“I got to dive into a guided, close reading and discussion of a selected short story and learned how structure and characterization can be used to make a short story powerful and thought-provoking. The workshop also gave me the opportunity to practice freewriting when exploring an idea or creating a first draft. I learned about the importance of readers being able to connect to, or identify with, elements of the story and characters.”
KB, March 21, 2020
“[I learned] to trust my instincts—that is, my first/second uncensored draft—and go from there: how I want to structure these to create suspense.”
Gwen, March 21, 2020
“I enjoyed the workshop a lot, thanks again, and thanks for sending the TC Boyle story! It was well worth staying indoors on a sunny weekend.
What I love about short stories is that they fit inside your head from beginning to end. You can turn them around in your mind without too much loss of detail, even when you don’t have the pages in front of you. I enjoy re-reading them and making new discoveries.
What I learned at the workshops is that the sum of experience and enthusiasm is not necessarily a conserved quantity: as the former increases, the latter need not decrease. The way [the instructor] responds to questions with clear, laser-guided technical explanations is a tribute to [her] skill and experience. That [she] still manages to deal with each question, story and student so earnestly and with such overflowing enthusiasm, gentleness, compassion and respect is a rare accomplishment.”
Andy, June 22, 2019
“Thank you so much again for this wonderfully enlightening and inspiring weekend! I felt like a tree standing alone in the field, but after having finished your class, I’d rather see myself as a tree in the middle of a forest that is feeling less scared and more excited by the world of short stories.
I learnt how to appreciate the art of writing stories even more passionately. It felt like a creative awakening. It was very inspiring and eye-opening to listen to all the different types of short stories, which not only gave me a lot of pleasure but guidance as a writer as well. Since I was always interested in writing creatively, there was a barrier in my head that stopped me from writing. Yet, through the professional and inspirational expertise of the instructor, I finally have overcome this barrier, and I will most definitely take one of the upcoming courses in the next season.”
Sebastian, June 22, 2019
“I very much enjoyed [the] class, [the instructor’s] enthusiasm and mastery of the form inspired us all. I loved the class, hated to say goodbye to the team.”*
*Please note that the Amsterdam Writing Workshops offers ongoing courses. Info available on request.
Chad, June 22, 2019
“Thank you so much for a brilliant writing workshop. I learnt so much and it gave me the confidence and belief that I can actually do it—finish a story.”
Ashley, June 22, 2019
“The Short Story workshop gave me a lot of insight—from other writers, professional and amateur, and from the instructor. What does a writer want to convey, and what techniques is he or she using? We practiced our newly learned skills by crafting our own stories. In short, a very insightful experience.”
Mees, November 26, 2018
“The highlight of the two days was understanding how much of a craft writing is, versus just putting words on the page (although that’s important too).
I believe I’m getting more and more insight with each workshop, deepening not only my knowledge but awareness of the writing process. It can be overwhelming but it’s also enlightening and empowering—the tools are there!”
Łukasz, November 26, 2018