Speculative Fiction
April 14-29, 2024
(asynchronous, self-paced & interactive)

Come learn about the magical world of writing flash fiction, genre style!

Across the two weeks of this course, you will get a detailed overview of the flash genre and opportunities to write and share your flash fiction. We’ll read and analyze representative stories as inspiration for our own writing. Everyone will read and critique each other’s work. The first week is entirely generative. The second week, our focus shifts to revising for submission. You will work on two of your pieces, picking one that you will submit to the publication of your choice at the end of the class. We will review provided resources (journals and ways to find journals) and crowdsource ideas for places looking to publish the type of work you generate. We will end the course by finding a completely optional date to meet up for an online reading of the work you are intending to submit.

Get ready to get your dreams down on the page!

Leading the session on Flash and Micro Writing at the June and August Writing Away Refuge Virtual Retreats as well as the live retreat held in October in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

In 2023 I helped judge the NC Writer’s Flash Prose contest and taught about flash writing.. In 2022 I gave NC Writer’s Morning Out a workshop on writing flash fiction and nonfiction. I regularly teach flash topics at Southern New Hampshire University.

This class journeys into micro creative writing where we distill meaning into its richest form. Moments in Miniature is an asynchronous online course taught through Canvas. We travel the map of micro creative writing, reading from inspiring authors in this abbreviated form. Responding to three prompts (there will be a fourth bonus prompt), participants in this class will produce flash fiction/nonfiction sharing with each other and commenting on each other’s work. Each prompt focuses on different elements of writing craft from narrative arc to metaphor. By the end, we’ll have started three (or four) new flash pieces!

Flash Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry
October 22-29, 2023
(asynchronous, self-paced)

Forget about raking leaves and commit to your writing with a week of stories, essays, poems, and prompts, all designed to help you create new work. This is an opportunity to expand your horizons by experimenting with creative work, either in traditional literary form or in one of the many genres (SciFi, Fantasy, Horror, Crime, whatever you choose). You’ll receive introductory information and three packets of work with readings and prompts designed to generate work. Our open forum allows the group of writers to read and comment on each other’s work. All literary and realistic writing will be eligible for early review and inclusion in MicroLit Almanac.

The workshop costs just $50 for the spun-out week. Work will be shared with all participants!

Questions? Email BirchBarkEditing@gmail.com.