All modern educators want to reach their aims: to teach students to develop critical thinking, form their statements, explain their ideas flawlessly, and evaluate knowledge of students straightforwardly.

To reach these goals, teachers often assign students to write essays and other papers in the proper style, tone of voice, and unique content.

To be effective, a teacher must have time to give students feedback and provide a deep analysis of their work. Thanks to digital tools like online plagiarism checkers for teachers, this process becomes effortless. As a result, teachers get more free time and resources.

In our article, we will discuss how creative writing teachers can benefit from using a plagiarism checker.

What is a plagiarism checker?

A specific tool that helps to identify borrowed content in any text is called a plagiarism checker. Plagiarism chicken tools are available online and most of them are free.

By comparing the text entered a specific field on the page of a website, a user of a plagiarism checker can in several minutes or even seconds get an analysis resulted from a work of an algorithm that checks all web pages, articles and submissions of other students that could be fined on the Internet. As a result, a user gets the visual highlights of potential copied content in the entered text.

Read: How To Write A Story

Advantages of using a plagiarism checker by creative writing teachers

There are numerous benefits a plagiarism checker can give to creative writing teachers. For example, using such online tools as effective plagiarism checkers improves effectiveness and lets teachers give students feedback directly and promptly.

Using plagiarism checkers lets teachers ensure that students use unique content and follow all the manuals provided by teachers. Here are more advantages of utilizing the plagiarism checker below:

Proving originality and creativeness

Using plagiarism checkers lets teachers ensure the texts created by students are original. Tools that check the uniqueness of written assignments online can identify the parts and text that could be considered like other texts on online resources.

For example, a tool can find texts submitted by other students that have already been published. So, if a student just copied the text from an online resource and did not point out the proper citation according to the set formatting style, a plagiarism checker will consider this part borrowed. In turn, a teacher can discuss such an issue with the students and ensure that they avoid plagiarism in the future.

Encouraging academic integrity

Another way for teachers to benefit by using a plagiarism-checking tool is the promotion of academic honesty. Integrity is crucial for students who want to succeed in their studies.

Teachers must discourage plagiarism and explain the importance of the originality of students’ content. Creating academic papers aims to teach students to formulate their thoughts, and this goal is impossible to reach if a student borrows content.

Another aspect related to academic honesty is a significant part of ethical issues that is important to explain to students during the educational process.

Providing timely feedback on submitted papers

By using online plagiarism-checking tools, teachers become much more effective. The effectiveness improvement process includes providing timely feedback on papers students submit during their studies.

It becomes easy for teachers to identify plagiarism-related issues and give students direct and correct commentaries about such cases. For example, if a student provides a paper with borrowed content, and a teacher identifies this issue online, it is effortless to give a student feedback with a screenshot so that a student cannot avoid responsibility.

Identifying poor referencing

Teachers who often utilize online plagiarism detection tools are effective in identifying the areas of betterment in terms of referencing. For example, if a student misuses citations or references, the tool will let a teacher quickly identify the case and find the initial source.

In turn, a teacher can smoothly give students feedback regarding improper citations and comment on how to improve this situation. As a result, students realize their responsibility for proper citation and understand the importance of giving credit to original authors.

Helping students to become better writers

One of the main goals of a teacher is to help students improve their writing skills. It means that one advantage of using an online plagiarism-checking for creative writing teachers is the ability to easily identify improvement areas.

Explaining to students the specific aspects that need more work is very easy when a teacher can directly see the weaknesses of a piece highlighted by a plagiarism-checking tool. Helping students to develop strong writing skills and create meaningful papers is a part of keeping up the academic integrity process.

Developing critical thinking

Students appreciate it when teachers help them become better writers and develop critical thinking. Thanks to using plagiarism-checking tools, teachers not only identify the originality of the text.

They also allow students to see how independent thinking can make their papers better. To avoid plagiarism, students must learn to analyze the data and form their own opinions based on the originality of ideas and statements.

Saving time in analyzing student works

By using online plagiarism-checking tools, teachers can automatize evaluating student tasks. When a teacher gets an assignment, reducing the time spent on checking work is very easy.

If papers submitted by students are automatically checked for plagiarism, it saves a teacher more time to analyze the content more deeply.

Time resources saved by using online plagiarism-checking tools for analyzing student works lets teachers dedicate more time to giving students adequate and detailed feedback on their writing weaknesses.

Creating an effective evaluation system

Thanks to a plagiarism checker, teachers can not only focus on deep analysis but also create a fair system of evaluation to give students practical feedback.

For example, plagiarism-checking tools allow teachers to compare two works, and if there are similar sentences, the teacher will define the two students who provided the same texts. It will lead to an ability to promptly give feedback and identify violations of the academic integrity process.

