About Last Night: A Backstory and Flashback Workshop - Remote!

In both fiction and non-fiction, there is no story without backstory. Readers can't understand a character's situation without knowing their history, but delivering that information is tricky - too early and we’re bored. Too late and we're lost. Too much and we're distracted. Too little and we're confused. In this seminar, we’ll find the right balance by looking at best practices for sharing character information through examining other published works and applying those ideas to our own writing.

Bring two (1-2 page) excerpts of your backstory-heavy writing to use for exercises.

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! 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 via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

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.