Smash Your Flash - The Craft of Short (Short) Fiction
An absolute mother of a flash fiction workshop
Hey there, story-seekers.
I’m Jo Gatford, and I’m here to deliver your next course—Smash Your Flash: The Craft of Short (Short) Fiction. During this workshop we’ll be covering a range of different approaches and exploring the elements of flash fiction, including:
How to get started: borrowed structures
Mining for subtext and identifying the ‘turn’
Manipulating time and space
Interweaving story threads
Experimentation and magical realism
Difficult subjects: how to write around them
Developing and editing your flash drafts
It will be a smorgasbord of techniques for you to build a flash with. The trick is finding the right structure, voice, and style to suit your story idea, which is exactly what we’re going to learn!
Get the vibe: Lesson 1 is free for everyone.
These lessons are available to paid subscribers for $10/mo
Feedback from subscribers who took this workshop
“I didn't know what to expect and thought it might not be substantial. I was wrong - it was wonderful.”
“Excellent content, thorough materials, great structuring/scaffolding.”
“I learned so much about different kinds of flash stories. I really loved the examples provided in each lesson and the assignments. Now I'm looking forward to experiment with my writing. Thank you so much Jo & The Forever Workshop for this amazing workshop.”
“Great course. Practical, authoritative and inspiring.”
What is flash fiction and why should you write it?
Flash is one of the shortest forms of fiction, generally categorized as a story of 1,000 words or fewer, although this definition is hotly contested across the internet, and every lit mag you submit to seems to have its own word limit. Sometimes it’s under 500 words. Sometimes 300, or 100… The point is, flash is a very short form. So it has to pack a punch, and do so very quickly.
Writing flash fiction is, in my opinion, one of the very best ways to hone and develop your writing skills. It demands clarity, precision, depth, detail, heart and truthfulness. It teaches you how to edit ruthlessly and sensitively. It encourages you to explore and experiment with form. And the best part—it can take you from idea to first draft in no time at all.
I’ve been writing flash and teaching creative writing for over a decade. I’ve written prize-winning flash fiction and been published in over 60 journals and anthologies, and I’m still learning—every time I read a lit mag, and every time I sit down to draft a piece—which is the real beauty of flash. It’s such an eclectic and genre-defying medium, you will always find something new and exciting to read and write.
What to expect over these four weeks of flash fiction immersion
Delving into flash can feel daunting, so I’m going to give you some easy entry points and a comprehensive breakdown of common flash structures and techniques.
There are three lessons each week (12 in total), focusing on generating new ideas, creating shapes with our stories, and incorporating different stylistic elements to develop them.
Looking forward to this course!
Big fan of flash, have been playing with it for several months and look forward to the course. Thank you!