Less is More: Starting to Write Short Stories
Always wanted to write short stories but don’t know where to begin? This is a course for writers interested in getting to grips with the form and its expansive potential.
Level
What do these levels mean?
Location
Length
Bigger is not always better...
In a five day intensive course, we will explore a wide range of short story types – from flash fiction to the novella – looking at some of the best examples of the form, and identifying and practising the skills you need to write your own.
In a nurturing and supportive environment, we will build on the skills each writer brings to the course. We'll analyse the craft involved in creating a good story and introduce you to some of the techniques you need to create your own.
You'll also spend the week workshopping, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and growing your inner editor. All of this will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses which can make or mar your story. By the end of the week you will not only have completed a draft, but also revised it in the light of workshopping and tutor feedback.
Is this the right course for me?
If you have always dreamed of writing short stories but never got round to it – due to lack of time, or uncertainty about how to begin – then this is the course for you.
If you have been writing in another genre, and are interested in extending your skills and exploring one of the most enduring forms of all – then this is the course for you.
If you're a lapsed short story writer who wants to reinvigorate their practice with a like-minded group of enthusiasts – then this is the course for you.
The course will run from 10:00 to 16:00., Monday to Friday, via a mixture of Zoom workshops, structured writing time and participation on Faber Academy's bespoke online classroom.
The pattern of the week will be teaching, exercises and discussion in the mornings, and writing time, workshopping and one-to-one tutor feedback in the afternoons. Students are encouraged to send Jane their exercises/drafts during the lunch break for same day feedback, or by 17:00 for feedback the next day.
Course Programme
Session 1
Monday 8 September, 10.00–16.00
How to Begin a Story...
Session 2
9 September, 10.00–16.00
Drafting...
Session 3
10 September, 10.00–16.00
Structure...
Jane has helped me become so much more confident in myself as a storyteller. I know I still have a lot to learn but I feel that I now have foundational skills I can continue to build on.
Tutor
Jane Rogers
Jane Rogers writes novels, stories, and radio drama. She has set books in the present (Island) and the past (Mr Wroe’s Virgins) but she is increasingly drawn to future fiction...
More About This TutorThe Faber Academy Scholarship Programme
There is a scholarship place available on this course for a writer who otherwise could not afford to attend. We particularly welcome applications from writers of colour, working class writers, disabled writers and LGBTQ+ writers.
To apply, please email a covering letter and a 1,000 word prose sample (as Word docs or PDFs) to academy@faber.co.uk, with the subject line ‘Scholarship Application: Less is More – Starting to Write Short Stories’. Your sample prose needn’t be short fiction. The full terms and conditions and more information about our scholarship programme can be found below.
Browse the Reading Room
From author interviews and writing tips to creative writing exercises and reading lists, we've got everything you need to get started – and to keep going.
Recommendations from Faber
Founded in 1929 in London, Faber is one of the world's great publishing houses. Our list of authors includes thirteen Nobel Laureates and six Booker Prize-winners.
Visit Faber