LT219-5-AU-CO:
Writing the Short Story
2025/26
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
09 February 2021
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA W800 Creative Writing,
BA W801 Creative Writing (Including Year Abroad),
BA W803 Creative Writing (Including Placement Year),
BA W808 Creative Writing (Including Foundation Year),
MLITQ392 Creative Writing,
BA PW38 Film and Creative Writing,
BA PW39 Film and Creative Writing (Including Placement Year),
BA PW88 Film and Creative Writing (Including Foundation Year),
BA PWH8 Film and Creative Writing (Including Year Abroad),
BA QW30 Literature and Creative Writing,
BA QW31 Literature and Creative Writing (Including Year Abroad),
BA QW33 Literature and Creative Writing (Including Placement Year),
BA QW38 Literature and Creative Writing (Including Foundation Year),
MLITQ393 Literature and Creative Writing,
BA WW80 Drama and Creative Writing,
BA WW81 Drama and Creative Writing (Including Foundation Year),
BA WW82 Drama and Creative Writing (including Placement Year),
BA WW83 Drama and Creative Writing (including Year Abroad)
This module will explore, through practice and discussion, the discrete art of the short story form. Students will read a diverse selection of short stories drawn from various literary and cultural traditions, both historical and contemporary, to inspire and form the writing of their own short stories, attending to the specific qualities and techniques of this literary form.
To increase student awareness of creative possibilities of form, story structure and style within the confines of the short story, and encourage original responses to these.
To continue the practice of giving, receiving and redrafting work in response to feedback within the workshop environment.
To increase the understanding of the history of the short story, in terms of how it can inform their own creative practice.
After successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
1. Identify the significant short story conventions of form and structure.
2. Conceive, plan and execute an original creative response to short story conventions.
3. Display self-awareness of writing technique and the process of revision and redrafting of fiction,
4. Develop the skill to give and receive feedback in a peer environment in a way that contributes positively to the subsequent development of that work.
5. Practise the habit and discipline of regular creative composition and delivery of work in the form of the short story.
Course tutors will supply a reading list of essential and recommended short stories for discussion. One - three short stories a week will be selected from the following anthologies:
Essential
The World's Greatest Short Stories (Dover Editions), Edited by James Daley, 2006
The Penguin Book of the British Short Story: 1: From Daniel Defore to John Buchan, Edited by Philip Hensher
The Penguin Book of the British Short Story: 2: From PG Wodehouse to Zadie Smith, Edited by Philip Hensher.
The Best American Short Stories of the Century, Edited by John Updike, Katrina Kenison, 2000
Recommended
Hills. R. Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular, New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000
The Paris Review Interviews
https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews
McSweeney's Internet Tendency
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/
Bloom, Harold. Short Story Writers and Short Stories. New York: Chelsea House, 2005
O'Connor, Frank. The Lonely Voice: a study of the short story. 1963
Supplementary On writing
Baxter, Charles, Burning Down the House
Gardner, John, Notes on Fiction for Young Writers
Anticipated teaching delivery for 2020-21: Weekly contact time of two hours per week including: seminar discussion; synchronous and asynchronous exercises and tasks; independent short story composition; workshopping and feedback on each others’ work.
Students will need to spend at least two hours per week on preparation for the seminars in order to have read the necessary material and completed any of their own writing for workshopping.
There will be a designated week scheduled for one-to-one tutorials.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Portfolio and Commentary (5,000 words in total) |
|
95% |
| Practical |
Participation |
|
5% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Holly Pester, email: hpester@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Jon Crane
LiFTS General Office – email: liftstt@essex.ac.uk
Telephone 01206 872626
Yes
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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