Writing High-Impact Short Stories
Writing High-Impact Short Stories
WRITING 712.1
A targeted seminar on techniques to give short stories resonance, weight, and impact in the least amount of words.
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What you can learn.
What you can learn.
Explore how to engage readers without expanding your word count
Examine effective openings and closings
Experiment with craft elements such as plot, character, pacing and worldbuilding in condensed space
Discover techniques to deepen emotional impact and resonance in your work
About This Course
You have an amazing story to tell, but only a limited word count to do so. It may be counterintuitive, but the way to write an effective short story is not to simplify or remove elements. Instead, we should push short stories to do more. By examining examples from short stories in different genres, we will explore examples of engaging openings and impactful endings. The workshop will cover techniques for playing with plot, pacing, character, and worldbuilding to give your short story more resonance and weight in fewer words. Whether you’re coming in with a rough draft or just starting to develop a new idea, this course aims to provide guidelines for taking your story project to the next level.
Explore the UCLA Extension Writers' Program.
Learn from successful writers. Finish a novel. Complete a screenplay. Publish poetry. Write with purpose and impact.