Discover how creative constraints can unlock surprising new possibilities in your writing.
In this four-week generative workshop, we will explore how playing with time, form, and omission can change stories and move them beyond the familiar. Through close reading, discussion, and in-class exercises, participants will experiment with techniques to play with their stories. By the end of the workshop, participants will have several new drafts as well as a toolkit of exercises and strategies for future work. Participants should come prepared to write and to read a small selection of flash fiction between sessions; no advance preparation is required for the first class.
Learn at your own pace: This workshop will take place over Wet Ink, which is an asynchronous creative writing platform. The instructor will post a lesson and assignment at the beginning of each week, and participants can log in and read the lessons/post assignments/comment on other classmates’ work at their convenience. Shortly before the start date, participants will receive an invite from Wet Ink to create their login info and access the class. Please check your spam if you don’t see it.
In this workshop you’ll learn:
- Compression as a creative tool
- Form as a generator of story
- Time and narrative movement
- The power of omission
- Reimagining drafts through revision
Time requirements
- Participants should expect to spend approximately 1–2 hours between sessions reading a small selection of flash fiction. Time for completing optional generative writing exercises is dependent on individual writers. Writers will be encouraged to share their drafts with the workshop.
Materials
- All reading materials will be provided.
Who should take this workshop?
- This workshop is designed for writers who want to expand their creative practice through experimentation. It will be especially useful for writers who find themselves relying on familiar approaches and are interested in generating new work through constraint, play and formal innovation. Writers of all genres and experience levels are welcome.
If you need an accommodation for this workshop, please contact us at access@writer.org. We will attempt to fulfill all requests, but advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility services.