4 Weeks, 4 Stories: The Tune of the Main Character

Put yourself in a position to generate new work with this rapid-fire series of deadlines, readings, and feedback from peers. In this course for fiction writers, you'll use writing prompts and strict word-count limits (500-1000 words) to create new short stories—or the beginnings of stories—and submit your work for discussion. In a twist, we'll focus on a character (major or minor) you create in our first session and expand that character throughout the course as we explore different aspects of craft each week (plot, setting, structure, dialog, etc.). We'll use these elements to put characters in a variety of situations to see how they perform, perhaps change, and challenge us as writers. We'll also read published stories to help focus our discussion of various elements of fiction writing. The authors we will read may include James Baldwin, Lydia Davis, George Saunders, Alice Munro, David Eagleman, Han Ong, and Zadie Smith. At the end of the course, you'll take away four stories (or beginnings) and a better understanding of craft to apply as you revise.

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.