FICT 116 — Lightning in a Bottle: Crafting Flash Fiction and Nonfiction
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Sarah Stone
Date(s): Jan 13—Feb 17
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $445
Refund Deadline: Jan 15
Unit(s): 0
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Closed
Quarter: Winter
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 6 weeks
Time: 6:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 13—Feb 17
Unit(s): 0
Tuition: $445
Refund Deadline: Jan 15
Instructor(s): Sarah Stone
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Closed
The author Charles Baxter defines “flash” writing as falling “between poetry and fiction, the story and the sketch, prophecy and reminiscence, the personal and the crowd.” Although flash is typically between 300 and 1,500 words, the form is expansive. A micro story or essay might span an instant or years, offering an unforgettable character or experience. In flash, we can revel in a single moment or take the long view, intensify a mystery or pose an urgent question.
Making a powerful impact in so few words is no easy task. How do we handle structure or convey the passage of time? What’s the balance between richness and concision? We’ll read a wide range of international flash fiction and micro essays, discuss these models in class, and write short pieces inspired by them. Everyone will post up to 1,500 words twice for brief, supportive feedback from both the instructor and peers. By the end of the course, you’ll know how to craft flash fiction or essays that resonate—and you’ll have a deeper appreciation for the elegant ambiguities of the form.
SARAH STONE
Author
Sarah Stone is the author of Hungry Ghost Theater, a finalist for the 38th annual Northern California Book Awards; The True Sources of the Nile; and the forthcoming Marriage to the Sea. She is co-author, with Ron Nyren, of Deepening Fiction: A Practical Guide for Intermediate and Advanced Writers. Her work has appeared in Image, Ploughshares, StoryQuarterly, The Millions, Scoundrel Time, The Believer, Alta Online, and elsewhere and was included in the distinguished stories list of The Best American Short Stories 2021. She received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan.Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Tara L. Masih (Ed.), The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field (ISBN 978-0978984861)
(Required) Dinty W. Moore (Ed.), The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction: Advice and Essential Exercises from Respected Writers, Editors, and Teachers, any (ISBN 978-0984616664)
(Required) Dinty W. Moore (Ed.), The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction: Advice and Essential Exercises from Respected Writers, Editors, and Teachers, any (ISBN 978-0984616664)