What you'll learn

Generate and develop ideas for short stories
Draft short stories
Edit and polish written prose
Learn a little about getting published, or publishing your own work
Learn about publicizing your work when it's out there

Course content

7 sections • 33 lectures • 2h 33m total length

Introductory lecture: all about the course and me2:31
An introduction to the course.
What makes a great short story?2:57
My top tips on what makes a great short story
Some downloads and freebies0:34
Some free extras from me to help you along the way. This includes some guidance on character and story structure, as well as advice on how to lay out your work, and a couple of things about critiquing and workshops
How to get the most out of the course3:50
Some advice on how to get the most out of the course.
Introduce yourself
Write a six word story!

Where do you get your ideas from?4:43
The answer to the question I get asked most as a writer!
Writing prompts and exercises1:45
Information about writing prompts and exercises that can help you find ideas
Other ways to generate ideas2:27
Some thoughts on alternatives to writing exercises and prompts.
Ways of collecting and keeping ideas5:51
How to make sure your best ideas don't slip into oblivion!
Lecture 7: Recap, finding ideas1:00
Recap of section 2.
Using Hemingway as a starting point!

Redrafting your story6:20
How to edit and improve your short story
More thoughts on story structure8:37
Analyse your story's structure as part of the redrafting process.
Writing great dialogue9:37
How to write great dialogue using subtext, subtext, subtext!
Polishing your writing5:29
How to copy edit your own work and get it as near as you can to perfect
How to know when you're finished2:47
How to know when your story is finished and ready for the world - a video lecture
How to know when you're finished - slides version9:00
How to know when your story is finished and ready for the world - slides to compliment the video lecture
Redrafting exercise

Ways of publishing3:53
A rundown of the options available in the current publishing environment
Submitting your story7:54
How to go about sending your story out into the world
Dealing with rejection3:03
How to cope when your story is rejected and keep on keeping on
Self publishing11:57
How to go about self-publishing your work
Publishing pro forma - decide on your current publication route1:00
Consolidate your learning from this section and decide on a current route for your stories. NB you can change your mind at ANY time!
Getting your work out there - thinking about submissions

Dealing with feedback and reviews6:05
Advice on dealing with responses to your work, negative or positive.
Publicising your work11:46
How to get the word out about your published work.
Keep on keeping on2:09
Some of the best advice I've had; inspiration from Alan Sillitoe and one of his short stories.
A final word1:26
Summary of the course and a few last words
BONUS lecture - free content and useful links0:50
Freebies and bonus content

Requirements

A good command of English, or the language students wish to write in
Access to word processing software or stationery. You can use googledocs or Open Office for word processing for free

Description

Want to write great short stories? Want to improve your creative writing and get feedback from a prize winning author? Then this course is for you.

Working through the life cycle of a story from idea to publication, you'll learn everything you need to know to be a successful short story writer. Find ideas, get playful, learn about drafting, creative writing techniques and how to structure and polish your work, and even how to publish yourself too. The course continues with extra help once your story is out there. Learn how to publicize your work, as well as dealing with feedback and reviews with a smile on your face.

Led by Authors' Club and Betty Trask Award winning author Nicola Monaghan (aka best selling thriller writer Niki Valentine) and recently updated, this course includes:

Nearly two and half hours of video lectures on creative writing
Downloadable creative writing resources and handouts
Regular creative writing exercises and assignments that build on one another, with the chance to post your writing and get feedback
Guidance on how to write great dialogue, and on story structure
Advice about getting published, or publishing yourself, as well as what to do once your work is out there

So enrol now and start learning how to write better short stories today!

Who this course is for:

Beginners who wish to learn more about writing short stories
Writers of other forms (novels, scripts etc) who would like to sharpen up their short story writing

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introductions: what the course is about and a bit about me4 lectures • 10min

Where a good story starts: the idea5 lectures • 16min

Developing ideas4 lectures • 24min

Getting it down: the first draft4 lectures • 13min

Getting it good: the redrafting and polishing process6 lectures • 42min

Getting it out there: how to get a story published5 lectures • 28min

Once your work is out there - what next?5 lectures • 22min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: