Class Description
In the beginning, there was the short story, and it was good. In this course, you'll learn and practice the tried-and-true elements of fiction—character, plot, dialogue, setting, point of view, and revision—with an emphasis on the short story form. As you mine for material, you will also explore new possibilities in subject, style, and voice. Classes include short lectures and discussions on various elements of craft, writing exercises to sharpen your skills, and workshopping of student work. Authors whose work we read might include:
- Margaret Atwood
- Toni Cade Bambara
- Octavia B. Butler
- Anton Chekhov
- Mavis Gallant
- Doris Lessing
- Alice Munro
- Arthur Schnitzler
- P.G. Wodehouse
The goal is to write and/or revise two complete stories (up to 25 pages each), giving you the momentum you need to continue writing well after the workshop ends. While this course will focus on short stories, it also serves as an introduction to the elements of fiction that every novelist will need to know.
Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To apply, please complete the scholarship application by clicking the 'APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP' link.
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.