Voice is one of the most elusive elements of writing: hard to pin down and hard to duplicate. We can come close, though, by pinpointing the devices and strategies a particular author uses most. And one of the best ways to develop one’s own writing voice is by learning what makes successful writers’ voices so effective.

J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, has a distinct voice that many fantasy authors try to capture. In this course, we will explore some of his favorite devices for conveying the grandeur and majesty of Middle-earth.

Each week, we will focus on a different type of figurative language or rhetorical device. I will explain how it works, giving examples from Tolkien’s writings. I will use slides as I explain and we discuss. Then there will be 10 minutes of free writing, where students try their hand at the device of the week. Students will share what they have written with the class. This is a low-pressure exercise, meant to be fun. Whether your learner is a champion wordsmith or has just started to flex their writing muscles, their writing is welcome. They also may write on anything they like, so long as it’s classroom appropriate (no bad words, adult content, etc).

No prior knowledge of Tolkien’s writings is necessary, but the quotations I use as examples may contain spoilers for The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

This is an ongoing class, so students may sign up at any time. We will cover a different device each week, beginning with the following (subject to change):

Week of June 26.	Alliteration: “Fling fuel on the fire”
Week of July 3.		Simile: “Like two vast wings”
Week of July 10.	Anastrophe: “Long was the way that fate them bore”
Week of July 17.	Anaphora: “One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them”
Week of July 24.	Polysyndeton: “No Memory of tree or grass or flower”
Week of July 31.	Parataxis: “And he went on, and there was yellow light”
Week of August 7.	The 3-Word Stinger: “And Morgoth came”
Week of August 14.	Providential Passive Voice: “Bilbo was meant to find the Ring”

Keywords: the Lord of the Rings; the Hobbit; creative writing; poetry; grammar; sentences; conjunctions; preteen