Short Story Writing

Short Story Writing

No. of lessons 14
No. of exercises 26
Average duration 9-15 months

Whether a short story is meaningful and gritty or light entertainment, a good one is itself a work of art. It's a brief encounter. It's a glimpse into another life. It's complete and self-contained. With no room for padding the short story also bares the elements of the writing craft - your writing craft - to scrutiny. It's like illuminating a single painting on an otherwise empty wall.

The great thing about a short story is that it is short. Whether the word count is in the hundreds or in the thousands, completing it is within your capabilities. It doesn't swallow up a year or two of your life as a novel might; there is one story strand for you to manage not several and there's no room for a throng of characters.

Successful fiction writing normally depends upon a mixture of ability and technique. There are no opportunities to allow the characters to 'develop', or for situations to 'arise' as in a novel. Within a few hundred words the story must seize the reader's attention, develop and end - preferably with an unexpected twist.

‘Technique' is where the London School of Journalism comes in. This course and the one-to-one contact with your tutor will provide you with what you need to develop your own style and skills and greatly improve your chances of becoming a successful published writer.

Course Syllabus

Lesson 1 - Why are you writing short stories?
An overview of short stories, problem and resolution, central characters. Why and because...making writing fun. Presentation, spelling and grammar.

Lesson 2 - Ideas
Where do we get ideas. The importance of titles. Making openings jump into action. Genres and themes.

Lesson 3 - Plots
Plotting and planning. The importance of structure. What is an idea and what is a plot? Writing an outline.

Lesson 4 - Pivotal moments
How to construct key moments, when are they important? Making satisfactory endings.

Lesson 5 - Characterization
Emotion and motivation. History and biography. What other influences? Body language.

Lesson 6 - Make your characters live
Get your characters to create and show the plot instead of telling it.

Lesson 7 - Dialogue
Characterization is further examined, how characters can be made three-dimensional on paper. What people are can be revealed by what they say and therefore effective dialogue is reviewed.

Lesson 8 - Viewpoint
hat is it and why is it important? First, second and third person. Narrators and actors.

Lesson 9 - Settings
Using your own knowledge and experiences. Research without the info overload.

Lesson 10 - Style
The building blocks that make good writing. Power and beauty of language. Editing and polishing.

Lesson 11 - Drama and conflict
Causing an impact. Types of conflict and how they affect your character.

Lesson 12 - Markets
Study the market. Magazines, short stories and serials.

Lesson 13 - Broadcasting
How the written word differs from the spoken. Making the most of the medium.

Lesson 14 - Approaching editors
How and when. Other areas of writing. Information sources.