Class Description
Suffering a case of writer’s block? Or, on the contrary, do you have too many story ideas to commit to just one? Either way, if you’re ready to generate a slew of new stories, you’ve come to the right place. In this course, you will have one goal: to write six new drafts, through a combination of rapid-fire deadlines, craft inspiration, generative writing prompts, and feedback to keep you motivated.
Each week, we’ll explore a different short story form or theme to inspire our work, reading published examples from authors like Edwidge Danticat, Roberto Bolano, Kiese Laymon, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, Alice Munro, and others, and studying the craft behind them. We’ll put what we learn into practice through a series of exercises and writing prompts. At the end of each week, you’ll submit a new short story draft (you will have the option of submitting either a flash piece of no more than 1,500 words, or the beginning of a draft), for impressions and feedback from your fellow writers, to help you identify and develop the “heat” of your stories.
By the end of the course, you’ll have six new stories, or story beginnings, and the insight and inspiration to help you finish them.
*Note that while our handy dandy "Schedule" tab states a 6-7pm class time, there are actually no live meetings for this class! Assignments will be given on a weekly basis. Students will have access to the online class portal starting at 5pm on the first day of class. Instructions for logging onto the online portal will be emailed to registered students before 5pm the first day of class.
Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To apply, click the "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button in the top right corner of this page. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your scholarship application and await our Scholarship Committee's decision before registering for the class. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.