Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.
– Henry David Thoreau
The short story is a notoriously difficult art to conquer, as anyone who has tried to write one will tell you. It’s a battle of taking things out, and putting them back in again, of paring down the words so only the best remain, of trying to instil the smallest gesture with the clearest motive.
There’s this rather lovely quote from Lorrie Moore on the short story; “A short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage. A short story is a photograph; a novel is a film.” Sadly, this provides no valuable insights into how to make your short story into a wondrous (or disastrous) love affair or a perfectly timed photo.
And that’s where we come in. Writers’ Centre Norwich runs creative writing workshops (amongst other things like interview training from Media Minded), and two of our new season’s workshops are specifically aimed towards the short story writer. Taught by experts, these workshops will help you develop your writing.
Writers’ Centre Norwich’s Workshop Room
Our first short story workshop is ‘Writing the Short Story’, a weekend course led by Dave Pescod. Taking place on the 15th and 16th March, (£120/£100 conc) this workshop will help you learn new skills, create fresh work, and experiment with traditional and multi-media formats. You’ll also receive impartial, considered feedback from your fellow participants and tutor Dave – the Holy Grail for writers!
The second workshop is led by Philip Langeskov, whose short story Barcelona has just been published by Daunt Books. ‘The Art of the Short Story’ will take place on July 5th (£60/£50 conc) and will use examples of ‘classic’ short stories to inspire and inform your own writing. You’ll not only receive feedback on your writing during the workshop, but will be invited to send your short story to Philip after the workshop to receive an invaluable written critique.
And who knows, after participating in one (or both!) of these workshops you might be able to tell us the exact recipe for writing the perfect short story.
ShortStops 