EVERYTHING You Need To Write The Best Dang Fiction of Your Life
From short-shorts to a whole-ass novel (and everything in between)
Hey Workshoppers,
In this week’s end-of-year-best-of-everything-round-up (EOYBOERU for short), we’ve gathered up some of the very best fiction writing resources for your browsing pleasure…
Whether you’re experimenting with short fiction, hammering out a novel, or somewhere in between, there’s a treasure trove of lessons and insights to be found in the Forever Workshop archive — from plotting to characterisation to editing to the nitty gritty “how does a sentence even work anyway” granular stuff.
So let’s get into it:
A Fiction Toolkit
Okey dokey, we’re gonna start small with the surprisingly expansive world of short fiction — from micro to flash to short stories. Who likes short shorts? We like short shorts.
Get Started With Short Fiction
If you’re looking for somewhere to start with very short (flash) fiction, then here’s a breakdown of what I (yes, it is I, Jo Gatford) consider to be its essential elements:
In the Smash Your Flash Workshop, You’ll also find tips on easy structures to play with, nailing that all-important turning point, and exploring experimental techniques, and holy moly so much more (it’s one of our rare 12-part workshops, so there’s A LOT there!).
And if you just feel like a quick ‘n’ spooky exercise to get you writing right away, try this one on for size:
(Honestly, one of my favourite flash fiction exercises probably ever from Kayla Kumari’s Freaky Flash Story Sprint — a step-by-step guide to scary world-building and an endlessly repeatable premise.)
There’s always been some debate over where to draw the line between prose poetry and flash fiction, but honestly who gives a flying flash when you could be having a grand old time writing along to Karan Kapoor’s surrealist prompts:
From short to loooong. If your story simply cannot be contained by short fiction and is demanding you pull 80,000+ words out of your brain, then you could probably do with some novelistic help right about now. Here’s what we’ve got:
Novel Writing Basics
It just so happens we have a whole workshop entitled: How to Finally Get Started on That Novel (by the wonderful Amy Shearn) which is going to help you do exactly that.
And even if you’ve already started (or stalled, or are on your 16th draft), this advice never goes out of date. Stuff like:
Getting a broad, objective view of your story:
Wrangling structure, outlining, and what’s at the heart of your story:
Crafting unforgettable characters:
And, y’know, everything else you need to figure out — like your novel’s narrative voice, your story’s setting, and what POV works best for you. Get stuck in, babes.
And then we have all those vital fiction skills that will help you develop your work no matter what form, length, style or genre you’re writing:
Lessons to Refine Your Craft
Like… how to write stellar dialogue — because your fictional characters are probably gonna talk to each other, right? We hiiiiiighly recommend Lauren Veloski’s Dialogue Workshop to learn how to borrow all the best techniques and tricks from screenwriting and delve deep into how great dialogue works:
(P.S. Also well worth checking out the lesson on creating conflict through dialogue, which can be applied to all kinds of stories!)
Y’know what else all stories have in common? They’re made of words. Which make up a whole bunch of sentences. And it’s really great if each of those sentences kicks ass. Lucky for us, we have Nina Schuyler’s Sentence Structure Workshop to show us how it’s done, because she really knows how it’s done…
And another universal must-have for any story: a vivid world for readers to get lost in — regardless of how fantastical or realistic your setting is. Amy Shearn is here to help you create compelling fictional worlds in The World-building Workshop:
Sometimes you want specific advice on a specific kind of writing, so we gathered our favourite experts to tell us all about their favourite genre. And as it turns out, each of them contains some great advice that applies to ALL kinds of writers…
Pick Your Genre, Any Genre
Everything you ever needed to know about writing shit-scary stories in Kayla Kumari’s comprehensive Horror Writing Workshop:
From sci fi to fantasy to the many subgenres in between — Grace P. Fong covers all of them in The Speculative Fiction Workshop:
Or maybe you just wanna make people laugh? McSweeney’s here we come… Alex Baiahas you covered with his Short Humor Workshop:
(And if that’s your style, don’t miss this little bonus from his other humor workshop on crafting comedic characters.)
And finally, a word from Amy Shearn on genre as a completely arbitrary, made up, bastardised form of categorisation — and how ALL stories are made up of the same ol’ building blocks…
Ok, but at some point we have to move on from the planning, thinking, imagining phase and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)… I know. Rude. But it must be done. Here’s how:
Actually Writing The Thing
For all the novel-writers (or really for anyone who struggles to stay on track): how to establish and maintain a writing routine that works, how to find the time (how?!!!) and stay accountable:
Some genuinely masterful advice from Erin (and Taylor Swift) that breaks down your preconceptions of ‘productivity’ and help you build a personalised toolkit for your perfect writing routine:
(P.S. This whole Creative Process Workshop is packed full of excellent tips btw — and you don’t have to be a Swifty to enjoy it.)
And because sometimes we all need to see the wood beyond the trees, here’s a pep talk from steve chang on honing your craft, staying true to your passions and focusing on what matters:
Soooo writing is one thing, but editing is a whole other box of frogs. If you’re the kind of writer who groans at the thought of redrafting, this is for you:
It’s All in The Edit
First up, let’s be practical about this. Editing takes objectivity, which means looking at your work with a shrewd eye (and a ruthless pen). Sophie Campbell has cleverly hacked the system by stealing Creative Copywriting techniques that will give you the distance and focus you need:
Another great insight into the editorial process is to literally get inside the editorial process, which is exactly what steve chang has generously shared with us in the Revise Like an Editor Workshop. While primarily focused on short fiction, these lessons are super useful for anyone tackling the self-editing process — ironically starting at the end:
And some more advice on editing short fiction from me (hi!), although I’d also argue these techniques can be applied to all kinds of writing — because at its core, flash fiction is about efficiency and impact, and who doesn’t want a story that’s succinct and snappy?
(Bonus: I personally think a lot of editing comes down to “how much is enough” and “how much is too much” — that perfect balance of streamlining and subtext.)
Well then. That’s a lot of fictional goodness to be getting on with.
Now go make up a story (or six).
A Fictional Question For YOU:
In the spirit of this whole end-of-year round-up, we also want to hear about your best bits. So tell us:
What’s been your favourite read this year?
Books, stories, lit mags, whatever floats your literary boat!
Drop your recommendations below:
See you next week for our next Everything Workshop selection box…
Thanks for sharing! I love this from a “I don’t know where to start” perspective.