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Private Instruction in Writing Short Fiction

With the guidance of his or her tutor, the student will practice fundamental elements of story writing, including voice, point of view, compression, character, dialogue, flashback, and conflict. The tutor will introduce the student to classic and contemporary short stories that may inspire the student’s own creations, and will offer encouragement and feedback on work in progress.

The goals of our short fiction program are threefold:

  1. Build the student’s core writing skills.
  2. Acquaint the student with a range of styles and techniques in fiction.
  3. Draft and revise stories that can be submitted for publication or as part of an admissions portfolio.

A typical program in short fiction involves one, 60-90 minute session per week, with writing and reading assignments for the student to complete independently and discuss at the following session. In addition to short exercises targeting different elements of craft, the student will draft (and extensively revise) 2-4 short stories.

If advanced students are interested in publishing their stories, our tutors can guide them to appropriate venues (print and online journals, school magazines, local newspapers) and help them compose submission cover letters.

Our Short Fiction Instructors:
Our team of short fiction writing instructors includes the tutors below. Click on the instructor’s short profile to access his or her full profile:

Danielle M., M.F.A.
Danielle M., M.F.A.
Education

Emerson College, MFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing
Georgetown University, BA in Psychology
Phillips Academy, Andover


Summary of Experience

Currently a member of the English faculty at Lawrence Academy, Danielle also works with the Academy's College Office, assisting students with the college-essay writing process. She has also taught at Andover's summer school, where she instructed students in the rigorous MS² program and edited the program's alumni magazine. Before becoming a teacher, Danielle worked as a writer and journalist for The Boston Phoenix.
Katrina G.-S., M.A.
Katrina G.-S., M.A.
Education

Boston University, MA, Earhart Fellow in Journalism & Sociology
Boston College, BA in Theater Arts


Summary of Experience

Katrina’s travel essays have been published by NPR, National Geographic, The Christian Science Monitor, and CNN-go, among others. Her children’s book, Ma, The Search for Silence, is forthcoming from Little, Brown, and Company in 2013. She taught writing at the prestigious Kikokushijo Academy in Tokyo, where she was also a TV Journalist and Producer for NHK- World, and for Atraves in Nicaragua.
Hannah G., M.F.A.
Hannah G., M.F.A.
Education

University of Houston, M.F.A in Creative Writing/Poetry
University of Aix-Marseilles III
University of Tennessee, B.A in French and Humanities (International Studies)


Summary of Experience

Hannah currently teaches English at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside to traditional and non-traditional students. Her courses comprise literature, composition, and creative writing. Hannah is the poetry editor for CATCH UP, a nationally distributed journal of literature and graphic art. Her first collection of poetry, Your Invitation to a Modest Breakfast, will be published this fall.
Marisa H., M.F.A.
Marisa H., M.F.A.
Education

University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, MFA in Fiction Writing
Fulbright Fellow in Creative Writing to India
University of California, Berkeley, BA in English and Interdisciplinary Studies Field, Phi Beta Kappa


Summary of Experience

As a teacher, tutor, and workshop leader, Marisa's students have ranged from struggling writers to M.F.A. candidates. She has taught at universities including Stanford and U.C. Berkeley in composition, nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. Her memoir Loyal to the Sky (2007) won the Nautilus Gold Award for World-Changing Books. In 2010, she received a Fulbright fellowship in Creative Writing.

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