WANT TO WRITE A SHORT STORY BUT DON'T KNOW HOW?

 

Discover how pro authors write endless short stories 

   

How to Write a Short Story: From Blocked to Finished First Draft

It’s a myth that writing has to be slow and difficult.

It doesn’t.

Are you ready to discover the AMAZING stories you can write when you follow the right steps?

Some people think writing short stories is a mysterious process, that it can’t be boiled down to a formula. 

But the truth is, there IS a formula to writing a short story.

And that formula works for ALL types of writing from literary fiction to genre fiction. 

Writing a short story becomes easy once you know the formula. 

Writing becomes fun again, and so deeply rewarding! 

That’s why many authors continue to write short stories their whole lives.

Hi, I'm Tessa Smith McGovern. I've taught writing for 22 years (since 2011 at The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College). I'm also an award-winning, Amazon best-selling writer selected as a 'Featured' author by Kirkus Reviews.

My new online course, compiled from my years of experience as a writer and an instructor, can teach you this formula and unlock all the stories inside you. 

And the best part? Because this course is prerecorded and self-paced, you can use its framework and tips over and over again - you can make new choices each time you go through the videos and write as many stories as you like.

Keep scrolling to learn more about HOW TO WRITE A SHORT STORY: From Blocked to Finished First Draft

Let me teach you the cure for writer's block and unfinished drafts.

The hard truth is this: Sometimes, even though you yearn to write and know you have stories inside you, life’s just too busy and you haven’t got time to think up any good ideas. It can feel like the Muse has abandoned you.

At other times, you walk around with characters and story ideas in your head and maybe you get a few ideas down on paper - or you even start to write the story - but then things blow up at work or the cat gets ill or your family needs you and those ideas - suffocated by inattention and lack of time - evaporate.

And it can be hard to work on a story when you don’t know if your idea will work in the first place.

What would be a good first sentence?

What if your character is boring?

What happens in the middle?

How do you craft a satisfying ending?

So days turn into weeks and still you haven’t written the story. Before you realize it, that pressing, once-vital idea evaporates into thin air.

The story that could-have-been never sees the light of day while other writers, with stories that might be less compelling or well-written, continue to write and publish.

How do they do it? They have a system. 

Imagine if you had a system...your words will flow and you’ll never lose another idea to the ether again.

And after 25 years of writing and 22 years of teaching, I've discovered the #1 most effective way to get your short story written.

Even if you've started and abandoned a story before, even if you’ve never even begun to capture your ideas on paper…

It's not too late to start. 

Yes, I promise, it's not too late to turn everything around.

Imagine if you could let go of self-doubt and get your ideas out of your head and onto the page? If you could just get that short story written

  • ​Break the endless pattern of thinking about story ideas and wishing you could write them and instead, enjoy getting those words down on the page
  • ​Stop reading other people’s stories or watching TV and thinking, I could do that! and start enjoying the process of crafting your own stories. 
  • ​Go to bed each night feeling satisfied because you’ve shown up for your Creative Self and feeling excited about the next day’s creativity
  • Enjoy the deep sense of accomplishment that comes from finishing a story in a way that delights and satisfies you 
  • ​Feel the joy of capturing your creativity in a productive way, of creating a story others can also enjoy.
  • Easily finish your first story, and many more stories, using this course
  • Become the writer you long to be

...all just by taking this ONE course and following the steps inside.

What if you could start seeing results in two hours?

Yes, really.

In two hours you can have most of a solid first draft of your short story sketched out.

What if you become familiar with the elements of a story and those ideas in your head become the first draft of a story readers enjoy? 

What if you could start writing your story one afternoon and finish it the following day with a step-by-step guide that made you confident your idea was solid?

What if this was the best time investment you ever made in your writing journey? 

I’m sure you know many people who have goals to write but year after year nothing changes. They’re still stuck in the same old rut. You don’t want to be one of those people.

