Class Description
Ready to get the stories in your head onto paper? If there’s a story you want to tell, but you have no idea where to begin (or you need a refresher), this generative course is for you. Over six weeks, you will learn the essentials of fiction and put them into practice by starting to write your own short stories. Each week, we will focus on a different aspect of craft–including character, point of view, setting, structure, and dialogue–and explore it through published short stories to illuminate that topic and inspire our own writing. We’ll put what we learn into practice through weekly exercises and writing prompts. In the second half of class, you will have the opportunity to submit a full short story to receive feedback from the instructor and your fellow writers, to help you get a sense of what your strengths are, and how to build on them.
Our goal is not only to learn the fundamentals, but to help you use them as tools for entering the room of your story when you feel stuck in the idea stage. We’ll be examining works by authors such as Sally Rooney, Tobias Wolff, Grace Paley, Ling Ma, and more.
Please note: Class does not meet on Monday, March 24th, or Monday, April 21st.
Driving to the center? For evening or weekend classes, we recommend SP+ Parking at 45 Binford Street for the most affordable parking around. It's about a 10-minute walk to GrubStreet and offers a flat rate of:
$8 after 4pm Monday-Friday
$5 all day Saturday-Sunday
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 in-person at our Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport neighborhood.
Covid-19 Update:
GrubStreet's space will be mask-optional when Boston's Covid-19 Community Level is low or medium. When the Covid-19 Community Level is high, our space will require masks. Please check GrubStreet's Covid-19 page for the latest info on masking and Community Levels before visiting in person.
Space Accessibility:
Our space is ADA accessible with automatic door openers, ADA-compliant restrooms, desk and table spacing, braille signage, and elevator. Our classrooms can be equipped with ALS for hard of hearing individuals. We cannot guarantee a scent-free environment. For more accessibility requests, please contact our Operations team at [email protected] or (617) 695-0075.