Writing Short Fiction Writing Short Fiction with Emma Hislop and Lucy Nelson

online

Writing Short Fiction

w/ Lucy Nelson, Emma Hislop and guest editor Anna Thwaites

For writers ready to take the craft of short fiction seriously, this course will introduce you to fresh ways of thinking about short-form writing, and provide you with the opportunity to have 8000 words of your work read and critiqued by two critically acclaimed short-form writers at the top of their game.

Thursdays 6.30pm – 8.30pm (AEST/AEDT)
13 August – 10 December 2026

Online

Intermediate

$2600 or $130 per week

$2210 or $110.50 per week (alum)

See below for early bird rate.

Book Now

Writing Short Fiction with Lucy Nelson and Emma Hislop is a four-month-long, online writing course presented by Faber Writing Academy.

Whether you are a writer curious to develop your fiction-writing skills, a connoisseur of the short story form, or a novelist looking to use short fiction as a laboratory to test ideas and build a portfolio, this course will guide you through the process of writing and refining two short stories, ahead of submitting them to awards and literary journals.

Guided by critically acclaimed short fiction writers Emma Hislop and Lucy Nelson, you will join weekly, live Zoom sessions in an intimate group of up to 12 fellow writers, to discuss points of craft and workshop your writing.

In the first half of the program, you will be encouraged to explore the form and consider different approaches to “finding a way in” to the short story. You will begin with the “autobiographical kernel”—learning when to lean into the truth and when to depart from it. You’ll interrogate the spectrum of the short form, from the lightning strike of flash fiction to the expansive architecture of the long short story, and ask what fiction writers can borrow from poets and essayists to inform their prose.

During the mid-course break, you’ll have an opportunity to receive feedback on up to 4000 words of your short fiction (as a tracked changes document) from one of your tutors, which you can discuss in a one-on-one consultation.

The focus in the second half of the program will shift to refining your work by honing in on its nub, or central idea. You will have another opportunity to receive feedback on up to 4000 words of your short fiction (as a tracked changes document) from your second tutor, which you can discuss in a one-on-one consultation. Finally, the course concludes with a pragmatic look at the path to publication, joined by Anna Thwaites, editor of HEAT, to discuss how and where to place your work in the contemporary landscape.

Writers you'll be working with:

Lucy Nelson

Lucy Nelson lives and writes on unceded Wodi Wodi and Dharawal Country. Her short story collection Wait Here was longlisted for the 2026 Stella Prize, shortlisted for the Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year and the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing. Her work has been published in The Monthly, Meanjin,…

Emma Hislop

Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu) is a writer from New Zealand. Her first book of short fiction, Ruin and Other Stories, was published in March 2023 with Te Herenga Waka University Press. She has an MA with Distinction from the International Institute of Modern Letters. In 2023 she was awarded the Michael King International Residency at Varuna…

Course outline

Session 1: Thursday, 13 August
Introduction to short fiction
With Lucy Nelson and Emma Hislop
We begin by exploring the delicate balance between process and style. We’ll discuss the “autobiographical kernel,” and learn how to draw from life while remaining aware of when and how to depart from reality to serve the story.

Session 2: Thursday, 20 August
Short forms: flash fiction, long short stories, and everything in between
with Lucy Nelson
What is it to be ‘short’? What do readers look for in short-form fiction? What can writers of short fiction borrow from poets, essayists and novelists? This session, we explore how form can inform content, and vice versa.

Session 3: Thursday, 27 August
The size of your idea
with Emma Hislop
Are you over-padding your prose or rushing the narrative? Learn to diagnose whether your concept suits a vignette or a longer arc. This session includes a small-group workshop to receive immediate peer feedback on your current drafts.

Session 4: Thursday, 3 September
Beginnings
with Lucy Nelson
In this session, we will examine various successful short story openings, from the experimental to the more familiar.

Session 5: Thursday, 10 September
Structure
with Emma Hislop
Discover how to build a sturdy narrative without relying on traditional novelistic tropes. We’ll look at using lists, distinct parts, and recurring imagery as “scaffolding” to provide your short fiction with a clear, resonant internal logic.

Session 6: Thursday, 17 September
The Art of Synecdoche
with Lucy Nelson
Master the craft of the “telling detail”. We’ll learn how to select specific, small-scale observations that represent much larger emotional truths, allowing your prose to remain lean while carrying a significant, heavy-hitting thematic impact. Following the lecture, students will workshop their own writing in an intimate, collaborative environment.

BREAK – one-on-one consultations.

Students submit up to 4000 words of short fiction for review. This might be 4 x 1000 word stories or 1 x 4000 word story, or another combination. Lucy Nelson sees first 6 students, Emma Hislop sees remaining 6 students.

Session 7: Thursday, 15 October
What’s the big idea?
with Emma Hislop
Revision begins with clarity. In this session, we’ll identify the “nub” or central argument of your story. By pinpointing this core theme, you can refine your work with precision, ensuring every sentence serves the primary point.

Session 8: Thursday, 22 October
Crafting scenes
with Lucy Nelson
Analyse the architecture of a scene and how to transition between them seamlessly. We will practice patterning scenes to create narrative momentum, followed by a peer workshopping session of student writing.

Session 9: Thursday, 29 October
Active settings
with Emma Hislop
Learn to craft “active” settings that live and breathe within limited space, functioning as more than just a backdrop, but as an energetic force within the story.

Session 10: Thursday, 5 November
Endings
With Lucy Nelson
A great ending should feel inevitable yet surprising. We will explore how to exit a short story gracefully, sticking the landing without “closing the door” so firmly that the story stops resonating in the reader’s mind.

Session 11: Thursday, 12 November
Refining
with Emma Hislop
Learn the art of the sensitive edit. We’ll discuss how to balance clarity and complexity while protecting your unique writerly voice. This final workshop session focuses on polishing your prose with nuance and professional sophistication.

COURSE BREAK Second one-on-one consultations. Lucy Nelson sees remaining 6 students; Emma Hislop sees the first 6 students.

Session 12: Thursday, 10 December
Pathways to publication
With Lucy Nelson, Emma Hislop, and Anna Thwaites
Where and how to submit short fiction, with special guest Anna Thwaites, editor of HEAT literary journal.

All sessions are held online on Zoom. The exact course content could be adjusted according to the experience and concerns of the group and availability of guest writers. The detail of the course is at the discretion of the Course Director and Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin.

How to Book

To secure your place in Writing Short Fiction with Emma Hislop and Lucy Nelson at the Early Bird rate of $2400/$2040 alumni, you will need to pay the full course fee by 28 June, 2026.

Payment by instalment will be available after the close of the early bird promotion period.

Please see our terms and conditions for more information.

Alumni: Please enter your discount code at checkout. Forgotten or need the code? Please call us on (02) 8425 0171