Course Information
In the Short Story courses you are critiqued on every exercise and story you post. Each course participant is assigned an online tutor, so spaces are limited.
Session One: Character Development
You will learn keys to creating compelling moral dilemmas, developing key character traits to flesh characters out and building three-dimensional opponents. Also how to invoke the power of subtext and inner dialogue into your writing. Making your characters come alive on the page and giving them depth and resonance. Each Session =10 days.
Session Two: Dialogue
You will learn the keys to writing powerful dialogue.
Session Three: Desire, opposition and conflict
Create drama and focus by utilising the desire line. This is a key structure dynamic that will focus your writing and characters and draw readers into your fictional world and keep them there.
Create conflict through opposition. This is an essential key to creating dramatic fiction. It will force your characters to grow and keep your readers wanting to turn the page. Learning to create tension on the page is a vital skill of all good storytelling.
Session Four: Writing, re-writing and editing a short story
Put together everything you have learnt and write, edit, then rewrite an extended short story.
You’ll learn re-writing and editing tools and techniques that will enable you to improve everything you have written.
You will also explore how story structure creates the emotion and makes it meaningful.
Targeted Feedback on every piece you post
You will receive feedback from your personal tutor on every piece you post. They will identify what you communicated through your writing, what worked and what could be improved or done differently using our targeted feedback templates.
Our feedback templates are designed to inspire and support you, help you develop an understanding of the craft and take your writing to the next level.
You will also be expected to provide two pieces of feedback for other participants in the class for every piece you post. The first step to becoming a better writer is to become a better and more discerning reader.
Course Outcomes
This course will give you advanced tools and techniques to further develop your writing and storytelling skills, including:
- the ability to develop characters that come alive on the page
- keys to writing powerful dialogue
- the means to capture your character’s voice through inner dialogue
- structural techniques that will build tension into your writing and make your scenes more dramatic
- editing tools that will enable you to lift the quality of your writing and stories
If you do the work and implement the tools and techniques, you’ll be amazed how much your writing and storytelling abilities develop.
