Short Story Writing Course

As part of the conference Zöe Fairbairns led a writers workshop of 15 people on the theme of "A Story of 1968...". Many excellent pieces were created, ranging from a street sweeper in Paris to a demonstrator's angry response to the police. We hope to put up more of the stories on this website.

A story of 1968...

Were you there? In reality? Or in your imagination?

What was it like? Forget the headlines - what was it like for you, yourself? In your town, your street, your kitchen, your classroom, your workplace, your bedroom?

Who were you? Who would you have liked to be?
Create a fictional self.
Who was s/he?
What did s/he look like in 1968?
What did s/he wear?
What did s/he taste, feel, smell, listen to, see?
What did s/he hope for, what did s/he worry about?
What did s/he desire? How did s/he go about satisfying that desire? What happened?

WRITE THE STORY.

You have just 30 minutes of writing time, so don’t expect to cover the whole of 1968. An effective short story is often about something quite small - a single incident, a solitary person, an object you can hold in your hand.

As Raymond Carver said, “Writers don't need tricks or gimmicks or even necessarily need to be the smartest fellows on the block. At the risk of appearing foolish, a writer sometimes needs to be able to just stand and gape at this or that thing - a sunset or an old shoe - in absolute and simple amazement.”

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Zoë Fairbairns is a novelist, short story writer, poet, radio writer, playwright, and journalist. www.zoefairbairns.co.uk