How to Write a Short Story
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14 sessions
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This series ended on November 19, 2022. All 1:1 and group chats related to this series are disabled 7 days after the last session.
About
This series will cover writing from the perspective of a planner, or someone who prefers to have an idea for a story before sitting down to write it. If that sounds like you, come join! And if you’re not sure, try the process out to find out if it works for you!
We’ll start with an introduction to storytelling and dive into story structure. You’ll see examples of popular stories broken down to their most basic plot points, and you’ll have a chance to look for those points in stories yourself.
Next, we will look into what makes for a great protagonist in a story, and how you might go about creating one. Then, we will see what the antagonist of the story could be and what the main conflict is.
Then, we will talk about choosing and designing a setting for your story to take place in. I’ll go over how to establish both realistic and fantastical settings.
With the basics of our story down, we’ll discuss how to write an effective beginning and get writing!
There will be an optional session you can join if you prefer to write with others present. If not, keep writing on your own!
As you’re slowly working through your first draft, we’ll go over techniques we can use to improve our writing.
Our last session will most likely feature editing tips, though the plan is tentative and can change if there are any topics you’d like me to cover more in depth!
After this series, you will have outlined and at least started writing a short story (perhaps it will even be drafted!), and you”ll have learned how to write engaging prose. You’ll also have an idea of how to edit your story when you finish. If there’s demand for it, I can host a series in the future focusing just on editing, or extend this one to cover editing more in depth.
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Schedule
✋ ATTENDANCE POLICY
If you’re a beginner storyteller, please try not to miss any sessions, as they all build on one another. However, if you’re already familiar with a topic, let me know and missing a session won’t count against your attendance!
At the same time, I know sometimes unexpected things disrupt our schedules, so you are allowed to miss up to two sessions if you let me know about your absence before the session or shortly afterwards.
SESSION 1
10
Sep
SESSION 1
Orientation
Orientation
Sat 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTCSep 10, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC
We’ll get to know each other and talk about our favorite stories. We’ll think about what we love about stories and why we continue telling them, and, if there’s time, I’ll introduce you to story structure.
SESSION 2
17
Sep
SESSION 2
Catchup
Catchup
Sat 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM UTCSep 17, 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM UTC
[OPTIONAL SESSION] Since some people cannot make it to this week's session at the regular time, I will teach the same lesson during this session, as it is an important topic (story structure) and will set the scene for the rest of the series.
If you cannot attend this extra session or the one on Sunday, please message me and we can figure something out for next week or on one of the weekdays.
SESSION 3
17
Sep
SESSION 3
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTCSep 17, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC
We’ll dive more deeply into story structure, discuss several examples, and you’ll have a chance to write out major plot points of popular stories. We’ll consider how the most commonly used structures reflect real life, and also how they differ from it.
SESSION 4
18
Sep
SESSION 4
Office Hours
Office Hours
Sun 4:00 PM - 4:40 PM UTCSep 18, 4:00 PM - 4:40 PM UTC
[OPTIONAL SESSION] Since some people cannot make it to this week's session at the regular time, I will teach the same lesson during this session, as it is an important topic (story structure) and will set the scene for the rest of the series. I will also answer any questions anyone might have about this lesson or about the assignments I released.
If you cannot attend this extra session or the one on Saturday, please message me and we can figure something out for next weekend or on one of the weekdays.
SESSION 5
24
Sep
SESSION 5
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTCSep 24, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC
Character time!
In this session, we’ll look at some characters and discuss what makes them great and not so great. Then, you’ll brainstorm ideas for characters and pick the protagonist, or main character, for your story. If there is time, we will look at conflict and antagonists (aka the forces preventing your main character from getting what they want).
SESSION 6
1
Oct
SESSION 6
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTCOct 1, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC
Conflict and antagonists!
Now that we’ve covered some things about characters, we will talk about the antagonists of stories and about conflict and tension.
SESSION 7
8
Oct
SESSION 7
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTCOct 8, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC
Time to cover settings and descriptions!
We'll discuss what makes a great setting and how to create one, as well as practice writing descriptions.
SESSION 8
15
Oct
SESSION 8
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTCOct 15, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC
A deep dive into prose-writing!
To write a story, you have to know how to...well, write. I'll share some tips on what makes great prose and you'll have the opportunity to practice writing a scene.
SESSION 9
22
Oct
SESSION 9
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTCOct 22, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC
Story time!
During this session, we'll cover the brainstorming process and use everything we've learned so far to start outlining our stories.
SESSION 10
29
Oct
SESSION 10
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTCOct 29, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM UTC
Where do I begin?
During this session, we'll cover what a beginning should establish and how to write one. You'll also have some time to start drafting your story.
SESSION 11
3
Nov
SESSION 11
Office Hours
Office Hours
Thu 9:00 PM - 9:40 PM UTCNov 3, 9:00 PM - 9:40 PM UTC
This is an optional session you can attend if you have any questions about anything we've covered so far, or to get some writing done! We'll have two writing sprints of about 15 minutes, and a break in between, as well as time for questions. You don't have to stay for the whole time unless you want to.
SESSION 12
5
Nov
SESSION 12
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM UTCNov 5, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM UTC
Help, I'm stuck!
What do you do if you are stuck writing? We'll cover how to get through writing block and I will also answer any questions you might have about drafting you story.
SESSION 13
13
Nov
SESSION 13
Office Hours
Office Hours
Sun 4:00 PM - 4:40 PM UTCNov 13, 4:00 PM - 4:40 PM UTC
[Optional session]
I can answer any questions you have and/or hold some writing sprints!
SESSION 14
19
Nov
SESSION 14
Other Topics
Other Topics
Sat 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM UTCNov 19, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM UTC
Editing tips!
We'll discuss tips on editing your story and improving it, and we'll wrap up the series with some goodbyes.