In this series of classes, five accomplished and accoladed short story authors join forces to demystify how to write the short story, from beginning to end. With readings, discussion, as well as in-class writing time, you will learn how to closely read stories, decode the author’s craft, and use their techniques to inspire and improve your own creative work. Though designed to be taken sequentially, each class also functions as a stand alone session; enroll in the whole package for a reduced price and to have access to a final panel with all of the teachers answering your questions about writing and publishing, or simply take the session(s) that you need.
Are you new to writing stories? Or an experienced writer looking to sharpen your skills and approach your craft with a set of fresh eyes? Then these sessions are for you.
Please note that the sessions will be recorded, and readings will be distributed prior to the class meetings.
Schedule of Classes:
Stephanie Feldman on The Art and Craft of Launching a Story, September 9th, 7-9pm
A story must establish a world, a character, and a conflict–and grab the reader–in just a few sentences. Together, we’ll examine first sentences, paragraphs, and pages to discover the power of voice and the mechanics of tension, and open conversation about the foundational elements of a great short story. Bring a rough draft or excerpt for an in-class revision exercise.
Anca Szilágyi on Character and Mystery, September 16, 7-9pm
We’ll explore the many facets of character development that help create vivid, memorable characters. These include discovering the quirks of your own writing process (what do YOU need to know about a character to get started) and common elements which inform character behavior, and therefore, plot. We’ll also consider whether and when to leave certain aspects of your character mysterious. We’ll discuss fiction rich in characterization and dive into some in-class writing. Students should come to class with a character they would like to develop further.
Lena Valencia with It’s a Mood: Using Setting to Define Interiority, September 23rd, 7-9pm
What does a cozy winter getaway look like to someone in a disastrous marriage? What does someone harboring a secret notice at a wild party? Well-defined surroundings are a great way to clue our readers into the emotional depths of our characters. After analyzing fiction that uses place as an insight into its protagonists, we’ll spend this session setting the mood as we craft our own character-driven descriptions of place.
Danielle Lazarin on Time and Perspective, September 30th, 7-9pm Eastern
In this session, we'll consider the effect of time on perspective. How does when a story is told from shape the narrator and in turn, how the story is told—its language and tone, moment selection, and structure? We'll look closely at stories narrated from the near aftermath and long distance from significant events and then practice the tools they offer in our own work.
Rachel Lyon on Pacing, Exposition, and Scene (Getting To Your Best Ending), October 7th, 7-9pm Eastern
The best short stories end with a bang — or a twist, or a moment of ecstasy, poetic connection, or brilliant subversion. If there are as many ways to end a story as there are stories, whatever your project, and whatever mode you write in — whether comic or tragic, ironic or earnest, realist or absurdist — your best ending will be inextricable from the mechanics of your plot. In this class we will look under the hood of a couple of short stories to reverse-engineer their endings through analysis of their pacing, plots, and endings, and spend time workshopping brilliant new endings for our own works-in-progress.
Authors in Conversation, a panel, October 14th, 7-8pm Eastern
Join your teachers–Stephanie, Anca, Lena, Danielle, and Rachel–and Writing Co-Lab co-founder Brian Gresko for a panel on writing short stories. They’ll talk about their own history writing and publishing stories as well as answer any questions you’ve had, either from work done or topics covered in class, or more generally about publishing stories and building a creative career.
