This workshop, both an introduction for beginners and an opportunity for experienced writers to hone their craft, presents short short stories as s separate genre from longer fiction. The uniqueness of the form lies in its brevity and its unexpectedness. Often, a short short story contains a novel, though this highly compressed form is closer to the poem. A key episode, a moment of discovery is revealed obliquely, not through direct statement.
Short stories are snap shots, single frames, complete in themselves.
In-class exercises generate quick and spontaneous first drafts which are reworked at home, then discussed. Particular attention is given to structure, detail, rhythm, and tone. Voice, theme, conflict, viewpoint, and dialogue are explored within the Framework of the form. Experimentation is encouraged. Since then his fiction has appeared in a number of literary journals, including Lit, Press, The Crescent Review, Quarterly West, Rosebud, and others.