Beginning to End: Building the Short Story

Class Description

Ready to finish a short story? You've come to the right place. In this workshop, you will develop a short story from its initial seed, through a series of guided revisions, to a polished work of fiction. Unlike traditional workshops, writers need not arrive with a finished work of fiction but rather should come in prepared with some solid story ideas, an open mind, and a willingness to stretch themselves to new challenges. This workshop will ask you to work in “Phases” from story notes to first draft and on. Over ten weeks, we will work together to turn one of your ideas into a full narrative, taking each story through a series of guided revisions, small group workshops, discussions of relevant published work, and ultimately a full critique on your finished story.

Each week, we will go over a different aspect of the short story, such as point of view, setting, time, suspense, and stakes (too name a few). We will discuss published works such as Ursula Vernon’s “Jackalope Wives,” the first chapter of The Book Thief, selections from Haruki Murakami’s short story collections, and craft essays that will further illuminate that week's topic before finally revising our short stories to incorporate or enhance that element of craft. Over the course of the class, you will workshop your drafts in small groups, and you will have at least two opportunities for a full workshop: first, for your initial story idea, and lastly, for your finished draft.

You will leave the class with a polished draft of your short story, and next steps for further revisions, and/or tips for submission. This course is best suited for writers who have a command of the basic elements of fiction, and have taken at least one workshop.

Class Format

This is an Online: On-Demand class that will take place on our asynchronous online learning platform, Wet.Ink. Weekly lessons and assignments open each Wednesday. Students will receive an invitation to Wet Ink before 5pm on the first day of class!

*NOTE that while our handy dandy "Schedule" tab states a 6-7pm class time, there are actually no live meetings for this class! Weekly lessons and assignments open each Wednesday. Students will receive an invitation to Wet Ink, our online class platform, before 5pm on the first day of class.

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.