As a story development editor, I have had the privilege of working with writers and their manuscripts for over 20 years. Through this process, I’ve been able to identify some basic and recurring issues that challenge writers. My workshops have been created to highlight these issues and show you how to avoid the pitfalls. They are all focused sessions and designed to encourage, inspire, and improve both your short and longer works.
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Below you will see the Winter 2025 listings for my private workshops and those that I teach for The Writer's Center. All are taught online through Zoom.
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My Upcoming Zoom Workshops
THE TINY TALES SERIES (Workshops 1, 2, 3, and 4)
Flash Fiction and Micro-Memoir
Over the last several years, I have designed and revised this Tiny Tales Series to include Micro-memoir, Flash Fiction, and Flash Nonfiction (stories under 1,000 words). They have remained my most popular and ongoing workshops. The series begins with an overview of the form, followed by beginning and intermediate practice, and culminates in an advanced, check-in meeting where we generate new writing and polish for publication.
Learning this tiny form results in big impact writing. The power of these stories lies in their brevity, often examining one small moment with an unexpected revelation. When crafted well, these little gems can take a reader's breath away by exposing new insights and truths.
Tiny Tales (a name I call short-format writing) are certainly compelling on their own (many literary magazines are looking for quality work in this genre to publish and numerous students who have taken these workshops have placed their mini stories), but there is another benefit to mastering the form. I have found that practicing the tiny tale will make you a better writer overall. The form also lends itself well when authors are crafting short, powerful chapters (or a scene) for a novel or memoir, leaving the reader eager to turn the page.
DATE: Zoom, Tues, Jan 14
TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 pm (ET)
COST: $60
REGISTER: To reserve your spot,
email Lynn your interest at:
lynnauldschwartz@gmail.com
(10% discount if two or more workshops are taken in this current series)
Workshop 1.
Tiny Tales: An Introductory Overview
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Learn what defines the short format (flash fiction and micro-memoir). Begin to understand the techniques and benefits of writing small. This is the prerequisite class for the Tiny Tales workshops that follow.
DATES: Zoom, Wed, Jan 22, 29, and Feb 5
TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 pm (ET)
COST: $185
REGISTER: To reserve your spot,
email Lynn your interest at:
lynnauldschwartz@gmail.com
(10% discount if two or more workshops are taken in this current series)
Workshop 2.
Tiny Tales, Beginning: Take Your Writing to The Next Level with Flash Fiction and Micro-Memoir
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Prerequisite: This workshop is limited to a small group of students who have taken Lynn's Tiny Tales Introductory Overview (Workshop 1) or have a beginning grasp of the micro-memoir and/or flash fiction format.
This workshop is for beginning, short-format writers who want to try out what they have learned in the Introductory Overview workshop. Short reading assignments will illustrate craft and weekly, writing exercises will put those techniques into practice. Participants will have the opportunity to have their mini exercises discussed in class.
Note: If you have taken this Tiny Tales workshop before, you are welcome to repeat. Many participants find that the repetition helps them come to a deeper understanding of not only the genre, but also, the elements of craft.
DATES: Zoom, Wed, Feb 12, 19, and March 5 (no class Feb 26)
TIME: 6:30 - 8:30 pm (ET)
COST: $185
REGISTER: To reserve your spot,
email Lynn your interest at:
lynnauldschwartz@gmail.com
(10% discount if two or more workshops are taken in this current series)
Workshop 3.
Tiny Tales, Intermediate: A Generative Lab for Creating New Writing and Polishing Works-in-Progress for Publication
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Prerequisite: This workshop is limited to a small group of students who have taken Lynn's Tiny Tales Beginning Workshop 2 (or have the equivalent writing experience and have a good grasp of the micro-memoir and/or flash fiction format).
We will be focused on producing new work and sharpening skills for short-format writing with the goal of publication. Participants who are styling their memoir or novel chapters in the short format are also encouraged to attend.
*If you have taken this workshop before, I am happy to have you join us again.
DATE: Zoom, Saturday, March 15
TIME: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm (ET)
COST: $60
REGISTER: Email Lynn with your interest:
lynnauldschwartz@gmail.com
Workshop 4.
Tiny Tales Check-in: Practice, Polish, and Publish ​
Prerequisite: This workshop is limited to a small group of students who have taken Lynn's Tiny Tales Beginning and Intermediate workshops and have a strong grasp of the micro-memoir and/or flash fiction format.
This is a check-in opportunity to present new or revised work to fellow writers, to polish for publication, and to discuss the challenges/concerns and successes of the publishing process. This workshop may be repeated as many times as you wish.
FOR THE WRITER’S CENTER
DATE: Zoom, Saturday, January 11
10:00 am –12:30 pm (ET)
COST: $60
REGISTER
10 Prompts to Kickstart Your Writing in the New Year
We’ll use other art forms to explore what’s beneath the surface — learning to layer emotion, theme, and universal truths into stories that will resonate with readers.
Description:
This workshop is designed to inspire you to deepen your writing with emotional weight. By examining your response to a variety of visual and musical prompts, including painting, sculpture, photography, short films, and music videos, we’ll learn to notice underlying emotions. Since everything we create is a representation of something larger, we’ll practice translating your feelings to the page so that they can live in your characters and resonate with readers. Participants will leave with fresh ideas for their memoir and fiction and the confidence to move beyond surface-level writing.
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In this workshop you’ll learn:
• Creating underlying emotion
• Making the ordinary extraordinary
• Defining your story’s intention and purpose
• Finding meaningful connections
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Who is this workshop for: This workshop is open to all writers, especially fiction and memoir writers, who are interested in deepening their ideas and creating emotional resonance on the page.
DATE: Zoom, Saturday, March 8
10:00 am – 12:30 pm (ET)
COST: $60
REGISTER
Making Your Characters Matter
Dive deep into character creation to craft compelling fiction and memoir.
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Description:
At the core of every good tale is a character with whom the reader wants to spend time. Discover how to move beyond the superficial and cliché, crafting characters who invite the reader to explore the human condition. Illustrations and exercises will help you uncover your character's inner values (in memoir, that character is you) and present them in ways that are integral to your story. We will examine effective techniques for depicting character yearning, physical description, and internal conflict and come to understand what influences reader empathy. This workshop will benefit those writing a novel, short story, or memoir.
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In this workshop you’ll learn:
• Moving beyond cliché
• Understanding yearning
• Conveying Internal Wrestling and Character Transformation
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Who is this workshop for: This workshop is open to all writers, especially fiction and memoir writers, who are interested in creating characters with whom readers will engage.