Starting on Monday October 3rd, I’ll be running an online how to write flash fiction course, over at Winning Words. The course will last for six weeks, and it’s called WRITING FLASH FICTION MADE SIMPLE. It’s for all abilities (though probably better suited to those who haven’t had books out).
I’ve been working on the course for a long time and I have to say that I’m really proud of it. I think it’ll be fun, and hard and rewarding, and I’m certain it’ll make anyone a better writer of short fiction and give them a better understanding of the form.
And writing the course has been interesting for me. As you’ll probably know I’ve taught writing for years but never in this form before. Usually it’s been in a workshop, for a couple of hours, or as an ongoing, mentoring kind of thing – both totally different to this. Where this really shines, I think, is in its succinctness – and that’s mostly because I’ve had to come up with a formula that’s succinct, and well structured – enough to be taught in six(ish) stages. The most important thing I’ve learned in doing it is that the process of WRITING SHORT FICTION IS ACTUALLY A RELATIVELY SIMPLE THING. It’s about converting good ideas into good stories, and then making those stories great.
So, that’s mainly what the course is about. It’ll help you generate good ideas (in many different and, perhaps, surprising ways); it’ll help you to convert them into good and effective stories – and then into publishable ones. You’ll learn about the structure and shape of stories, the craft of writing them, as well as the usual things (effective description, characterisation, dialogue etc). I’m pretty sure it’ll make anyone a better writer of short fiction.
The course structure will involve a little reading, a lot of writing, and an assignment a week. I’ll be around to offer one-to-one help, along with feedback, and there’ll be lots of useful, optional exercises too.
If you sign up before September 18th it’ll only cost £115 (that’s under £20 per week). If you sign up after, it goes up to £137 – so, if you fancy it, I’d get in early. Click here to sign up.
If you’ve any questions or if you would like to find out more, you can email me here.
