One Story

23/08/2024

Good news: Become Your Own Best Editor with Will Allison is back this September!

This fan-favorite course offers a rare, behind-the-scenes view of One Story’s editorial process. You’ll take a close look at “The Dissection Question,” by Emma Cairns Watson and follow the story from submission to publication—studying actual marked-up drafts and extensive author-editor correspondence. You’ll learn to bring the same sharp editorial eye to your own writing that One Story editors bring to each issue.

The class runs from Tuesday, September 24 through Saturday, September 28. The last day of class will feature a live discussion on Zoom with Will Allison and Emma Cairns Watson on Saturday, September 28 from 5-6 p.m. ET.

To learn more, visit our website: bit.ly/4fHS6Xj

22/08/2024

In Molly Anders’s “A Straightforward Matter,” an alcohol-soaked bridge game leads to an inappropriate sexual encounter, a ruined friendship, a date in court, and self-deluded dreams of prison glory—not to mention a cop on a beer run wearing only his holster and boots. bit.ly/3MipjLs

20/08/2024

Rachel Lyon, author of Self-Portrait with Boy and Fruit of the Dead, is leading our next online Advanced Fiction Workshop this fall!

Over the course of six weeks, Rachel Lyon will guide you and a small group of students through the sometimes mechanical, often mysterious process of writing fiction. Short lectures and class discussions will focus on specific aspects of craft, including story structure, dialogue, beginnings and endings, scene and exposition, character and setting. Brief in-class exercises will make practice of creative alchemy, transforming theory into practice, living into narrative art.

Each student will workshop one complete story or novel excerpt, and offer constructive feedback weekly on others’ work. This class is limited to 10 students and is designed for writers with workshop experience. Tuition includes a 30-minute meeting with the instructor.

Applications are open now and close on September 25. The workshop runs on Monday evenings from November 11 - December 16. Visit our website to register: https://bit.ly/3WO8ZH8

20/08/2024

Dear Writers,

I want to tell you a little bit about the class I’m leading in September, which is all about the inspiration, organization, and publication of my debut short story collection, Mystery Lights.

I started writing the first story in Mystery Lights nearly a decade ago, and, since then, the path to publication has been a winding one. Though I put the manuscript aside several times, I found I couldn’t quite part ways with these weird desert stories and their fierce women protagonists.

Over the course of three days, in pre-recorded video lectures and text-based craft talks, I’ll be taking you behind the scenes of crafting Mystery Lights. I’ll talk a bit about where my ideas come from. We’ll do a deep dive into the revision process, and learn about ordering stories so that a collection has a tangible shape.

And finally, I’ll walk you through what it means to promote a debut book in 2024. My hope is that the writers in the class can leave inspired and ready to use some of the lessons I learned crafting this book in their own work.

The class is designed for readers, too. It’s asynchronous, so you can log in and take the lessons at any point during the class. Along the way, I’ll be answering questions on the discussion board and providing you with some writing and discussion prompts of your own. And anyone in the US who registers will get a signed copy of Mystery Lights with a special sticker, shipped to you from Taylor & Co., one of my favorite independent bookstores.

It's going to be a fun three days. I hope you’ll join me! You can register here: bit.ly/4cc7bOw

Best,
Lena Valencia
Managing Editor and Director of Educational Programming

19/08/2024

Register for Martial Arts for Fiction Writers with Jason Zencka. In this class, you’ll learn how (and when) to write compelling arguments in fiction.

In life, our arguments write themselves, but creating compelling conflict on paper can be harder. When should your characters be breaking the china and when should they be muttering passive-aggressively under their breath? Who is right and why? Does anybody ever win?

Zencka will break down the elements of craft that go into writing a great argument between characters—dialogue, subtext, characterization—as well as ask how a verbal “fight scene” can add or detract from the power of a story.

The class meets weekly on Wednesday from September 11 - October 2. Visit our website to register: bit.ly/3SRVDZ4

17/08/2024

brat summer except we’re reading One Story mag

16/08/2024

Our 2024 Lecture Series continues with Would Someone Really Say That? Dialogue and Character with Jackie Thomas-Kennedy. Join us September 21st to explore tips for writing engaging and intentional dialogue.

