An online, live, 5-week exploration of short-form writing celebrating creativity, observation, metaphor & mindfulness.
Welcome to the amazing literary genre of short form writing (also known as flash). Exploring this genre will hone your craft like no other, bringing precision to your writing and expanding your relationship with your imagination.
Flash is one of the most popular genres being written and published today. Whether you’re already published, mired in NaNoWriMo drafts you’re unsure how to shape, deep into a memoir project, ready to play, or fully devoted to fiction, the skills required in flash fiction and flash nonfiction will improve your ability to handle scene, embed metaphor, and target a character’s yearning or desire with precision.
What is Short Form Writing or Flash?
Flash is a genre marked by diminished resources. The stories can only be 250-750 words (1,000 max). There’s no time for tremendous backstory and there’s no need. These are stories that begin immediately, featuring characters outsized by their circumstances or snapshot memories from your own experiences, caught in a moment where there’s no choice but to react and change.
Hear a sample of flash fiction in this 90-second video recording of “While the Rest of America’s at the Mall” from my book, Flashes of War.
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I’ve created this course to immerse you into the flash. Whether you’re a novelist, a memoirist, a poet, or an essayist, my Into the Flash course will strengthen muscles you didn’t know you had and expand your imagination. Think of it as cross-fit for the serious writer or curious creative type as we explore the following craft elements:
• structure
• precise word choice
• sensory details
• scene
• metaphor
• movement through time
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Deep Dive
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“With her keen eye and ear for the sense and sounds of language; with her daily commitment to explore the dimensions of creative flow; and with her meditation practice as a source of insight and calm, Katey guides her students and clients through a mindful process that yields pages, ideas, and breakthroughs. Even more profound, I think, is the way that working with her can result in a fresh awareness of what it means and feels like to be awake in your life: writing or making art, or savoring the little moments that flash before us each day. Katey’s philosophy and approach continues to inspire my writing and teaching. ”
—Holly Wren Spaulding, author of the poetry collection Pilgrim, and Zen practitioner
Into the Flash will also introduce you to Mindful Flow exercises so that while you hone your craft during the course, you can be confident that you’re taking solid steps toward a more dedicated relationship to your imagination and a more mindful writing practice. With Mindful Flow, you will form habits that deepen how you approach writing for the rest of your life and set you up to successfully meet your creativity goals. In addition, you will have the optional opportunity to submit a draft of your short form writing to receive my live feedback through the discussion board. Want more? At time of check-out you may select an add-on for a private, formal critique of 2 flash pieces.
And of course, through our live video streaming sessions, you’ll be meeting other writers to expand your creative community. (And I’ll provide tech support, no sweat!) Writing doesn’t have to, nor should it be, a solo sport as often as we tolerate.
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This 5-week course is accessed through PowerSchool Learning, a 5-star interactive learning platform that allows for an intuitive multi-media learning experience, including real-time discussions, document sharing and downloading, supplemental videos, and more. Into the Flash I and II include live webinars*, Mindful Flow exercises, and robust discussions on such topics as: How Imagination Works; The Future of Storytelling; Where Research Meets Imagination; Publishing Opportunities; and more.
*There are 2 sections of Into the Flash to accommodate new and returning students. At time of checkout you can choose the appropriate section. Can’t make a live webinar session? All webinars will be recorded and made available the next day.
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Register for Into the Flash. As with any good workout, you will strengthen muscles you didn’t know you had. And this course will perpetuate life skills every creative person needs to sustain their writing practice over the long haul.
Join me, and get ready for delightful change!
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Not sure this class is for you?
Try the sample in Flash in a Flash!
Questions & Answers
I’m very busy during the week, but can set aside time on weekends and maybe one night a week. Will that give me enough time to complete this course?
YES, the estimated engagement time, excluding writing time, for this course is between 3-7 hours per week, and you can pick and choose when to engage. In addition, the live webinars will be recorded and available the following day so you can listen in at your convenience.
I need something to jump-start my regular writing practice again. I’ve never tried flash writing though, is this course for me?
YES, because this is a practice that will help you cultivate a new way of seeing. And the course is designed to help you build positive habits in support of your practice, find community, get feedback, and expose you to new authors and types of writing. It’s like cross-fit for writers.
I’m in the middle of a bigger project (memoir, novel). Will this course help me learn things that will make my other writing stronger?
YES, you’ll master scene, one of the hardest structural components of prose; you’ll dive deep into metaphor; you’ll see how the basic criteria of desire and obstacles, escalation and revealing, must be present in your own work, no matter its length— and you’ll practice doing this in a real community with real feedback; you’ll get more intimate with how your imagination works.
I don’t consider myself a writer, but I love to journal and learn, and I dabble in many arts. Will this class be fun and useful to me, or too overwhelming?
YES, it will be fun and useful. Whether or not you consider yourself a writer, journaling, dabbling in the arts, and conscious living require and benefit from a keen sense of observation, something that short form writing hones. This class will also make you more familiar with how your imagination works, introduce you to Mindful Flow exercises that will support any creative practice, and provide you with a creative community.
What if something happens to my schedule or work/life balance during the 5 weeks and I can’t keep up?
You have access to the materials for two months following the end of the course, and many are downloadable and yours to keep forever. You can always return to the content and videos later and guide yourself through the work.
I can’t make the scheduled Live Webinars. Will I be missing out?
They will be recorded and posted the next day, so you never have to worry about missing a live session. Of course, I encourage you to participate on the live calls as often as possible!
Read an excerpt from Katey’s award-winning collection of short stories HERE.
Jesse Goolsby writes in the Daily Beast: “A kinetic and holistic look at the War on Terror, this powerhouse collection features flash fiction in its finest form. Ambitious and fearless, Schultz’s imaginative reach in Flashes of War is something to behold.”
Want to write now? Try this.
“I am just amazed by all that has happened in such a short, few weeks. The willingness to just jump in, create, and share has been very inspiring. All the discussions are so interesting and the opportunity to weigh suggestions and more fully decide what I think about my own work and practice has been such a gift.” (Kathy)
“Katey, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the very specific and detailed feedback. First drafts are a bear as you try to figure out what you want to say! Having readers like you makes all the difference for the next draft. I continue to be impressed by your teaching ability and your skill at getting to the heart of what needs to happen in a piece of writing… I’ve been writing for a long time, but have rarely had anyone give me such useful advice. You make me feel so hopeful! I’m going to be so sorry this class is coming to an end. Thanks again!” (Diane Henningfeld)
“I didn’t realize that such a close knit community could be formed in a relatively short period of time. It has been a richly rewarding month of reading, writing and responding and I have learned so much. I am certain that by taking Katey’s suggestions for improvement and practice, I will soon be submitting my writing for publication—there are so many possibilities and this is not something I would have remotely considered a few weeks ago.” (Keith Davies)
