Taking an experience and condensing it into under 1,000 words can be challenging. Taking a life-changing event—such as an experienced trauma—and condensing that into under 1,000 words can at times feel impossible. But trauma events are the perfect experiences to use in a flash piece because they are such huge, highly emotional moments that fitting those big EVENTS into tiny narratives is what can make for amazing writing. The class will explore different readings of trauma narratives and will invite participants to write about their own trauma—however they define that.

Flash Trauma Narrative will focus on generating flash essays through various approaches. Then, participants will pick one of their pieces they created in the class to refine and prepare for publication. The course will look at the importance of writing in scene, how structure can affect the way you tell your story, fun things you can do with literary devices and point of view in flash writing, and the best approaches for revising flash nonfiction. The class will also guide participants in the submission process and there will be some brief discussions about self-care and writing about trauma.

This 6-week class is asynchronous, meaning you work at your own pace throughout each week. Readings, lessons, discussion questions, and writing exercises will be provided every week. Every student will receive feedback on their weekly essays from both their peers and the instructor. All course materials will be provided by the instructor.