None of us is immortal. We only have a limited time on this earth to create something meaningful. But if we don’t get started, it’ll never happen.

This course will lead you easily, step by step, through the process.

Very often, what gets in the way is an image in our head: the perfect story with perfect sentences that people linger over saying, wow, that’s thrilling/mind-blowing/beautiful! We dream of creating a story that does this because it’s exactly the experience we had as readers. It’s probably one of the things that made us want to write in the first place.

But it’s a trap! 

A trap we create for ourselves...we know the first draft won’t be perfect and the pain of falling short of our dream - of disappointing ourselves - stops us from moving forward.

 

Break the endless pattern of procrastination

and replace it with techniques that actually GET YOU INSPIRED and writing.

Go to bed each night feeling satisfied

that you did everything you needed to that day to FURTHER YOUR PROGRESS AS A WRITER.

Easily face down the blinking cursor

on an empty page, armed with the tools to WRITE A SUCCESSFUL STORY that you learn in this course.

Why do we do this?

Because we forget that those stories that inspired were once messy first drafts, too.

If your favorite authors had never written the first, messy draft, those stories you love wouldn’t exist.

And it’s exactly the same with YOUR stories.

If you don’t get the first messy draft on the page, you have nothing to revise. Nothing to turn into a satisfying story.

And I know what your objection is here - what if I write something that’s SO messy, I can’t turn it into a satisfying story?

I totally get it. No one wants that.

And there’s a way to approach your short story so that your first draft IS solid. 

Not perfect, but SOLID. Solid enough that you’ll clearly see its value, and you’ll be excited to finish it.

 

Introducing...

How to Write a Short Story: From Blocked to Finished First Draft

The self-paced video course that you can use over and over to write dozens of short stories even if:

  • You've never done it before
  • You have no ideas
  • You have too MANY ideas!
  • You don't know how
  • You've started and stopped writing and given up in the past
Click to get started now!

This course contains everything you'll need to write as many stories as you like.

HERE’S WHAT’S INCLUDED:

  • VIDEO 1 WHAT’S THE FORMULA FOR A SHORT STORY? How to have fun writing stories you care about enough to finish, revise, and publish.
  • VIDEO 2 HOW TO GET INSPIRED AND TURN ON THE FLOW OF IDEAS An easy way to fill the well of your imagination and spark new ideas.
  • VIDEO 3 CHOOSE THE CONFLICT THAT MATTERS TO YOU (OUT OF 7 TYPES) A quick way to identify the material that's essential to you as an artist.
  • VIDEO 4 PICK FROM THIS LONG LIST OF POSSIBLE CHARACTER ROLES AND OCCUPATIONS An easy way to start creating a character.
  • VIDEO 5 A SIMPLE, FOOLPROOF WAY TO CREATE A COMPELLING CHARACTER How to make readers care so they can't put your story down.
  • VIDEO 6 USE THESE FIRST SENTENCES AND PROMPTS TO START WRITING Just listen to (or read) these inspirational prompts and story starters to get the words flowing.
  • VIDEO 7 WRITE THE MIDDLE How to know what to write in the middle.
  • VIDEO 8 WRITE THE END How to find the perfect ending.
  • VIDEO 9 HOW TO EASILY START WRITING AGAIN IF YOU TAKE A BREAK Simple ways to let go of self-doubt, get inspired, and start writing again. 
  • VIDEO 10 YAY! YOU’VE WRITTEN ‘THE END’ You captured that idea and now it's on paper - well done! Here's what's next.
  • VIDEO 11 LOVING KINDNESS MEDITATION FOR WRITERS Apply the principles of loving-kindness meditation to improve your memory, focus, and productivity.
  • LOOKING FOR MORE? ACCESS FREE WEEKLY WRITING SPRINTS WITH MICRO LESSONS AND SUBMISSION PARTIES ON ZOOM Keep your momentum going (or easily start writing again), improve your craft, and submit your stories for publication in these two fun, free, weekly sprints.

