Storying: Creating Short Fiction
How do great short stories take shape? In this one-night workshop, award-winning author Usman T. Malik guides participants through the craft of short fiction, from powerful openings to unforgettable endings.
Time & Location
Oct 01, 2025, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM CDT
Virtual Class
About
This is a 1-meeting virtual class using the Zoom platform.
Wednesday, Oct 1, 6-7:30 pm Central time.
About this class: This 90-min long workshop will delve into the basics of creating compelling short fiction: openings, theme, plot (and absence of it), usage of POV and character, thematic ecology in a short story, endings, and different types of short fiction (flash, short story, novelette, novella).
Skills Acquired: Narrative Construction, Creative Thinking, Character Development, Imaginative Writing, Plot Structuring, Literary Technique
Please note: This class will be held live on Zoom and will not be recorded. If you are unable to attend during the scheduled time, the session will not be available for later viewing.
Instructor bio: Usman T. Malik is a Pakistani-American writer whose fiction has been published at WIRED magazine, Al-Jazeera, New Voices of Fantasy, and in more than a dozen best of the year anthologies, including The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy series. Malik's fiction has won the British Fantasy Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the Bram Stoker Award®, and been nominated for the Locus, Nebula, Ignyte, and Shirley Jackson Awards His debut collection Midnight Doorways: Fables From Pakistan won the 2022 Crawford Award from the International Association for the Fantastic in Arts (IAFA) and was on The Washington Post's 2021 list of best science fiction & fantasy collections.
Sponsored by:
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Pay What You Wish (Minimum $25) This class is offered on a pay-what-you-wish basis, starting at $25. Your support helps us offer programs and ensures our scholars are paid for the time and care they put into teaching. Every ticket helps make lifelong learning possible.
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