Workshop Summary – October 18-25
From nailing a solid idea to the excitement of penning that vital last sentence, this week-long intensive will examine the different elements of short story writing including character, setting, voice, structure, plot, pacing, dialogue and endings. The most important question is: who is telling the story and why? Each day over a 2-hour session (10am-12pm) we will have a close reading of a short story by a published writer to see how they did it (you will be sent a reading list in advance!) We will also discuss the chosen short story topic for that day and enjoy some tailored writing exercises. The rest of the day is yours to concentrate on writing. From midway through the week, we will also peer-group work–in–progress for an hour in the afternoon (time tbc). Each participant will also get a one-on-one session to discuss their work. By the end of the six days you will have a good first draft of your short story.
Course Outline
Day One: Sourcing Ideas.
Using real life content (newspapers, fake news, social media) you will decide what you want to write about and write the beginning of your story in the workshop. You may already have a solid idea for a story you want to write and that’s fine too. The basic premise of this first session is to discuss the first story on the reading list, to talk about what defines a short story, how to make your words matter (writing on relevant modern topics) and how to go about starting?
Day Two: Voice
How important is voice in a short story? What is narrative voice? How does it inform style, content, shape, structure? What is point of view?
Day Three: Character
How is your character motivated? What drives them to action? What do they most desire? What stops them getting what they want?
Day Four: Plot
What’s really going on? Short stories are nearly always two things happening at once: a story beneath the surface (the unsaid or compressed) and a story above the surface (how symptoms play out as behaviour). How can you identify the buried story in your text, what you really want to write about but are perhaps avoiding!? This mid-way point can be both confusing and fun to crack.
Day Five: Pacing and Progression
New possibilities open up, how will your character handle what’s thrown at them. How will they find a way out of their dilemma?
Day Six: Conclusions & Consequences
What has changed for your character? Where are they now? How do you let them go? Are you satisfied with how the story ends?
Course Tutor – June Caldwell
June Caldwell is twice a prize-winner of The Moth Short Story Prize (2024 & 2014) and a 2025 awardee of the International Lamplight Fellowship. Her short story collection Room Little Darker was published in 2017 by New Island Books to critical acclaim and in 2018 by Head of Zeus, UK. June has facilitated workshops at various literary festivals, libraries and Mountjoy Men’s Prison. She has also judged numerous short story competitions. Her debut novel Little Town Moone is forthcoming from John Murray.
Dates, Fees & Booking
Date: October 18-25, 2026
Cost: Residential Mentored Writing Weeks cost £1,375.
Cost: This course can be taken remotely (online) for £425.
Options: You can combine a mentored writing week with a 3-day (£1,750) or 7-day (£2,075) studio extension.
