REQUIRED COURSE BOOK:
Sudden Fiction (Continued): 60 New Short-Short Stories
Robert Shapard and James Thomas, Ed. New York/ London: W.W. Norton & Co.,
1996. ISBN 0-393-31342-5
ONLINE FLASH FICTION CLASS Taught by Pamelyn Casto
FAST FACTS
COURSE NAME: Flash Fiction (online class)
FACILITATOR: Pamelyn Casto (p.casto@worldnet.att.net)
DURATION: Four-Week Course
PRICE: $125.00
COURSE BOOK (REQUIRED): Sudden Fiction (Continued): 60 New Short-Short Stories,
by Robert Shapard (Editor), James Thomas (Editor) New York/ London: W.W. Norton & Co., 1996. ISBN 0-393-31342-5 (See link above to order.)
START DATE: TBD
SIGN-UP DEADLINE: TBD
WORKSHOP SYLLABUS:
Are you intrigued by powerful and memorable short-short stories, sometimes also called flash, sudden, micro, fast, quick, furious, skinny, or postcard fiction? Have you discovered the difficulty of trying to write them? If you want to learn more about this popular and very marketable type of writing, then this is the course for you.
This action-packed four-week online course will help you understand some effective principles for writing flash fiction. You'll receive lessons and reading assignments, and you'll experiment with exercises. You'll try your hand at analyzing good short-shorts in order to discover writer techniques. You'll learn the value of careful critiquing to help your writer colleagues and yourself. You'll also learn about formatting, market strategies, and finding markets for your work.
Facilitator: Pamelyn Casto
email: p.casto@worldnet.att.net
Week One: Introduction to Flash Fiction
This session is to introduce workshoppers to the flash fiction genre-- what it is, how it is, and why it is. Participants will learn a bit of history on the form and learn who some of the outstanding writers are. Participants will read selected material, will work on a story analysis, and will begin writing stories (from an exercise).
Week Two: A Matter of Simplicity
This session will discuss the concept of simplicity in creating short-short fiction. We will explore various "simple" (but outstanding) stories to discover how so much power can be contained in such a small space as a short-short story. There will be related stories to analyze and related exercises to try.
Week Three: What's In A Myth?
This session will discuss myth (charter myths, aetiological myths, literary myths, etc.) and how to create them or refashion them for flash fiction. Students will have related stories to analyze and related exercises to try.
Week Four: Markets for Flash Fiction
This final week will discuss marketing strategies for your flash fiction pieces and you'll learn about several markets and contests. This week will also include final critiques, final story analyses, and will include room for any unanswered questions workshop members might have.
PREREQUISITE: None, other than a strong desire on the part of workshop participants to learn as much as possible about writing flash fiction.
OBJECTIVE: By the course's end, participants will have gained a greater understanding of some important principles of writing flash fiction. Participants will understand much more about how to write effective short shorts, and will have a greater awareness of the markets for this type of work. Participants also will have created several rough-drafted stories (at least, and probably some ready-to-go stories too) and will have a collection of future flash fiction story ideas.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR: Pamelyn Casto created and runs the Flash Fiction Writing Workshop (http://home.att.net/~p.casto), and is the editor of the online monthly Flash Fiction Flash: The Newsletter for Flash Literature Writers (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FlashFictionFlash). Pam's work — articles, stories, essays poems — has been published in both print and on the 'net, including in The Toastmaster Magazine, The Art of Haiku 2000, Potpourri, Perihelion, Ship of Fools, flashquake, Mindprints, Modern Haiku, Wild Strawberries, Riding the Meridian, Fiction Fix, Amaze: The Cinquain Journal, Whim's Place, and Suddenly Sudden Fiction and Prose Poetry (Vols III & V). Pam has written several articles (with Geoff Fuller) on writing flash fiction in Writer's Digest and various Writer's Digest publications. One of her articles on flash fiction writing appears in the 2003 (7th Edition) of Bridging The Gap: College Reading (Longman). Pam is also a 2003 Pushcart Prize nominee.
WORKSHOP BEGINS: TBD
SIGNUP DEADLINE: TBD
DURATION: Four weeks
TUITION: $125 via PayPal, $130 via check or money order
TO PAY VIA CREDIT CARD THROUGH PAYPAL: Click the button below:
IMPORTANT: Make sure that you give us your name and the e-mail address
that you want us to use for the class!
NOTE: The September 14 Flash Fiction course is filled. Please check back to see when our next course is planned.
TO PAY BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER:
You may pay by check or money order for $130 ($125 plus $5 handling charge) made out to River Road Studios (flashquake.org's parent company) and mailed to:
flashquake
c/o D. Orton
4037 River Road
Schaghticoke NY 12154
If you are planning to mail payment, please be sure to send an e-mail to dorton@flashquake.org to let us know your check is coming. Otherwise, we may close the class before receiving your check. Payment MUST be received and checks must CLEAR before the sign-up deadline in order to participate in this class.
IMPORTANT: Make sure that you include your name and the e-mail address that you want to use for the class along with your check.
REFUND POLICY:
Students may request a full refund (less a $10 processing charge) up to three days after the class has begun. After that date, no refund will be given.