A good short story is read in minutes yet lingers in the mind for decades, as vivid as any novel ten times its size.
V.S. Pritchett defined the form as ‘something glimpsed from the corner of the eye, in passing,’ shedding just enough light on a world that the reader’s imagination supplies the rest. Creatively, it’s the ideal form for stretching and honing narrative skills: to experiment with tone and structure; individualise voice; scrutinise character; home in on a theme; practise distilling an action or event to its essence. And a published or award-winning story is a great calling-card to agents and publishers.
In this two-day intensive we will analyse modern classics within the genre and draw inspiration from practical exercises and writing prompts – both verbal and sensory. There will be time to create new stories, workshop them, develop technique and ask questions on craft.
You will come away with at least one working draft, a string of ideas and a keen, in-depth understanding of the form and how to produce it.
During the workshops we will:
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Define the short form, exploring its limits and freedoms in discussion and through our writing
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Learn to spot which ideas best suit the short form and how to develop them
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Write some fast first drafts
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Play around with openings and endings
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Analyse the two stories read in advance to see how top authors handle the short form
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Explore and experiment with various structures to see what they bring to our stories, including redrafting using a totally different structure to see how the story opens up.
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Practise constructive criticism of workshopped drafts
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Learn excellent tricks for revising and editing
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Share knowledge of where to place short fiction and how to use it as a calling card into the publishing world.
This event will close to enrolments at 23:59 BST on 7 May 2025.