Short Fiction Mini Masterclass

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Short fiction

A quick intro to big little stories

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Take This Course

Learn how to transform a tiny idea into a meaningful short story
Explore characterisation, structure, and how to develop and edit your work
Get feedback and support from your friendly neighbourhood writing community

A big intro to little stories

This whistlestop tour of short fiction will give you a solid foundation for your story writing. Learn the difference a variety of short forms, discover techniques for harnessing story ideas, and explore new ways of turning those ideas into something tangible.

In this masterclass we’ll delve into all the hows and whats and whys of short fiction, for example:

  • How long is a short story?
  • How do you drill down to the ‘fundamental human truth’ of a story?
  • How do you redraft and restructure and rework an idea until you find the *right* one?
  • How do you make characterisation the juicy, emotive centre of a story?
  • And what’s the secret ingredient to all worthwhile fiction?

PLUS: stellar short fiction examples and expert advice from authors like Paul McVeigh and Kit De Waal, and the support of your friendly neighbourhood writing community, every step of the way.

13 steps

  • How long is a short story?
  • So this one time, at bandcamp…
  • The nugget of fundamental human truth
  • Connecting the dots…
  • The importance of percolation
  • What do you look for in a story?
  • Project salvage
  • Project expansion
  • Enter the story
  • Layering it up
  • Reflect, refine, rewrite
  • And now… we wait
  • What happens next?

    • Take This Course

    This course helped me get published

    There’s no doubt this course has helped me get my short fiction published. I’ve had so many successes over the past year, and been mightily encouraged. I love Writers’ HQ to the point where I think I’m even boring my writer friends mentioning you!

    Jan M

    Punchy, quick and guaranteed to stick

    A pacy, punchy short course with a great mix of outside materials and instructions. This is a realistic and pragmatic course with a great mix of inspiration and agitation. Makes you work for what you want without it seeming like it’s preaching. Very much recommend for anyone new to shorter works or who wants to practice finding the story gem in the word sand.

    Charlotte P

    Brilliant!

    This course was super-helpful for getting me focussed on what’s important, as well as helping me to come up with whole new story ideas. The practical exercises were easy enough to do, but really effective for work development. The example stories given are wonderful and beautifully written – really inspiring! And I love how Writers HQ is so accessible and encouraging, without being patronising or stuck up their own arses! I’m looking forward to using lots more of their resources.

    Amy V

    So fun and useful

    I have enjoyed this course so much; the exercises are so enjoyable and don’t feel like ‘work’. I feel like I’ve gathered a lot of really useful tips/techniques to use in my writing. A great intro to writing short fiction and flexing your writing muscle. Rare that a course is actually so fun to do!

    Alex M

    Helped me achieve such a lot

    I have just finished the course and it has helped me to achieve such a lot in a very short time. If you are thinking about doing this course, just do it. It has been a game changer for me.

    Stephanie W
    Writers’ HQ | Short Fiction Mini Masterclass