It does not take a master’s degree in writing to become a great writer. In fact, the best “school” for developing your craft is to read widely and voraciously. When you read with consideration, deliberation, and intention, you begin to understand the choices that great writers made when crafting their prose. This short take draws from classics and modern works to analyze how authors structure their sentences to pace a story, use telling details to set the mood and create atmosphere, how actions create satisfying set ups and payoffs, and how gestures and dialogue reveal characters.

As in sports, if you want to up your game, you have to play against contenders with better skills. To read like a writer is a skill that will help you hone the craft that underpins all good storytelling.

$50

6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026

At The Stacks Bookstore, 2409 Waters Ave.

 Class is limited to 10 students