The Basics of Writing a Compelling Short Story
How to create stories that capture readers and develop your skills as a writer
4.15 (61 reviews)
382
students
1.5 hours
content
Sep 2017
last update
FREE
regular price
What you will learn
Write in a way that will feel more honest and natural to readers.
Avoid common mistakes.
Build strong writing habits
Learn how to develop a voice.
Why take this course?
Have you ever read a book that just fell flat? Especially one that was recommended to you by someone you respect, and you just couldn't get into it?
Short stories are often held to a higher standard, and, more often than not, looked down on by non-writers.
Why are short stories so important? For writers, it's because writing a short story is how we practice. It's how we test ourselves and push our imaginations to the very limit. Novels are great for some things, but it's easy to let your characters fall into worn-out roles. In short stories, your characters are constantly tested due to word limitation and it's some of the best practice in the world. Not to mention, if you think that writing a story in 100,000 words is hard, try to put that same story in 1,000!
In this course, I will not only cover some of the basics of writing (including common pitfalls) but I will also break down a short story into its parts and explain them. At the end of this course, you will have a firm grasp of a short story and how to write one.
Thanks for checking out the course!
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Reviews
Richard
June 3, 2022
I'm a 60-year-old boomer with a AS degree in Physics. I went to college way back in the 1980s, when the Internet was still a private network available only to the DoD (Dept of Defense) and PhDs doing research online. This is my very first course that I've taken online. At first, I thought I would have to do homework assignments and submit them online to be graded (LoL). But apparently, that's not how this course works. I like how I can progress through the course at my own pace, and watch the lecture videos more than once if need be. I also like the information that the instructor imparts to the audience. I've been published and paid three times for short, non-fiction articles in the distant past, but I've experienced nothing but rejection from some fiction short stories that I've written and submitted. That is why I'm taking this course: to learn how to write a short story and get published and paid for it. I've really learned a lot so far from this course. Thank you, NM.
Donald
March 24, 2022
Instructor knows his stuff, hit the salient points, and quickly got to the ‘meat and potatoes’. I enjoyed the course and got a lot out of it. No style points for the video editing—bit choppy. Nevertheless, they were concise and to the point and didn’t detract from the lessons. Thanks!
Sujata
May 17, 2020
This is a great course from a beginner's point of view, like me. I was easily able to understand the references and the flow of content. Thanks for giving the little tips on observations and practices, I am definitely going to try and implement them. The experiences that instructor has shared from his own journey are relatable and easy to learn from. The book references are also very helpful.
Shaye
June 24, 2019
This was a great, succinct starter course for short story creative writing. The instructor's delivery is conversational and it feels like he is genuinely trying to communicate the most important concepts for beginning writers in the briefest, most relatable way possible. I would recommend this to anyone who is considering giving short story writing a shot, but just isn't sure how to begin. Thank you Nathaniel.
Laurie
May 31, 2019
Thank you so much the things you explained were intriguing and has excellent points and makes it seem more comfortable and enjoyable to people who have already written short stories and want to influence their craft, the course was enjoyable and informative from start to finish a superb job. A+!!
Deborah
May 27, 2019
The course was good and pretty informative, but it was a lot more basic than I was expecting. He does give some good links to resources for submitting short stories to magazines/publications and writing contests, and I had never known about writing residencies before, so that was great new information to have. Overall, he teaches in a clear and friendly manner, and I like his authenticity. I was just hoping for something a bit deeper like strategies for planning and outlining short stories.
Bob
March 1, 2019
There were some good tips.
Some of the examples of good writing were the same that are referenced everywhere, for example the book 1984 for a good first line, are there more recent examples?
Matthew
January 17, 2019
This is a great course to watch and then write a basic set of instructions for developing short stories. It could provide more details in some places, but it's fine in it's current format.
Samantha
January 14, 2019
I enjoyed this course. I was invested and interested to improve my skills as a writer.
Other than choppy video editing, this course was very helpful.
Nikki
December 8, 2018
So far the course is a great match. He is very clear and concise. Looking forward to the rest of the course.
Pamela
October 9, 2018
It was really nice to hear from an author who is also a 'pantser' or discovery writer. I did not feel like I was left out because I just cannot do nonfiction writing with the structure that is typically put forward. I am still not sure I can manage 'short' but I am certainly more comfortable that when I have the time to attempt it, I have a good chance of success.
Robin
November 12, 2017
I am a new writer. I find myself being apprehensive to finding my own voice. I am just beginning to find out who I am and it is sometimes surprising. This course gave me some insights and also pushed me forward.
Thank you
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1094392
udemy ID
1/29/2017
course created date
2/8/2020
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