Class Description
In this course, we'll learn and practice the tried-and-true elements of fiction—like style, character, plot, dialog, and point of view—with an emphasis on the short story form. Classes will include discussions on various elements of craft, close readings of published stories, and workshopping of student work. We will learn from exemplary short stories by authors such as Akhil Sharma, Karen Russel, Mariana Enriquez, and Morgan Talty, and study their approaches. You will write or revise two complete short stories (up to 25 pages each). In lieu of a longer story, you may also workshop two flash fictions (stories under 1,000 words each) for one of your two workshop slots, if desired.
Instead of remaining silent, writers will be active participants in their own workshop. You will receive detailed written feedback from your classmates and the instructor. Classmates will be encouraged to incorporate content-based criticism (e.g., “How does this character challenge or reinforce stereotypes? What are the socio-cultural implications in this piece?”) with craft-based criticism (e.g., “How does the author use language to show this character’s change over time?”). This structure aims to give the writer a stronger voice in their own critique, for readers to thoughtfully examine and learn from providing actionable feedback during the workshop, and for everyone to leave class with a clearer revision strategy for their own work.
Writing Roadmap: We've created a simple, goal-based writing roadmap to help you find the perfect GrubStreet course for your writing needs.
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.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.