Intensive + Small Group : The Short Story, Fall 2025
November 5th, 2025 - November 23rd, 2025
with Allison K Williams
Non-members may register on September 16th at 08:00 (EDT).
In a short-attention-span world, short stories are more important than ever. As writers, the short story is a crucible for our craft—a way to test our power for story, dialogue, character and prose, and to explore new ideas, themes and genres. We’ll look at what makes a great 21st-century short story, both literary and genre-driven, and explore the worlds of speculative fiction, magical realism and flash. We’ll also consider what elements of great short stories from the past still resonate with today’s readers, and tools and tricks we can use from Hemingway, O. Henry and Golden Age mysteries.
Finally, we’ll address where to find readers for our stories, and publication paths for short fiction, including literary magazines and anthologies as well as unconventional publishing. Each weekly webinar is two hours, and includes short in-class exercises, plus take-home exercises for participants to complete on their own, as well as in-class Q&A.
Week 1: What makes “good” short stories?
Structure and form, circles and loops
Need and intention
Solid middles
What makes a story idea have sticking power?
Week 2: Character and Dialogue
Characterization beyond physical description
Hopes and wishes, fears and dreams
High and low context dialogue
Week 3: The Finer Points, and Publication
Beginnings and endings
Finding your voice
Publishing paths for short fiction
When you sign up for the intensive plus small group, you receive live access to all of these webinars plus three small-group sessions, one to follow each webinar. In these small groups, you’ll receive live-editing and in-class feedback on your story drafts. Limited to eight writers, the small groups will meet for two hours each Saturday after the weekly webinar.
Notes
Who this workshop is for: <p>This intensive is geared toward writers at all stages, and the exercises will include variations for those beginning, in the middle, or polishing their own work.</p>
Focus: Adult - Novels - Literary - Adult - Novels - Upmarket - Adult - Novel…
Group size: 8 writers
Submissions: Writers will submit their pages to Allison at any time before the first small group session on Nov 8. However Allison will not look at the pages until she reads them during your live edit.
Fee
Members: $250; Non-members: $295
About Allison K Williams
Editor and author, Allison K Williams brings deep understanding of dramatic structure, sensitivity to voice and theme, technical expertise, and contagious enthusiasm for your work. She is the author of "Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro From Blank Page to Book" and the Social Media Editor of noted nonfiction literary magazine Brevity. She has edited and coached writers to deals with Big Five, literary and independent presses and publication in the New Yorker, the Guardian, the New York Times, McSweeney’s and TED Talks.
Allison herself has written for NPR, CBC, the New York Times, Creative Nonfiction, McSweeney’s, Kenyon Review and Travelers’ Tales. Her plays, including London Fringe Best of Fringe Winner TRUE STORY, have been produced worldwide.
Schedule:
- Nov 5, 12-2pm ET - Week 1 Webinar
- Nov 8, 12-2pm ET - Small Group, Session 1
- Nov 12, 12-2pm ET - Week 2 Webinar
- Nov 15, 12-2pm ET - Small Group, Session 2
- Nov 19, 12-2pm ET - Week 3 Webinar
- Nov 22, 12-2pm ET - Small Group, Session 3
Participants will be able to watch recordings of each session. Recordings are available for replay through January 15, 2026.