Telling Tales: Discovering What is True for Us

with Akhil Sharma

This course will develop writers’ understanding of the short story, and focus on what exactly is worth writing about: the interior life or the social world and in what proportions. Writers will gain a deeper knowledge of advanced techniques and approaches to writing compelling short stories.

Unfortunately, we are full!

Registrations for this course are now closed but do join our mailing list here to be updated on future courses like this.

Summary

Course code: AS7

6 online workshops of 2.5 hour each

For Intermediate to Advanced Writers

Limited places available

Selective entry – we’ll offer places to writers based on writing samples sent on application

Dates

18 & 25 September, 2, 9, 16, 23 October 2021 (Saturdays)
8:00 to 10:30 pm SGT

No partial sessions accepted

Venue

Workshops will take place online via Zoom

Successful participants will receive a private link to the workshops

Follow up consultations with participants may be available

Overview

This course will focus on what exactly is worth writing about: the interior life or the social world and in what proportions. The course will explore advanced techniques and approaches to writing compelling short stories. Participants will read classic short stories and undertake exercises leading to the creation of a short story.

Please note particiants are required to attend all the 6 workshops.

Learning Outcomes

After completion of the workshop series, participants will have:

  1. developed their understanding of the short story, its context and techniques
  2. explored their own approach to writing and focus on what to write about: the interior life or the social world, and in what proportions
  3. gained a deeper knowledge of how to write short stories
  4. obtained skills and experience to enable participants to write a new short story

Who should register?

Writers including:

  1. Intermediate Writers — Writers who have chosen to pursue writing as a full time or part time career with a serious, professional intent but who are not yet published with a mainstream or recognised independent publisher
  2. Advanced Writers — Writers who have published at least one book with a mainstream or recognised independent publisher, and/or published in at least one literary journal and/or anthology

This course is especially targetted at short story writers looking to take their stories to the next level.

Participants will be selected by the Visiting Writer with assistance from the Asia Creative Writing programme. A waiting list will be maintained.

Registration and Pricing

Course Prerequisites

To sign up, please register at this link with the following documents:

  1. A 500 word writing sample (your writing sample does not have to be from the genre of the course nor your current writing project; it will be an assesment of your standard and style of writing)
  2. A short summary of your writing project of ~100 words
  3. A short biography of ~100 words

Course Fees

  • For 6 workshops of 2.5 hours each:
    • $190 for adults
    • $75 for students, unemployed, low income migrant workers
  • Free for undergraduates from Singapore tertiary institutions
  • Non refundable if cancellation 2 weeks or less before course starts
  • Please email us if financial assistance is needed

About Akhil Sharma

Akhil Sharma was born in Delhi in India and emigrated to the USA in 1979. His stories have been published in the New Yorker and in Atlantic Monthly, and have been included in The Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize Collections. His first novel, An Obedient Father, won the 2001 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. He was named one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young American Novelists’ in 2007. His second novel, Family Life, won The 2015 Folio Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award 2016. Sharma is currently a Fellow at The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

© Photo credit: Jack Lewellyn

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