In this lecture, we’ll look at two related components of fiction writing: creating complex, multilayered characters and writing believable dialogue. We will read while paying attention to the way writers develop distinct voices on the page, and will complete exercises focused on both finding our characters and writing dialogue.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more!

07/08/2024

Congratulation to OS Managing Editor and Director of Educational Programming Lena Valencia on her debut publication! MYSTERY LIGHTS is out now.

An influencer attempts to derail a viral TV marketing campaign with her violent cult following. A marriage between two ghost hunters is threatened when one of them loses her ability to see spirits. The lives of a famous painter in the twilight of her career and a teenage ufo enthusiast converge when...

07/08/2024

Do you have a piece you can’t quite finish? Or a story that needs polishing before you can submit it? In Revise with Hannah Tinti, One Story Executive Editor and Cofounder Hannah Tinti will help you bring your work to the next level by sharing techniques and exercises that she’s developed as an editor and teacher. bit.ly/46c05FZ

As you move through the class, you’ll examine the foundation of your story, shore up the framework of your plot, plumb the emotions and backstories of your characters, sharpen dialogue and point of view, and refine your language and theme. By the end of the course you’ll have new skills, a helpful to-do list, and pages of new material to move your revision in the right direction. You can work at your own pace over the course of a full year.

26/07/2024

Ever wonder how to submit your story to a lit mag? Drafting artists statements for a residency or writing workshop? Need advice on how to approach agents? Designed for fiction writers ready to get their work out into the world, this self-guided class will answer these questions—and more—about how to present your work and yourself to the editors, agents, and selection committees on the other side of the submit button. You’ll leave armed with the skills you need to prepare your work, organize your submissions, and craft great cover letters and artist statements to use in applications to residencies, MFA programs, writing workshops, and beyond. bit.ly/3RY9RF2

24/07/2024

Summer reads with One Story☀️

22/07/2024

Join us and Laura Spence-Ash, author of Beyond That, the Sea, for a conversation about her debut novel and the writing life with One Story editor-in-chief Patrick Ryan. This conversation takes place Wednesday, July 31st at 7 pm in New York City at POWERHOUSE Arena (28 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201). This event is part of the One Story Writers’ Conference, but tickets are available to the general public. bit.ly/3Wtgfck

18/07/2024

In William Lohier’s new story, “Drapetomania,” a national running epidemic that only targets Black men, women, and children sets the stage for a deep and compelling exploration of what it means to suffer the violence of othering. bit.ly/46cH4op

12/07/2024

Immerse yourself in our library of craft lectures from writers and industry professionals, featuring close readings, generative exercises, and techniques for organizing your writing life. This is the last chance to access last year's lectures with Jennifer Baker, Ayşe Papatya Bucak, Yohanca Delgado, Jenzo DuQue, Lincoln Michel, Susan Perabo, and Jeanne Thornton. Registration ends July 17, 2024. bit.ly/3WYZaG0

03/07/2024

Celebrate Independence Day by treating yourself to a class you can take independently — on your own time, at a pace that works for you! Our self-guided classes are 20% off through July 8th. Polish your work with Revise with Hannah Tinti, then get ready to send it into the world in Hit Submit with Lena Valencia. Or watch lectures on beginnings, world building, tension, and sustaining your creative practice from our 2023 Summer Lecture Series.

29/06/2024

We’re excited and proud to announce we are a recipient of a 2024 Amazon Literary Partnership Literary Magazine Fund grant!

29/06/2024

Join our Patron Circle! At One Story, we aim to bring people together through reading, writing, and learning about short fiction. An essential part of our success in doing so is support from readers and students like you. When you join, you'll get One Story in the mail, access to our growing digital archive of back issues, and discounts on all of our classes. All members will be acknowledged in One Story issues as donors. All Patron Circle gifts are 75% tax deductible. Join today: bit.ly/47k1mvN

27/06/2024

We’re thrilled to announce our next online class: Mystery Lights: A Book Class with Lena Valencia!

