Fiction Writing

Fiction: Learn the basics

An Immersive Weekend Course

With Michelle D’costa

Have you always wanted to write a story? Have you wanted to read stories closely and analyse them to understand the craft better?

Then this weekend session is for you. Over four hours, writer and editor, Michelle D’costa will walk you through how to start and end a story. She will analyse classic and contemporary short stories with you and help you learn the elements of a good story. Through this, she will urge you to write your own story and access those latent creative ideas within you. She will also recommend online magazines that you can send your work to. It will be interactive, fun and informative. After this class, you can take your craft to the next level with her Advanced Fiction class.

Gain the confidence to share your stories with others and get all the tools and techniques required to master the form of the short story.

DURATION : 4 hours

DATES : 15th and 16th April, 2023

AGE LIMIT : 16+

TAKEAWAYS

How to structure your story
Techniques of writing short fiction
How to build suspense and make your story engaging from start to finish
Recommendations to get your work published

Highlights

Overcome writer’s block

Write more and have fun through engaging writing prompts
Discuss and evaluate your ideas with your classmates
Write without judgment

Finish a story

Brainstorm and find an idea to work on
Expand the idea into a coherent narrative
Finish the story you started

Submit your story to magazines!

Find the right place for your story
Write a cover letter
Send it!

Interested in this class? We will keep you in the loop when this class happens next.

Drop a query and we will get in touch to answer all your questions.

One Course, three outcomes

Build a strong foundation in fiction

Learn how to edit your own work or supplement your income by becoming a freelance editor. In addition to editing skills and techniques, you can learn how to build an editing portfolio and how to establish relationships with writers and publishers.

Become a short story writer

Do you want to build a career around books? Learn about publishing houses and literary agents and the role they play in the creation of books. This could be the first step in your literary career!

Get published!

Are you a writer trying to get your book published? Polish your book with our editing techniques and get insider knowledge of the publishing industry. Perfect your book proposal and learn the tricks and tips to getting published!

Schedule

15th April, 2023
Saturday

11 am - 1 pm :
Analyse the ingredients of a good short story

16th April, 2023
Sunday

11 am - 1 pm :
Write a short story from scratch

More than just a course

Limited seats available!

About the instructors

Michelle D’Costa

Head – Learning and Communities

Michelle has over ten years of experience in the literary industry. She is an accomplished freelance writer, who has been published in over 70 publications including Litro, The Madras Courier, Economic & Political Weekly among others. Her critically acclaimed chapbook, Gulf, was published in 2021. She is Bound’s most sought-after mentor and instructor, having successfully curated, conducted, and facilitated classes for brands and writers based on her previous experience in HR. She is an alumna of the Seagull School of Publishing, Kolkata.

Their Work at Bound

Bound provides a variety of services that help writers develop their skills and get their work ready for publishing. Tara Khandelwal and Aishwarya Javalgekar offer manuscript and proposal edits and guide writers in developing their stories. Tara has edited many acclaimed books, including Three Impossible Wishes by Anmol Malik and Essential Items by Udayan Mukherjee.

What our clients have to say

I really enjoyed Bound’s fiction writing class. It was well-structured and interactive. I appreciated the quality of the community that participated. The class pushed us to both experiment with styles, and stay true to our own voice.

— Natasha Malpani Oswal,Founder, Boundless Media

Michelle D'costa's class was like a visit to a friend's house for some green tea. It comforted me and boosted my spirit. The ideas that came from that class jumpstarted my first literary short story in many years.

— Suhit Kelkar,Writer & Journalist

The way Michelle uses various tools to help leash out the creative spirit in each person is commendable. Her prompts and writing examples make you have an epiphany of the concepts of fiction writing that we as readers have read and experienced so many times!

— Shreya Ambre,Marketing Analyst, FocusFew Consulting

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What’s the usual age group of students in classes? Do you conduct classes for children?

We have an age limit of 16 and above for most classes. But we also conduct a variety of children’s classes over the years. If we don’t have an upcoming class, we can provide a one-on-one mentorship. Read more here.

2. What happens if I can’t attend the class after paying?

Unfortunately, we don’t offer refunds. But we can offer you a seat in another class for the same price or upgrade you to one of our mentorship programs with additional payment

3. Are the classes recorded or are they live? Do you share recordings or other materials discussed in class?

If you have an interesting class designed that would add value to Bound’s classes and creative communities, share your ideas and your profile with us at [email protected]. We are always interested in collaborating with new instructors.

4. What if I want to apply as an instructor?

5. Will I get a certificate at the end of the class?

Only our professional classes are certified. We specify which ones are certified in the list of classes above