Introduction to Fiction Writing: From Idea to Finished Story

Course summary: Learn how to develop original fiction from first spark through premise, character, setting, plot, point of view, prose, revision, and publication. Complete forty guided lessons and a revised short story portfolio.

Course overview: This practical course is for beginning and returning adult fiction writers working in any genre. Each of the ten modules contains four stand-alone lessons with examples, drafting practice, and answer-guided self-checks. No prior publication or formal study is required.

Expected workload: Plan 2–4 hours per lesson and extra time for the final short story. Keep a working notebook with versions of each exercise, because later lessons offer optional ways to build on earlier work; you may also start a fresh example within any lesson.

Outcomes: You will distinguish forms and genres, construct testable premises, develop character desires and arcs, dramatize settings, shape causal plots, select point of view, revise sentences, assess critique, compare publishing routes, and finish an original story.

Completion standard: Finish the forty lessons and their self-checks, assemble the requested portfolio, and revise the capstone against the 100-point rubric. Revisions may be resubmitted after using the rubric to identify missing or unclear craft work.

AI Writing Partner policy: AI is optional. It can ask diagnostic questions, compare alternative lines, and flag possible inconsistency. Never treat invented AI output as real research or testimony. You choose the story, verify factual claims, protect confidential material, and make every final creative decision. Every AI exercise has a paper-and-pencil alternative.