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Welcome

Do you dream of writing awesome short stories? Then instead of writing, you stare at your computer screen for hours… type a few words, only to delete them? Has your ‘Submit a Short Story Once a Month’ goal already failed?  Do you think your writing is simply crap? And are you frustrated because you have no idea how to fix any of these problems?

Short Story School is designed to help you overcome self-doubt, procrastination, and perfectionism. It is a programme that will help you to master the theory of short story writing and help you learn how to apply the theory to your own writing.

You will also write more than you have ever written before. 

How does it work? 

There is no quick fix for writing. There is no magic ‘one-size-fits-all’ cure for procrastination. It takes time to learn, to shape your stories and to find your own voice. It takes time to overcome the doubts and devils that steal your time and to silence the inner critic: but the solution to these obstacles is also simpler than you think.

 

You need to learn how to write and critique short stories. You need to study the craft. You need to write.

 

A monthly membership – which includes a course, writing sessions, a reading challenge, community feedback and coaching, will help you do all of that, so that you can write better short stories.  ​​Usually, you have to choose between a course or a coach or feedback.

 

This unique membership offers all three. You don’t have to choose. We need different things at the different stages of our writing journey. Each story is different. Sometimes we need to go back to the theory. Other times we need feedback on how we applied that theory to our stories. Sometimes we simply need someone to cheer from the side lines.  ​

 

We all want results, and I am sure you want me to make promises about how quickly you will progress. In today’s instant gratification society, we want it all, and we want it now. Writing does not work like that.

 

You don’t decide to run an ultra-marathon the night before the race, right? Writing is the same. We need to build up our endurance. We need to work on our mental game. We need to train.​

 

Sure, I can give you a few quick tricks that will produce fast results and I will do that, but I’d prefer to teach you why and when and how you should apply a certain rule, but I also need you to know when and how you can break that rule.

 

Every story you write is different and requires something different from you as a writer. For my part, I want you to build a healthy, sustainable habit which will help you to write awesome short stories consistently and not in a mad rush that leaves you exhausted, dependent on false muses and burnt out.

With this membership, you’ll get a course, a coach, a reading challenge and you’ll join a kind writing community.

Doors open 1 August 2023

write better short stories

“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” ― E. L. Doctorow

What is included? 

With this membership, you’ll get a course, a coach, a reading challenge and you’ll join a kind writing community.

A Coach

I will facilitate the writing sessions and teach the classes. In addition to the Write the Crap Out of It curriculum, I plan to do close readings, invite guest lecturers and host plenty of Q&A sessions during our live sessions every month.​

 

Do you find yourself staring at your stories trying to figure out how to improve them, but instead of improving them you keep writing the same things over and over again? Do your beta-readers keep saying the same things over and over again, but you can’t figure out how to incorporate their feedback? Do you wish you could ask someone how to fix or change your stories or if you even should change anything?

 

During the sessions, you will have the opportunity to ask all your questions and get answers from an experienced coach. 

A COURSE

I wrote a book about the craft of short story writing. The book Write the Crap Out of It and Other Short Story Writing Advice was available on Amazon, but I have removed it from the platform and plan to use it as a teaching tool exclusively for the 12SS Membership.

 

I have reworked this material into a course format.​Each section of the book ends with an exercise. I plan to use these exercises in our classes. This will help you to apply the lessons and improve your skills. The classes for WTC will be made available monthly. If you decide to take part in the membership it will be an optional deadline to keep up with. 

A COMMUNITY

I love being online and sharing a writing space and time with writers. It has made all the difference to me, and I have managed to get so much writing done.

 

I hope you will feel the same. We have monthly writing sessions and discussions via Zoom. It is fun to chat about short stories with people who love them as much as you do.

Everything is recorded

Attending live is the ideal, but we're all busy. All the classes are recorded and uploaded after the event. You can access these at any time.  

Short Story School

Short Story School

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CONTACT

Pretoria, South Africa

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