Part book club, part craft class, this course is meant for readers and writers alike. In this three-day class, you’ll get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the making of Mystery Lights, the debut short story collection by One Story managing editor Lena Valencia. Through short videos and written lectures, Valencia will guide students through the inspiration, organization, and publication of a short story collection. Each day will include creative writing and/or journaling prompts designed to help students re-envision their own works in progress or start something new. You’ll get a signed copy of Mystery Lights, and you’ll get to spend a few days with fellow short-story fans. Register today by visiting the our website: bit.ly/4cc7bOw

About the book:
Lena Valencia’s Mystery Lights glows with the promise—and fear—of the world we know and the worlds we don’t, following women and girls as they navigate dangers both supernatural and existential. An influencer attempts to derail a viral TV marketing campaign with her violent cult following. A marriage between two ghost hunters is threatened when one of them loses her ability to see spirits. The lives of a famous painter in the twilight of her career and a teenage UFO enthusiast converge when a mysterious glowing orb appears in their small desert town. And a slasher-flick screenwriter looking for inspiration escapes a pack of wild dogs only to find herself locked in an SUV with a strange man beside her. Set primarily in deserts throughout the American Southwest, Lena Valencia’s Mystery Lights is a debut collection of stories about women and girls at the crossroads of mundane daily life and existential dread. Mystery Lights will be published August 6th by Tin House Books.

19/06/2024

Last day to register for Write a Short Story with Hannah Tinti! Spend a week working with Hannah, practicing her techniques for writing a story with good bones. You’ll learn valuable lessons about story structure and plot in fiction. bit.ly/4dCbCU1

Registration is now open for our most popular class, Write a Short Story with Hannah Tinti! In this class, you'll work with One Story cofounder Hannah Tinti to craft a complete first draft of a short story and learn important lessons about structure along the way. At the end of the week, you’ll have a story with strong bones, ready to go wherever you want to take it. Plus, you'll get feedback from a supportive community of writers. Class runs from June 20th - 26th. Visit our website for more information: bit.ly/4dCbCU1

13/06/2024

In Sanjena Sathian’s “The Love Lives of Gods and Ghosts,” a grown daughter, having moved to the U.S., returns to Bangalore to check on the construction of her mother’s future retirement home and finds herself on a narrow path between old and new worlds—and not as equipped to navigate it as she’d anticipated. bit.ly/3Rs9954

12/06/2024

One day left! Don’t miss your chance to apply for One Story’s paid, part-time apprenticeship: https://www.clmp.org/programs-opportunities/jobs-with-publishers/ -story

12/06/2024

Write a Short Story with Hannah Tinti begins next week! Register today, and you’ll spend seven days working with Hannah Tinti, practicing her techniques for writing a story with good bones. You’ll build your story from the ground up, five sentences at a time. bit.ly/4dCbCU1

09/06/2024

Interactive Fiction with Nat Mesnard begins Tuesday! Register today and you’ll get to read (& play) interactive stories, learn Twine (no coding necessary), join online meet-ups, and create your own interactive fiction! You’ll work with author and game designer Nat Mesnard to bring your story to life in a new mode! bit.ly/4dHKByi

08/06/2024

Dear Friends:

Write a Short Story with Hannah Tinti returns on June 20th! Join me for this fun online class, where I’ll share my expertise on structure: one of the most challenging aspects of crafting fiction.

When I first started writing, I struggled to get my stories to work on the page in the same way my favorite books did for me as a reader. It wasn’t until I started editing that I began to understand the scaffolding behind the scenes. Once I did, it changed the way I wrote.

To explain this aspect of writing to my students over the years, I developed a simple system that illustrates how to build a solid structure. And now I’d like to share that technique with you.

So let’s write a short story—together!

Through videos, written lectures, and discussions, I’ll explain the finer points of shaping your narrative. Over the course of a week, you’ll learn how structure can be your writerly friend, supporting your characters and carrying them over the finish line.

Lessons for this course are asynchronous. You can log in at any time to access daily materials, read advice on craft and form, and take the next step in our guided writing exercise. (You’ll be writing 5 sentences a day.) Have a question? Jump into the discussion boards and I’ll post an answer to the group. You’ll also be able to share your work with fellow students and connect with writers across the globe. If you fall behind—no worries!—you’ll have access to all the class materials for an additional month.