 

By the end of this course, you'll have a system for creating your artistic legacy by building a body of work you love and value. 

If you love and value your stories, there will be readers who love and value them too. 

It's time to share your legacy.

Become the writer you’ve always longed to be with this step-by-step, simple guide.

Here's What To Do Next

 

Your investment in How to Write a Short Story: From Blocked to Finished First Draft is just $147.

 

As soon as you place your order, you can expect an email with a receipt and a link that grants you instant access to the whole course.

 

You can access it anytime, anywhere, on your phone, tablet, or desktop without having to wait for an arbitrary start date.

 

 

 

I’m ready to write that story!

Terms of Purchase 

Once you buy this course, it will be available to you forever.

You can use it repeatedly to complete dozens of stories by making different choices as you go through the videos.

All the videos and downloadable PDFs are available to you instantly, in full, and so there are no refunds.

This Course Is Perfect for

  • This course is for people who wish they could get their story written.

  •  It's for people with any level of experience, from beginners to published writers. 

  •  It’s for people who are willing to consider that something they thought was hard - even torturous - actually doesn’t have to be 

  •  It’s for people who’re open to the idea that writing a worthwhile story can be enjoyable. Even fun! 

  •  It’s for people who are tired of letting time slip by and feeling guilty for not writing

  •  For people who are ready to consider that showing up to explore their creative Self can actually be one of the easiest things we do

  •  It’s for writers who want a streamlined, simple system for writing story after story

This Course May Not Be For:

  • This course is not for people who aren’t willing to consider new ideas

  •  It’s not for people who want to cling to the idea that writers must suffer for their art

  •  It’s not for people who are comfortable letting the months and years slip by without fulfilling their dream and becoming the writer they long to be

     

kajabi themes

Client Testimonial

“Tessa was a remarkable teacher, not just of writing in the digital age, but of the art and craft of writing in general. Her vision was timeless and inspired, and her course was truly life-changing for me.”

Jeanne Chinard, The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, NY

 

kajabi templates

Client Testimonial

“The topic of Tessa’s class [How to Link Your Short Stories and Memoirs into a Collection] had always puzzled me. I had written a series of short-but-true stories, but was entirely stuck on how to put them together. That is, until I studied with Tessa. She brought fresh energy, inspiration, and creative ideas to her workshop. The impossible no longer feels impossible, thanks to Tessa. I am 300% glad to have studied with her.”

Ellen Luborsky, PhD
Student, The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, NY Fall 2020

kajabi themes

Client Testimonial

“If you are planning to write for the digital media, you must meet Tessa Smith McGovern…Her knowledge of the internet, the publishing world, and the steps to successful digital publishing is current and extensive. She has valuable insight into the psychology of writing and writers.”

Jeanette Gould, The Writing Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, NY

Yes, I want this!

FAQs

Will this course work if I’m a complete beginner?

Yes! Remember that your subconscious mind has been recording stories since before you were five. This course will teach you all about what makes a short story and how to write one. You have a lot of stories inside you, even if you’ve never written one before.

Will this course work if I’ve already finished, or even published, some stories?

Yes. It will make your next stories simpler, more powerful, and much more fun to write! 

Does knowing this simple formula for writing a short story mean you’ll write the same short story repeatedly? Will it inhibit your originality?

No. It’s a broad formula -- a skeleton -- that provides structure without limiting your imagination in any way.

Will knowing this formula magically turn you into Anne Tyler or Neil Gaiman overnight? 

No. But then, you wouldn’t want that. The only artist you want to be is YOU.

There’s only one of you in the world, with your unique sensibilities and skills, and that’s the writer -- the artist -- that you can become.

Will this course work for people who struggle with perfectionism?

Yes! It’s the antidote to perfectionism. It will show you how to easily write your first draft. 

Will this course work for non-techie people?

Yes. Just watch (or listen to) the video, and download the PDF that goes with each video. That’s it!

 

Let's get started!