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Write new short stories with award-winning author and editor Rita Bullwinkel! Writing is a unique art medium in that it is both made and, generally, consumed in isolation. Through the space of the writers' workshop, an author can escape the isolation in which they made their work, understand their work from a consciousness other than […]

Fictional characters are the entry point for readers to engage with the worlds that writers create. In this class, we will explore three facets of character—tragic flaws, contradictory behavior, and backstory—and reveal how you can combine them to create characters readers will love. Come ready to write! This class includes hands-on writing exercises. Attendees will walk away with the tools they need to craft compelling characters.

This workshop introduces a revision strategy that uses interconnected generative prompts to re-enter an existing draft, uncover hidden emotional dynamics, and reveal new possibilities for character, conflict, and story. Through visual presentation, brief craft discussions, guided writing exercises, and opportunities to reflect and share, participants will use these prompts to push both themselves and their characters in unexpected directions, breathing new life into stalled scenes and rediscovering the emotional momentum of their work. By the end of the workshop, participants will have generated new material, uncovered fresh insights into their characters, and developed a practical revision technique they can return to whenever a draft loses momentum. Participants are invited to have work-in-progress—a draft, scene, chapter, or story they'd like to revisit.

This course focuses on writing and reading *very* short fiction. Together, we’ll investigate the following questions: what can a story accomplish in a single page? In a single paragraph? How can we, as writers, create character, place, plot, or voice in such a compressed form? What techniques are helpful for drafting and revising a super-short story? How does contemporary “flash fiction” or "micro fiction" relate to older forms—like the fable—and other genres, like poetry? What makes a piece of very short prose a "story" at all? Each week, we will workshop participants' fiction and do writing exercises to learn about this form. We’ll also read a range of published flash fiction from a craft perspective. By the end of the workshop, each participant will have written and received feedback on at least one very short story (under 2,000 words). The course will conclude with a discussion of strategies for submitting very short fiction to literary magazines.

Learn the methods professional writers use to come up with winning plots for their fiction.

Writing a novel takes commitment, but it doesn’t need to be daunting. Learn how to generate a handful of plots to choose from, methods for effectively planning your story, and simple hacks for fine tuning your basic fiction skills. Students will initiate a flexible writing plan that will keep their writing flowing. This is a great half-day session for the beginning long-form fiction writer, or for the more experienced author in need of a quick strategy brush-up.

Meet Susan Coll, instructor for our Novel Year workshop, and have all your questions about the program answered! The Writer’s Center staff will be on hand, too, to address any logistical questions. Register below! About the Program Application Deadline: January 12th, 2027 Workshop Dates: Begins January 26th, meeting biweekly for ~10 months Cost: $5,400 | Members […]

Write your novel in a year with bestselling novelist Susan Coll! Whether you have been thinking about writing a novel for years but are not sure how to get started, or are already published but embarking on a new project, this year-long workshop is intended to help get the next book off the ground. Attend […]