Course outline: Short Story Essentials€¦ · At the end of the course, you will have a finished short story of 2,500 words that you can enter in short story competitions and share

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Australian Writers' Centre WritersCentre.com.au

Course outline: Short Story Essentials

• Are you looking for new opportunities to showcase your work? • Would you like a step-by-step guide to creating a polished short story? • Want to feel the rush of entering (and winning) writing competitions?

In this course, you receive an introduction to the short story form, and then examine the basic ingredients your story will need. You will split the story writing process into the beginning, the middle and the end, and will learn the essential storytelling skills, in the modules where you’ll need them most. Everything from creating characters to writing a stunning opening. At the end of the course, you will have a finished short story of 2,500 words that you can enter in short story competitions and share with your friends and family. Key points

• Online self-study format so you can learn at your own pace. • Techniques and storytelling skills to help you unlock the formula to short story

writing success. • Writing exercises after each module so that you can build your short story by the

end of the course. • Submit your short story (optional) to get feedback from your tutor. • Course creator and tutor: Cathie Tasker. • Go to WritersCentre.com.au/shortstoryessentials to be taken to our course page.

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MODULE ONE: Essential ingredients in your short story In Module 1 you will examine the market, the changing short story form and what’s so special and rewarding about writing short stories. You will look at the different approaches used by plotters vs pantsers and outline the basics. We’ll learn where ideas come from and the best way to transform these into a compelling narrative. If you’re looking at writing a story with a twist, you’ll find out how to best set this up within your story’s framework – using foreshadowing techniques and planting clues along the way. Discover the essential ingredients for writing a short story — we ask what you want to achieve, and then suggest how you might communicate your ideas. We focus on helping you understand what you want to get out of writing a short story. With a short story, emotion is crucial, and you will learn how to transport your reader into a unique moment in time. MODULE TWO: How to write your opening Capturing your reader’s attention lies in a strong opening. You need to be able to write a great opening which communicates the character, story premise, and the setting, all in about 200 words. We’ll show you how. You’ll also discover how to hook your reader into the story so that they want to keep on reading. In this module we’ll show you how to communicate the who, what, when, where and why of openings. You’ll also find ways to flesh out your character – what is it that they want and need? Is it something that your reader will be interested in? A strong protagonist is key to a successful short story and you’ll discover how to build an effective point of view and narrative voice. We’ll also look at working within a genre, establishing the setting of your story and signalling its themes – all within a stunning opening. MODULE THREE: The Middle: Your plot and structure Module 3 is where the fog begins to clear and we can begin to understand the motivations and expectations of your characters – as well as why they are being presented to us in this way. You will explore plotting and how to emphasise your themes and set up a twist if you have one. This is the meat of the story so the tension needs to be high and the pace varied and interesting. We will look at the Rule of Three and why it’s a crucial element of your structure. You’ll learn to layer in the highs and lows within your story to create effective tension and conflict.

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Your plot must be tight with a strong emotional underpinning – it’s all about the decisions that your character makes. This module will give you a blueprint for plotting success. MODULE FOUR: Show, don’t tell The concept of “Show, don’t tell” is one of the most important aspects of creative writing. If you want to write prose that keeps readers engaged and involved in your story, you need to master this technique. We’ve dedicated this entire module to help you understand this vital approach so that you can apply this in your own stories. Filled with practical examples, this module may just transform your writing! MODULE FIVE: Deep diving: Style and story techniques Module 5 keeps you in the middle of the story, but with a greater focus on style and story techniques – in particular point of view, dialogue and inner voice. Plus learn the potential pitfalls and clichés to avoid. We’ll identify how to use active language and utilise the full range of senses when writing. This module will get into the nuts and bolts of style – the essential techniques you need to refine the words, themes and rhythm of your story. All of the fundamentals you need in order to hook your reader and have them hanging onto your every word. MODULE SIX: The climax and ending All of your hard work so far has been leading up to this point. How do you create that great light bulb moment for your reader? How do you keep the story tense, compelling and with a climax and resolution that offers your reader an emotional and intellectual reward? This module will explore the main types of endings and why your short story needs a punch line. If you’re planning to end with a bang and astonish your reader with a twist – we’ll show you the techniques to make it happen. A stellar ending is packed with emotion. You’ll discover how to reinforce your story’s themes and ideas through an effective climax and leave your reader wanting more. MODULE SEVEN: Polishing and editing your short story In Module 7 you will be shown how to finish off your story by polishing and editing to bring out the strengths in the story. We also discuss preparing your story for submission and how to grasp opportunities available via anthologies or competitions.

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It’s here that you also have the opportunity to submit your story for feedback if you wish. You’ll discover how to perform a structural edit, ensuring that your story has all of the essential elements you’ve learnt from previous modules. We’ll pay attention to writing style and keeping your theme clear. Have you understood the “show, don’t tell” principle? This module will help you to polish, redraft and proofread your short story to give it the best chance of success. Writing exercises This course contains exercises for you to complete at each stage. These exercises will help you hone your short story skills and, importantly, write your short story. These are not assignments that you submit to a tutor for feedback. They are designed so you can complete them at your own pace, whenever you want. Once you have completed all the modules and exercises, you can then submit a story (of no more than 2500 words) for feedback from course creator, Cathie Tasker. This is optional. Recommended related courses Creative Writing Stage 1 Discover what you need to know about plotting, dialogue, characters, structure and more – the vital skills of creating compelling longer form fiction. Course format: Online self-study + final story feedback Purchase this course at any time and begin where and when it suits you. The content can be completed at your own pace, as there is no live tutoring until the final assignment. After you submit your completed short story, Cathie Tasker will read and provide feedback on it. (This is highly recommended.) You can access the content of this course for 12 months from the date of purchase. However we do recommend not leaving too long a time period between modules due to the step-by-step nature of this course.

“ "The best writing courses are the ones that provide you with access to authors and editors, who can guide your writing and provide you with the necessary industry information to progress your writing/career. I highly recommend the centre for any aspiring writers out there. It has done wonders for my creativity and writing." – Shelley Stephens, Australian Writers' Centre graduate

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“ “There is more to writing than you could imagine. If you are serious about pursuing it then this where to start.” – Neil Ray, Australian Writers' Centre graduate

Your presenter and course creator

Cathie Tasker is a fiction editor with over 25 years' experience. Her specialisations are in children’s and young adult fiction and literary adult fiction. Cathie has mentored many manuscripts to publication and is experienced at guiding and motivating writers to improve their work. She has a clear understanding of how to turn a raw manuscript

into a compelling story that would attract the interest of a publisher. Cathie is a judge for the Aurealis Awards, fantasy novel section. Her academic qualifications are: libraries and literature (BA in Library Science & Literature), children’s literature (half of a Graduate Diploma in Children’s Literature), and marketing (Graduate Diploma of Marketing). She has spent over 25 years in book publishing, both in editorial and marketing, in children’s publishing and in adult fiction and manuscript assessments. Her publishing background has been at Scholastic Australia, HarperCollins and Koala Books. Cathie has worked with many award-winning and bestselling authors including Garth Nix, Bruce Whatley, Garry Disher, Jackie French, Mem Fox, Susanne Gervay and many more. So that’s Short Story Essentials (It’s great). Go to WritersCentre.com.au/shortstoryessentials to be taken to our course page. And if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our super-friendly, super-helpful team on the contact details listed below: Australian Writers’ Centre Website: WritersCentre.com.au

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Please direct all enquiries to our head office Email: [email protected] Phone: (02) 9929 0088

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Course outline: Short Story Essentials€¦ · At the end of the course, you will have a finished short story of 2,500 words that you can enter in short story competitions and share