ROGER HAMMONS

The Odyssey “Angled Dialogue” class delivers on the promise of its premise. Although I felt that dialog was one of my strengths as a writer, the class with its curated readings, summary lectures, and self-reflections succeeded in deepening my understanding of the craft. I especially enjoyed the specific techniques taught. Though obvious in hindsight, the techniques are not so readily discerned in published fiction, where masterful technique disappears into story. Having the techniques as explicit tools in one’s kit allows them to be used deliberatively instead of only intuitively, presumably with greater impact. For the class, I pushed myself to write a new short story using the taught techniques. There is no substitute from having expert eyes evaluate specific examples of one’s own writing, especially in such a “closed-loop” fashion. I learned a lot from the exercise. Highly recommended! In his critiques, the instructor, Gregory Ashe, delivered insights into what was working and what might work even better. Much appreciated!

       –ROGER HAMMONS