Intensive Short Story Writing
with Robert J. "Bob" Early
Monday's 6:00pm-8:00pm
Piper Writers House
Course Description: Three types of stories are dealt with in this workshop: short stories, short-short stories (1,000 words or less), and flash fiction (100 words or less). It begins with a technique that demonstrates to the writer whether she or he has a viable story. The result is the writer knows the proposed story is complete and effective so no time is wasted writing into a dead end. A two-sentence synopsis is used to confirm the results of the plot technique. Heavy emphasis is placed on developing characters that are real and interesting and on dialogue that helps develop the plot and does not wander. At least three stories are written outside the classroom and a variety of exercises are written in the workshop.
Robert “Bob” Early has spent forty-seven years writing and editing for newspapers and magazines. He began his reporting career in 1958 on The Indianapolis Star, moving to The Arizona Republic in 1961. From 1969 to 1982 he served as city editor, assistant managing editor and managing editor of The Arizona Republic. Early also has served as editor of Phoenix Magazine and retired at the end of 2004 after fifteen years as editor of Arizona Highways magazine. He currently serves as a consultant to newspapers and as a lecturer on writing.
