Online Fiction Workshop with Rachel Lyon 2022

Thursdays, October 27th–December 8th, 2022

Meeting Time: 6:30pm-8:45pm ET, Zoom

Price: $400

Patron Price: $350

Applications are now closed.

In this six-week, 10-person online workshop, author Rachel Lyon (Self-Portrait with Boy) will guide students through the sometimes mechanical, often mysterious process of writing a short story. Brief in-class exercises will get your creative juices flowing. Workshop discussions will focus on specific aspects of craft, such as structure, dialogue, beginnings and endings, scene and exposition, character development, and more. Each student should plan to workshop one complete story or novel excerpt, and to offer constructive feedback weekly on others’ work.

The class will meet and discuss student work once a week on Zoom starting Thursday, October 27th. Tuition includes a 30-minute independent meeting with the instructor.

There will be no class on Thanksgiving.

Rachel Lyon

Rachel Lyon is author of the novels Self Portrait with Boy, a finalist for the Center for Fiction’s 2018 First Novel Prize, and Fruit of the Dead, forthcoming from Scribner in 2024. Her short work has appeared in One Story, The Rumpus, Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, and other publications. Rachel has taught creative writing at various institutions, most recently Bennington College. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two young children.

How to Apply

This workshop is open to fiction writers 21 years of age and older. The deadline to apply for the workshop is Thursday, September 15th, at 11:59pm ET. Please send in your application, which should consist of a personal statement and a manuscript (either a short story or novel excerpt of 5000 words or less) of what you would like to workshop, via Submittable. No short story excerpts, please.

We are seeking writers who are looking to hone their craft and are excited to learn from each other and the instructor in an intimate and supportive environment. Workshop participants will be selected based on the strength of their writing sample and personal statement.

Complete application guidelines are available on the application. Please note that you will need to create a Submittable account to complete the application.

There is a non-refundable $10 application fee. Please note that to be eligible for the Patron rate, applicants must be an active Patron of One Story prior to September 15thPatrons commit to annual donations and receive benefits that allow them to participate in the organization in more meaningful ways. Not all One Story subscribers are patrons. If you’d like to find out more about becoming a patrons, you can do so here.

Applicants will be notified of their status no later than October 20th.

Refund Policy

One Story class payment is non-refundable after the class’s start date. For questions about the refund policy, or if you are unable to take the class after you have paid, please contact maribeth@one-story.com.

If you have any questions, please contact edu.support@one-story.com.