Writing Tight Scenes for Short Works

Ran Walker

Microfictionist Ran Walker breaks down the essential elements writers need to write tight scenes for short works that work. After all, writing effective short works is more than just word count; it's putting together a story that includes all the essential information a reader needs to feel engaged and satisfied at the end. Walker examines how to handle dialogue and balance the fine line between delivering too much or not enough details in scenes and stories. Also, he goes through examples of editing all the way down to the sentence level and more.

About the Instructor: 

Ran Walker is the author of sixteen books, has written novellas, short stories, flash fiction, microfiction, and poetry, and his work has appeared in a variety of anthologies and journals. Prior to becoming a writer and educator, he worked in magazine publishing and practiced law in Mississippi.

He is the winner of the 2019 National Indie Author of the Year Award (selected by judges from Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, IngramSpark, St. Martin's Press, and Writer's Digest); the 2019 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Best Fiction Ebook Award; and the 2018 Virginia Indie Author Project Award for Adult Fiction. He is also the recipient of both a 2005 Mississippi Arts Commission/NEA artist grant and a 2006 artist mini-grant. He served as an Artist-in-Residence with the Mississippi Arts Commission in 2006. Additionally, he is a past participant in the Hurston-Wright Writers Week Workshop and is the recipient of a fellowship from the Callaloo Writers Workshop.