The Art of the Short Stories

Learn how to write a short story through reading, writing, and workshop

I’ve always been obsessed with short stories, both as a writer and a reader. As a mother of a young child, it was a way for me to absorb a meaningful story within a shorter time frame that has a large impact. When writing, it became a critical skill to get the entirety of a story down within a shorter framework—a moment in a car ride, an interaction at a pharmacy, a comment at a cocktail party. As the writer Robert Sawyer says, “A short story is the shortest distance between two points; a novel is the scenic route.”

I believe that if you can write a short story, you can write anything. While they may appear intimidating from the outset, there are techniques and skills to be learned to make this form less intimidating, which we will dissect through reading short stories as well as sharing the progress of our own short story in workshop.

The themes for the weekend will be exploring modern womanhood through stories about motherhood, nature, marriage, and taking care of our parents.

The short stories we will discuss (they will be emailed to you after sign-up):

- The Midnight Zone, by Lauren Groff

- The Moons of Jupiter, by Alice Monroe The workshop consists of a kick-off meeting on Friday for a social hour, from 5-6 pm, and 2 workshop sessions on Saturday and Sunday from 10-3 pm, with an hour break for lunch. We will be meeting at a home in downtown Charleston (location emailed once purchased). 

All classes will cover the foundations of writing: Story-Arc, Setting and World Building, Character Development and Perspective, Dialogue and Finding Voice. Each class will engage with writing prompts, short story analysis, and workshopping of participants manuscripts.

Dates: August 21st-23rd. When you sign up, we will email you with questions to tailor the class to each participants needs. Classes focus on fiction, non-fiction, and memoir writing. No writing experience needed to join and advanced writers welcomed. The only requirement is a desire to write!

Friday - 5 pm - 7 pm, meet and greet social

Saturday, 10 am - 2 pm, an hour break for lunch

Sunday, 10 am - 2 pm, an hour break for lunch

Location: Downtown Charleston - Address emailed after sign-up

Expectations for the class:

- Read all short stories and be prepared to discuss.

- Come to the workshop with a story or essay you’re currently working on that you’d like to workshop and get feedback on from the group. Your story/essay will need to be emailed one week before class. Minimum two pages, maximum ten pages.

- Read participants stories and give feedback.

Cost: $400, scholarship available upon request. Class size limited to eight women.

Questions, email Kate@miseenplacepr.com

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Kate Boyette started her professional writing career as the first editor-in-chief of the culinary publication, The Local Palate. She recently launched her boutique cookbook publishing company, Mise En Place Publishing, which publishes the female literary journal, REVISIONIST as well as multiple cookbooks. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2024, combining her two loves—cooking and storytelling.