If you (or your child) long to tell great ghost-stories around the campfire, are looking to be the next literary great, or just want to have a great time writing, reading, and listening to stories, we invite you to participate in our specialized, 8-week short fiction course at the Spaulding School of Literature! Whether you have a young child bursting with untapped creativity, or are a teen looking for a writing outlet, we welcome you.

This will not be your typical English class – we will not be simply analyzing and replicating the styles of the masters, but rather learning necessary techniques as we develop our own work in our own voices. The emphasis will be on producing our own stories while learning about what can make creative writing truly successful for both the reader and the writer. The last three classes will be workshop-style, modelled after what you would typically find in a university or even professional environment! It will be very low pressure and fun-focused, but also a great educational experience for all!

Lessons can be conducted One on One or in group sessions such as:

Short Fiction Course 8 weeks of one-hour weekly classes
Price $100

Week one:
Introductory class:
What makes a short story successful?
How to decide what to write about

Week two:
How reading short stories helps you write short stories
General techniques and a look at genre

Week three:
You’ve got an idea, now where do you start?
Creating your story’s map – the general plot
Working through multiples drafts

Week four:
Creating your story’s map continued – writing detailed characters and settings

Week five:
Curating your own prose style
How to hook the reader

Week six:
Presenting and workshopping our stories

Week seven:
Presenting and workshopping our stories

Week eight:
Presenting and workshopping our stories