate. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.

Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.

Liaison position
Every in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison position. Liaisons perform specific duties for each class meeting. If you are a liaison for a class or seminar, the full amount of your tuition is covered by Literary Arts.

Apply here for the liaison position.