I hope you’ll join me for an entertaining and engaging week that will shed new light on your writing process.

Write a Short Story with Hannah Tinti will take place June 20th - 26th. The last day to sign up will be Wednesday, June 19th. For complete details and to register, visit our website: bit.ly/4dCbCU1.

Onwards,

Hannah Tinti
Co-Founder & Executive Editor
One Story

05/06/2024

30/05/2024

Dear Writers,

I’m thrilled to be teaching an Advanced Fiction Workshop with One Story this summer.

The class will include two components: (i) a craft component in which we will study several published stories to glean craft lessons you can apply to your own work, and (ii) a workshop component in which we will discuss your short stories and novel excerpts.

Our goal in the workshop portion of the course will be to analyze the craft decisions at play in your submissions and to provide suggestions that you may want to think about in revision.

Some of the questions we will consider during our six weeks together will include:

- What makes a great opening?
- What are the most effective ways to parcel out (and withhold) key pieces of information?
- What approaches work best in creating mystery and suspense on the page?
- How can we develop and deepen our characters so they are as fully-realized as possible?
- What are the best ways to use backstory effectively?

The class is designed for students who have had prior workshop experience and who are serious about revising their work to push it to the next level. We will set aside some time to talk about submitting work to literary journals, and each student will have the opportunity to meet with me 1:1 for a 30-minute conversation.

Judging from the feedback I’ve received in previous iterations of this course, I think you’ll love the experience. The last time I taught the class, one student included the following response in their evaluation: “Matthew is deeply present as an instructor and facilitated thoughtful, refreshing discussions in each class; I can’t recommend him enough.”

The class will run from July 22nd through August 26th. Applications are open through June 3rd. You can learn more and apply on the one story website. Let’s make this the summer you level up your manuscript!

Sincerely,
Matthew Lansburgh
Author of Outside Is the Ocean and One Story Issue #250, “Latvian Angel”
bit.ly/3UQaBQB

25/05/2024

Dear Friends,

My favorite stories have always been the playful ones. From postmodern literature to narrative video games, I love reading fiction that lets me make choices: what to say, where to go, even who to be. Investigating these expressive possibilities has led to so many revelations in my own creative work—and I’ll be sharing them with you in One Story’s next craft course, Interactive Fiction.

From June 11 to July 9, we’ll delve into stories that play with reader choice, nonlinearity, looping, spatial exploration, and more, connecting these ideas with the basics of fiction writing. And you’ll draft a series of short interactive experiments using a tool built for creative writers called Twine.

This five-week class is designed to introduce you to Twine, spark your creativity, and actually get you writing. New videos, writing prompts, and discussion questions will be posted each week, inviting you to learn on your schedule. Plus, on Tuesdays during the course, I’ll be running a Zoom co-working studio where I’ll answer your questions, help you set intentions, and create real-time space for writing interactive fiction.

Most exciting of all, the class will culminate in a live playtesting session, where you’ll see your interactive fiction played in real time, and discuss your work with writers across the globe. I hope you’ll join me!

Best,
Nat Mesnard
bit.ly/4dHKByi

24/05/2024

In “A Piece of Him,” the award-winning short story by teen writer Karli Roth, a girl who’s lost her brother reconsiders the choices she’s made for how best to honor his memory. bit.ly/3WMUPHQ

23/05/2024

Our 2024 Lecture Series continues with The Unsettling Craft of Speculative Fiction led by Anya Johanna DeNiro! Join us Saturday, June 15th to explore speculative fiction and the unique relationship it creates between reader and writer. bit.ly/3vUzZel

In this lecture, we will look at stories from writers like Kelly Link, Ursula LeGuin, and Rivers Solomon to understand the techniques of speculative fiction, and how writers can create whole worlds in just a few sentences. We will also practice our own craft in creating places that act as characters in their own right, and then exploring how to write “the alien”—and how that alienation intersects with building believable (or unbelievable) characters.

Visit our website to register and access all six lectures!

23/05/2024

In Daniel Torday's HD/DH, two of the era's greatest writers deepen their longstanding intellectual affair after war forces D.H. Lawrence and his wife to seek refuge at the poet H.D.'s London flat. bit.ly/4auSXqf