The best way to write good short stories is to read a lot of good ones first. Dive into the best of short fiction, explore point-of-view, character and pacing, and begin to apply the lessons learnt to your own writing in this fortnightly course.
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
This course will help writers of every level improve their writing skills and develop new techniques in fiction writing. The class will explore a wide range of successful short stories and look at ways to help you write your own. There'll be weekly reading assignments and writing exercises.
What will we cover?
Point of view; narrative time; constructing dramatic scenes; shaping an entire story from beginning, to middle, to end. Issues, opportunities and challenges specific to short story writing.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Identify the basic techniques of fiction - Recognise the basic techniques of fiction in the work of good short story writers - Develop these techniques in your own writing - Recognise what makes a strong short story by reading good short story writers.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This class is open to those with some experience of writing fiction. You will need to be fluent in English.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be assigned several short stories to read every week, and will be assigned a writing exercise.
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no additional costs. Please bring writing materials.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You may wish to join one of our short story writing courses, or continue to hone a specific element of craft such as character or point of view in one of our Craft Focus courses. Check out our prospectus for further information.
All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.
Eleanor Penny is a writer, essayist and poet. She won the Poetry London Competition 2020, the Verve Poetry Festival prize 2020, and was Highly Commended in the 2021 Forward Prizes. She has twice been shortlisted for Young People’s Poet Laureate. She is a former Barbican Young Poet, and an alumnus of the London Writers Awards 2021. She hosts the literature podcast Bedtime Stories for the End of the World. In her current project Albion, she is researching maritime histories of the UK. She teaches creative writing workshops with organisations including the Poetry School, Spread The Word and The Midnight Run. Her debut pamphlet 'Mercy' was published in 2021 by Flipped Eye. She is currently working on her first novel.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
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https://www.citylit.ac.uk/reading-for-writers-the-short-story-a-fortnightly-course163855Reading for writers: the short story (a fortnightly course)https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/r/e/reading_for_writers-square_1.jpg159159GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Writing/Novels and short stories/Novels and short stories/Courses/vm/Writing Courses/Writing Short Stories/Courses/vm/Writing Courses/Fiction Writing/Courses/vm/Writing Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Writing/Learn to write short fiction at City Lit/Courses/Short Courses/Courses/Short Courses/Humanities/Courses/Writing/Courses/Writing/Reading for writers/Courses/Writing/Novels and short stories22851588202720482018133791341113417135811363413599122851358113599165320181177120513411The best way to write good short stories is to read a lot of good ones first. Dive into the best of short fiction, explore point-of-view, character and pacing, and begin to apply the lessons learnt to your own writing in this fortnightly course. <div data-content-type="html" data-appearance="default" data-element="main">This course will help writers of every level improve their writing skills and develop new techniques in fiction writing. The class will explore a wide range of successful short stories and look at ways to help you write your own. There'll be weekly reading assignments and writing exercises. <br />
<br />
This is a live online course. You will need:<br />
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.<br />
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.<br />
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.<br />
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.</div>352541829Reading for writers: the short story (a fortnightly course)159159https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/r/e/reading_for_writers-square_1_14.jpgInStockEveningTueOnlineAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-04-21T00:00:00+00:00Some experienceApr 2026WritingHW183159159Reading for writers: the short story (a fortnightly course)15980159Eleanor Pennyreading-for-writers-the-short-story-a-fortnightly-course/hw183-2526The best way to write good short stories is to read a lot of good ones first. Dive into the best of short fiction, explore point-of-view, character and pacing, and begin to apply the lessons learnt to your own writing in this fortnightly course.0000-Available|2026-04-21 00:00:00This course will help writers of every level improve their writing skills and develop new techniques in fiction writing. The class will explore a wide range of successful short stories and look at ways to help you write your own. There'll be weekly reading assignments and writing exercises.The best way to write good short stories is to read a lot of good ones first. Dive into the best of short fiction, explore point-of-view, character and pacing, and begin to apply the lessons learnt to your own writing in this fortnightly course.Point of view; narrative time; constructing dramatic scenes; shaping an entire story from beginning, to middle, to end. Issues, opportunities and challenges specific to short story writing.- Identify the basic techniques of fiction<br/>- Recognise the basic techniques of fiction in the work of good short story writers<br/>- Develop these techniques in your own writing<br/>- Recognise what makes a strong short story by reading good short story writers.This class is open to those with some experience of writing fiction. You will need to be fluent in English.You will be assigned several short stories to read every week, and will be assigned a writing exercise. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.There are no additional costs. Please bring writing materials.You may wish to join one of our short story writing courses, or continue to hone a specific element of craft such as character or point of view in one of our Craft Focus courses. Check out our prospectus for further information.<br/><br/>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting">Twitter</a>.Novels and short storiesNovels and short storiesvirtual15915980HW183NONETue21/04/26 - 30/06/2618:00 - 20:0018:0020:006 sessions (over 11 weeks)65-10 weeksWeekdayOnlineOnlineEleanor PennySome experienceAvailable courses2026-04-21T00:00:00+00:00EveningApr 2026Writing159159Reading for writers: the short story (a fortnightly course)reading-for-writers-the-short-story-a-fortnightly-course/hw183-2526The best way to write good short stories is to read a lot of good ones first. Dive into the best of short fiction, explore point-of-view, character and pacing, and begin to apply the lessons learnt to your own writing in this fortnightly course.0000-Available|2026-04-21 00:00:00This course will help writers of every level improve their writing skills and develop new techniques in fiction writing. The class will explore a wide range of successful short stories and look at ways to help you write your own. There'll be weekly reading assignments and writing exercises.The best way to write good short stories is to read a lot of good ones first. Dive into the best of short fiction, explore point-of-view, character and pacing, and begin to apply the lessons learnt to your own writing in this fortnightly course.Point of view; narrative time; constructing dramatic scenes; shaping an entire story from beginning, to middle, to end. Issues, opportunities and challenges specific to short story writing.- Identify the basic techniques of fiction<br/>- Recognise the basic techniques of fiction in the work of good short story writers<br/>- Develop these techniques in your own writing<br/>- Recognise what makes a strong short story by reading good short story writers.This class is open to those with some experience of writing fiction. You will need to be fluent in English.You will be assigned several short stories to read every week, and will be assigned a writing exercise. <br />
<br />
City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our <a href=" https://www.citylit.ac.uk/expectations-for-participating-in-writing-courses" target="_blank">expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit</a>.There are no additional costs. Please bring writing materials.You may wish to join one of our short story writing courses, or continue to hone a specific element of craft such as character or point of view in one of our Craft Focus courses. Check out our prospectus for further information.<br/><br/>All students are invited to join us at <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/latelines">Late Lines</a>, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to <a href="https://www.citylit.ac.uk/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a>, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/citylitcreativewriting">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/citylitwriting">Twitter</a>.Novels and short storiesNovels and short storiesconfigurable
158813599Novels and short storieshttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writing/novels-and-short-stories/novels-and-short-stories-11/2/285/13581/13599/1588/Courses/Writing/Novels and short stories/Novels and short stories
