NO FIREWORKS, NO AMBULANCES: Making Your Quiet Story Shine [1-Day Asynchronous Workshop] with Kathryn Kulpa, Dec 8, 2024

Instructor: Kathryn Kulpa
Date: December 8, 2024 8 am to 10 pm ET
Class Limit:  10
Cost: $150
Open to writers of: Flash Fiction, Micro Fiction, Flash CNF, Micro Memoir

Format: Stories will be posted and discussed on an asynchronous discussion board. Page will remain open through December 11 to accommodate different time zones.

Do you sometimes worry that your story isn’t “enough” because you don’t have any major drama? No body count, no explosions, no life-changing cataclysm, no shocking last-minute twist that will make everyone say “Wow!” But there is power in a quiet story, in a story that captures an ordinary moment and captures it well.

Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, professor emerita at Ohio State University, says: “When books reflect back to us our own experiences, when scenes and sentences strike us as so true they are anchors mooring us to the text, it tells readers their lives and experiences are valued.” She was speaking of children’s books, but this is equally true of adult fiction, and flash fiction especially. With flash, we have a small canvas, but within that small space, we can look deep. Instead of a sweeping epic, we can capture a single true moment—“a small, good thing,” in Raymond Carver’s words--in a way that makes readers see themselves in the story. 

In part one of this one-day workshop, we will read and discuss some examples of quiet stories. I will share one of my own and talk about my process and the choices I made to stay with one simple moment. I’ll share some writing prompts, and writers will be asked to complete them in a given time and post them on our shared site. In part two, after a break, we will read and discuss our first stories, then do a second round of prompts so writers can share either new stories or revisions. Everyone should leave with at least one completed story and strategies for making quiet stories shine. 

Learn more about Kathryn Kulpa here.