This Level III ‘Short Story’ fiction course runs from 18 January – 15 March with a hiatus on 15 February. The course meets Wednesday evenings, online on Zoom, from 18:00 – 19:00 Amsterdam time. Class size is 6-10 people.

REQUIREMENTS

This course is open to writers who have completed at least two terms of our Level II or equivalent courses. If you’re new to our school or are not sure if you qualify, please reach out before registering.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

In this Level III class, the focus is on the short story. We will build on the skills of reading like a writer developed in Levels I and II, but we will no longer use exercises or writing prompts. Instead, as a Level III student you will examine the short form in weekly readings and participate in class craft discussions in order to identify the techniques you could choose to apply to your writing – in a sense, creating your own “exercise”. Students can then use these exercises to feed a pre-existing project such as a story you’d like to develop or a collection of stories. If you are not working on such a project, you will be encouraged to start a new short story and write forward so that by the time we arrive at the end of our 8 weeks, you could have a full (or almost full) first draft!

Throughout this 8 week course, we will examine fiction techniques such as story form, structure and characterization in addition to narrative techniques learned in Levels I and II. We will also talk about the writing process, such as the importance of revision in creating a full story.

There may be a required text for the term. We will let you know in plenty of time to order your copy.

HOW IT WORKS

You can join the online sessions via computer, phone or tablet. If you can’t attend the live session, don’t worry—you’ll receive access to a recording so you don’t miss anything.

You’ll share your work by the following Monday (up to 750 words) via our online classroom and will receive written feedback from the teacher and fellow writers before the next live session. You will also be strengthening your editor’s eye through critiques of at least two other writers each week.

OUR REFUND POLICY

No matter how early you register, if something changes and you can’t join the course, you can let us know at least 72 hours before the first class (so we can offer your spot to someone else) and we’ll give you a complete refund. You can find the full details of our generous refund policy in our terms.