Writing Flash Fiction
Applications
Writing Flash Fiction
A lively and inspiring four-week Zoom course – with evening teaching from award-winning short fiction writer Vanessa Gebbie.
Tutor
Vanessa GebbieLength
4 weeksLocation
OnlineWriting Goal
Develop your writingUnleash your creativity and get started with flash fiction on our Zoom course!
Winning the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize is the most fantastic validation, and it all began with Vanessa’s classes and her extraordinary enthusiasm and support.
Winner of the 2024 Oxford Flash Fiction Prize
A great piece of flash fiction creates a complete world in just a few hundred words or less. Powerful, precise and succinct – and short enough to draft in a single writing session – flash is a story distilled to its very essence, where every word counts.
16 budding writers will join acclaimed short fiction writer Vanessa Gebbie for lively 90-minute Zoom teaching sessions that explore the essentials of writing flash fiction, from the importance of word choice and sensory detail, to creating character through voice and how to approach revising and editing. You’ll discover new and exciting ways to generate ideas, drafting flashes from scratch and sharing them on our interactive forum after class. By the end of the course, you will have drafted several complete pieces of flash fiction, ready for polishing and submitting for competitions and publication.
This course is suitable for beginners looking to explore their creative potential as well as more experienced writers in search of a fresh burst of inspiration. It’s the ideal next step for anyone who has taken our Writing Short Stories course and would like to learn more about the flash form and develop their craft with a friendly, supportive group of aspiring writers.
Tutor
Vanessa Gebbie
Vanessa Gebbie is the award-winning writer of three collections of short stories: Words from a Glass Bubble, Storm Warning and A Short History of Synchronised Breathing, a collection of flash fiction, Nothing to Worry About, and a novella in flash, Ed's Wife and Other Creatures. Her novel The Coward’s Tale was selected as a Financial Times Book of the Year. She has won awards for short stories, flash fictions, poetry and travel writing, is an experienced creative writing teacher and mentor, and is the editor of Short Circuit: Guide to the Art of the Short Story. She also contributed a chapter to the Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction.
Photo by Claire McNamee.
WHAT DOES THE COURSE GIVE YOU?
- Live teaching sessions on Zoom: On Monday evenings, Vanessa will welcome the group for a 90-minute Zoom class, covering teaching topics such as inspiration and ideas, form, characterisation, concision and editing. You’ll read examples of great flash fiction and discuss these as a group.
- Writing tasks: Weekly writing tasks, prompts and practical exercises (set during the class and for homework) will help you explore the flash form and develop your skills as you put pen to paper.
- A community of writers: Join a friendly and supportive group of sixteen aspiring writers for weekly Zoom classes and share your work with your peers on our bespoke learning platform.
- Feedback on your writing: Each week, your tutor will give brief feedback to four students on their work, so that each student in the group receives individual comment on their work once during the course.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Teaching will take place on Monday evenings, from 7-8.30pm on Zoom (UK time).
Please note that precise dates and details of sessions are subject to change.
Introduction & welcome
Mon 24 Feb, 7–8.30pmUNEXPECTED FORMS
Mon 3 Mar, 7–8.30pmTHE WEIRD & WONDERFUL WORLD OF FLASH
Mon 10 Mar, 7–8.30pmEDITING & CONCLUSION
Mon 17 Mar, 7–8.30pm
COURSE FEES & APPLICATION
The course fee of £270 (inc VAT) per student is payable in full before the start of the course.
Places will be offered on a first come, first served basis – we therefore advise people who are keen to join this course to apply early. If you’d like to apply, please fill out our application form. If you encounter any problems during the application process, or have any more questions about the course, please email help@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk for assistance.
ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK
Students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their work from a CBC editor at the end of the course.
- CBC report: For an additional fee of £155, you can obtain a detailed 500-word report on your work (based on five pieces of flash fiction, of 350 words max each) from one of our editors.
- CBC report + tutorial: For an additional fee of £260, you can obtain a 500-word report from one of our editors and have a 30-minute video or telephone tutorial with them to discuss your work.