Short Story Builder: Online

Class Description

Are you ready to take your short stories to the next level, but aren’t sure how to go about it? You've come to the right place. This workshop is designed for writers who have taken an introductory workshop and are ready to go deeper. Over eight weeks, you will strengthen your knowledge of craft and develop your stories in a unique online workshop process.

Each week, we will go over an aspect of craft––e.g. conflict, tone, interiority, time, subtext, and theme, among others––and analyze a published short story (authors may include Roxane Gay, Jhumpa Lahiri, Louise Erdrich, George Saunders, Amy Hempel, ZZ Packer, and James Baldwin, among others) through that lens. We’ll put what we learn into practice through weekly exercises and writing assignments to help develop our fictional instincts, and use them to write and revise 1-2 stories.

Twice throughout the class, you will have an opportunity to workshop a short story. In the first round, feedback will be geared toward helping students identify and follow narrative threads and build on the strength of their stories; in the second round, students will receive a more intensive workshop, diagnosing what is and isn’t working based on the author’s vision of the story, and offering strategies for revision. Students will receive feedback both individually, and in conversation with the rest of the class, to practice synthesizing individual critiques and developing not only their individual stories, but their writerly instincts.

You will leave the class with at least one fully developed draft, and the feedback and craft skills to continue revising.

Students are encouraged to bring a story draft that they would like to develop further. It is recommended that you have taken Intro to Fiction, or an equivalent workshop, before taking this 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.