Step-by-Step to Story: A Generative Short Story Workshop

“Anne Lamott may have coined the phrase ‘Bird by Bird,’ but I like to think of writing stories as similar to building a house,” says instructor Rob Williams. “You don’t build it in a day, you build it Brick by Brick. Except for the rare genius (I’m talking to you, Joyce Carol Oates), rarely do stories come out of our pens completely whole. We compose them scene by scene.”

This class is designed for writers at all levels who want to sharpen their short-storytelling skills. Participants will be guided up and down the path of storytelling—through the architecture of fiction—by responding to fresh, thought-provoking writing prompts that build on each other and move toward the goal of completing a cohesive draft of a short story by the end of five weeks.

“We’ll read and discuss published stories,” says Rob, “but the primary focus of the class will be on generating our own work, paying close attention to the structure and scenes, character, plot and narrative voice.”

In a warm and supportive environment, each participant will have the opportunity (but not obligation) to share the results of the in-class exercises and receive immediate constructive and thoughtful feedback from fellow writers and the instructor. “By the end of five weeks," says Rob, “this class will give you the tools you need to tell a story with confidence.”