The Short Story
In this series of six online workshops, we’re going to read some fantastic short fiction; we’ll analyse and learn from it, helping to improve our own writing. Week by week, we’ll play around with character, atmosphere, dialogue, description and tension, thinking about all the elements required of a great short story. By the end of the course, you’ll have written a brand-new short story which will be edited and published in an Inkfish Press anthology (available to purchase as an eBook). Each workshop session will consist of in-class exercises, periods of discussion and analysis, and time for sharing the work we’re writing. Simple homework assignments along the way will help you develop your story. This course runs online on Wednesday evenings, beginning September 10th 2025.
During this course, you will learn how to:
- Craft memorable characters that leap off the page.
- Build atmospheric and immersive settings for your stories.
- Create compelling dialogue and character conflict.
- Structure short fiction using tension and turns.
- Make your work tight and taut by editing.
What Makes a Good Short Story?
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- What makes a good story?
- Different genres, tropes and devices.
- Asking ‘what if’ makes the ordinary exciting.
Crafting Compelling Characters
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- Invent memorable & compelling characters.
- Good and bad, main and peripheral characters.
- Whose story is this? Find your POV & voice.
It's All in the Details
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- Dynamic and specific detail.
- Using observation to create atmosphere.
- Researching your world.
Plot, pacing, and tension
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- Finding the best pacing for your story.
- Heighten tension using story beats.
- Working twists and turns into a plot arc.
Dialogue, Subtext & Conflict
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- Building dialogue ‘icebergs’ with subtext.
- Conversations that propel your story forward.
- Dialogue, conflict and character.
Editing & polishing your story
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- How to choose your best story for the anthology.
- What to look for when editing your work.
- Questions for current and future projects.
Peter studied English Literature at The University of Cambridge, was awarded a Distinction for his MA in Creative Writing and now lectures at the University of Hull. He is the editor and co-founder of Inkfish Magazine and a committee member for the Penzance Literary Festival. In 2025, Peter is the Writer in Residence at The Morrab Library.