The Writers' HQ Guide to Flash Fiction

The Writers’ HQ Guide To Flash Fiction

Conjure teeny flashy stories out of thin air

Get this course and so much more

Are you ready to create some teeny tiny stories full of impact and truth and humanity?

YES YOU ARE! Come flash with us…

The Writers’ HQ Guide to Flash Fiction course contains a holy hand grenade of tips, tricks and techniques on crafting your own glorious little story nuggets, breaking all the rules (jk there aren’t any), editing your work, and even getting your writing published.

Join award-winning flash experts Kathy Hoyle and Jo Gatford as they take you through the fundamentals of flash fiction and teach you how to take the seed of a story idea and turn it into something spectacular.

This frankly enormous course will show you how to harness story inspiration from quite literally anywhere; how to develop those ideas into tangible plot fodder; how to experiment with structure, characterisation and style; how to edit, develop and polish your work; and what to do when you’re ready to send your writing out into the big wide world…

Backed up every step of the way with the most enthusiastically supportive flash fiction community around, you’ll have everything you need to expand your flash fiction repertoire and write a whole HEAP of stories!

What's inside the course?

Course Content

Week 1: Where the heck do I start?

Week 2: Beginnings

Week 3: Middles

Week 4: Endings

Week 5: Editing

Week 6: Going off piste

Week 7: Sending your work out into the world

The Sacred Writers' HQ Promise

You’ll write your butt off

You have stories in your head and you want to get your butt in a chair and get them onto paper, but life gets in the way. Kids, work, executive dysfunction, the state of the world, important doomscrolling – all these things conspire against you, but you know there’s a better way and you are ready to stop fucking about and start writing.

Learn how to carve time, prioritise your work, and evolve a deep creative practice

Gain strategies for getting the most out of every writing session

Find ways to love your writing, keep on going and finish your story

What's included

Text-based course units
Easy to follow exercises
Support forums and access to the best writing community this side of the internet
Love and validation and more writing-based pep than you can shake a stick at
Snacks*

*bring your own snacks

Nice things from nice people

After hanging around as a freebie member and completing the free courses, I was so convinced by the improvements to my writing – and amused by the emails! – I signed up for three months… I’m still here, months later! I’ve learnt so much, from courses like Plotstormers and The First Draft, and from fellow WHQers, I would rather give up cake and chocolate than let my membership lapse! Love you WHQ!

Jan M

Writers’ HQ has honestly been life changing for me! After doing the 14 Days to a Solid Writing Habit course, which gave me a great kick start, I have been doing Plotstormers II to help me edit my novel. How do I say this without swearing? Fuck it, it’s been sodding amazing! It’s helping me so much to edit my novel. I’ve also been doing the Flash Fiction course and a piece of mine is on the Welkin Prize shortlist!

Agnes H

I cannot imagine life without WHQ
I’ve been a subscriber since April 2019 and I now cannot imagine life without WHQ. It’s like my inner sanctum and I bang on about it to everyone all the time. They must get sick of me. In the past when I’ve had to knock other subscriptions on the head because of money, there was never any question of me doing the same for this wonderful organisation.

Lauren P

WHQ is fantastic! I did a free writing course with WHQ at the start of the pandemic and joined up straight after – since then I have had over twenty pieces published, been long and shortlisted in various competitions and won one at the beginning of this year – the tutors, and the encouragement of the forum members, are fantastic.

Claire

A wonderful community. Before I joined WHQ I never dreamed of submitting my work to magazines. Since becoming a paid-up member 5 months ago, I’ve had 6 flash fictions and 2 poems accepted for publication – entirely thanks to the inspiration and support of this wonderful community.

Sarah K

Get instant access when you join the most word-writing, tea-drinking, story-slinging, biscuit-dunking, productivity-boosting, super supportive writing community this side of the internet

Woohoo yeah do it do it yeah woo etc and so on

Freebies

Two creative writing courses
Flash Face Off and Flash Face Off Live
The Secret Retreat forum
That's it
If you want more you have to upgrade, sozzzz
See you on the inside mwa mwa mwa

Glorious Writing Beasts

Weekly write-alongs
Monthly live masterclasses with guest authors
Monthly Q&A support group
Monthly online retreats
Over 25 mammoth creative writing courses
Always-on workshop library
Flash Face Off, Flash Face Off Live and Introduction to Flash course and workshop
Monthly festivals and challenges