Voice Craft
What Voice Is, How To Find Yours, How To Deepen It
A 3-Hour Craft Intensive
Format: Live on Zoom · 3 hours · Primarily delivered through lively lecture + discussion with two writing exercises and Q&A · All genres welcome · Replay available
March 30, 2-5 PM Central
Writers are told constantly that they need a stronger voice — a distinctive voice, a voice that pulls readers (and agents and editors) into the story and keeps them there. A voice we will “follow.” But almost nobody teaches them what voice actually is, how it works, or how to develop it deliberately. This workshop changes that.
In three lively, interactive hours, we'll pull voice apart at the seams — examining its actual components, understanding why it sometimes fails, and learning how to unlock the deeper, more distinctive version of your own voice. We'll look at the work of writers whose voices are unforgettable — James Baldwin, Joan Didion, Toni Morrison, George Saunders, Maggie Nelson, Ocean Vuong, Nora Ephron, Roxane Gay, Annie Dillard, and more — and we'll use their work not just for inspiration, but as a laboratory.
We'll also explore a distinction that most craft books often overlook: the profound difference between your own writer's voice (the deep and recognizable sensibility that runs through everything you write), the voice of a specific project (the tonal identity of a specific book, essay, or collection), and distinct character voices (the various, separate interiorities you must inhabit in fiction and memoir). Understanding these three levels is the key to voice consistency, voice range, and the strange alchemy of making a reader feel like they know you and want to listen to you forever.
You'll leave with a clear framework for analyzing and strengthening voice in any draft you're working on—plus two writing exercises designed to crack open parts of your voice you may not have even known were there.
This workshop is for you if:
• You're mesmerized by writers with powerful voices and want to understand the craft behind what they're doing
• You've wondered if your writing needs a stronger voice but weren't sure what that meant or how to get there
• You’re hoping to attract the attention of agents or editors through (in part) a distinct and unforgettable voice
• You're working on a long project and feel like the voice isn't quite alive enough or fully locked in
• You write in more than one genre and want to understand how your voice shifts—and should shift — across forms
• You're a fiction writer who wants to create more distinct character voices without resorting to caricature
What we'll cover:
• The six components of voice—what voice is actually made of, technically and psychologically
• The three killers of voice—and how to stop doing them
• The three levels of voice: writer's voice, project voice, and character voice
• The imitation paradox—why writing like someone else is one of the fastest ways to find yourself
• The vulnerability engine — the single most powerful (and most avoided) voice amplifier
• Two writing exercises: The Imitation-to-Self Pipeline and The Forbidden Thought
what will writers take away?
New or revised snippets from interactive voice exercises
A richer, more complex understanding of voice in creative writing
New ways to distinguish how voice works
Specific, applicable tools for revising for voice
Strategies for using writing prompts for refining voice
Renewed faith in your own unique voice
who is the teacher?
This course is led by me, Jeannine Ouellette (The Part That Burns, Split/Lip Press, 2021). I author the cult-favorite, bestselling Substack, Writing in the Dark, which many—including Sarah Fay of Writers at Work, say is better than an MFA (that being said, I do hold an MFA in fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts. In addition to Writing in the Dark, I teach writing at the University of Minnesota, and through the Association of Writers & Writing Program's Writer-to-Writer Program and the Minnesota Prison Writers Workshop and Brooke Warner’s Magic of Memoir series. In addition to The Part That Burns, which earned stars from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, the latter of which also selected TPTB as a best indie book of 2021, I have authored several other nonfiction books as well as the children's book Mama Moon. My essays, fiction, and a smattering of poetry have appeared widely in journals and anthologies, won many awards (always second place, runner up, finalist, or honorable mention, proving that it’s okay not to come first). Perhaps most importantly, I’m a passionate, experienced teacher. You can read my full bio here.
what is the tuition?
Tuition for this 3-hour intensive is $199 nonrefundable. No application is necessary; you can register and pay using this link.
Full replay and notes available to all registered participants.
what have others had to say about writing in the dark workshops?
We’ve heard that Writing in the Dark is “a lifeline,” “life changing,” “just what was needed,” and “amazing.” Several writers said they were finally writing again after months of being stuck. One writer said the workshop has been “devastating in all the best ways.” Another wrote to say, “This class teaches you how to dig deep and activate your voice. How to write about things that matter to you, and in turn to your readers.” And several writers have published work generated during Writing in the Dark. Read more love letters here.