Afterall

We hope that now, after reading the article, you realize that creative writing teachers can benefit from using a plagiarism checker. Digital tools are effective and help to save time. We hope you will detect the easiest and unique way to use the plagiarism checker for your needs. Good luck!

The post How Creative Writing Teachers Can Benefit from Using a Plagiarism Checker appeared first on Creative Writing News.

The Society of Book and Magazine Editors of Nigeria (SBMEN) will be holding another career-changing editing workshop in September, 2019. This upcoming workshop will be its third for the year.

This edition has been themed: The Fundamentals of Fiction and Non-Fiction Editing.

If you have always dreamed of becoming a professional editor, here’s your chance to learn from the best editors in the industry. This course is also fantastic for creative writers who are interested in learning to edit their own work. So if you’re tired of the rejections and the bad reviews, perhaps, you should consider taking this course. It might be all you need to get your break through. Again, at the end of the course, you might find that you like the idea of making money as an editor.

According to the press release:

This workshop is valuable to established editors who desire to refresh their knowledge; budding editors eager to hone their craft; proofreaders who want to transit to developmental editing; writers looking to learn how to expertly self-edit their work and people who love literature and want to learn a new skill-set.

What areas will this course cover?

This editing workshop/ training seminar will cover a wide range of topics such as:

• The process of creative writing,
• The best practices for editing creative fiction and creative nonfiction;
• The art of managing author-editor relationships
• How to give constructive feedback;
• How to find and pursue business prospects and opportunities
• Practical experience of a professional editor.

The course has been scheduled to hold from 21 to 22 September 2019.

At this point, you’re probably wondering who the facilitators are.

This workshop will be facilitated by the following editorial experts:

• Adebukola Bassey, Founding Editor, BMS Editorial Services;
• Otosirieze Obi-Young, Deputy Editor, Brittle Paper;
• Tahirah Sagaya, Senior Editor, Quramo Publishing;
• Eghosa Imasuen,  Co-founder, Narrative Landscape Press,
• and Anwuli Ojogwu, ED/co-founder, SBMEN.
• The guest expert is  Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia, the author of The Son of the House (2019), which has recently been received with wide acclaim by international critics.

The workshop will be delivered through lectures, interactive sessions, class exercises, case studies, and breakout sessions.

Editors and writers from all over the world are encouraged to apply. There are no geographical restrictions.

So, are you ready to learn The Fundamentals of Fiction and Non-Fiction Editing? Here are the application guidelines.

• Send an e-mail to: training@sbmen.org.ng
• Alternatively, you can send a WhatsApp message to 08120055823.
• To learn more about SBMEN, visit  www.sbmen.org.ng

About SBMEN

The Society for Book and Magazine Editors of Nigeria (SBMEN) is a new educational and professional association that represents and supports aspiring and existing editorial professionals to develop editorial skills that meet global best practices. It is also extended to other professionals who work within publications, broadcasting, digital media, legal services, communications, public relations and academia. The organisation provides training and resources for professionals to increase their proficiency in editing.

You might also like: Attend Best-selling Author Mary Karr’s Memoir Class on Skillshare / How To Get A Free Code To Attend

How To Write A Great Short-Story: Lessons From A Short-Story Day With TJ Benson.

The post Register For The Upcoming SBMEN Fiction and Non-Fiction Editing Workshop for Editors and Writers Billed To Hold This September appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Mary Karr, the best-selling author who literally wrote the book on memoir (The Art of Memoir, Lit, The Liar’s Club) is teaching an exclusive, new class on memoir on the online learning platform Skillshare, launching Monday, Sept. 2.

The class, called Writing the Truth: How to Start Writing Your Memoir, joins Skillshare’s premium membership catalog—online classes that take you behind-the-scenes with today’s leading creatives. Over the past 12 months, Skillshare has launched classes with best-selling authors Roxane Gay, Lisa Ko, Hanif Abdurraqib, and more.

Mary’s new class is a must-watch for any writer who wants to do memoir. In every lesson, Mary breaks down excerpts from her own memoirs and those of her favorite writers word-by-word. You’ll dive deep into Mary’s approach to writing, including an exclusive look at the notebooks she’s currently using to plan her next memoir, the commonplace book she uses to keep track of writing she loves, and bookshelves stacked with her favorite memoirs from years of avid reading.

Mary shares with her students that their first priority in writing memoir should be to ensure they have enough distance from what they are writing before starting their story. “Writing is not therapy,” Karr says.”In writing, you are the mommy and the reader is the baby – and so you’ve got to be giving them something. It’s not about you and how you feel and self expression – that’s a diary” Before writing a memoir, writers must “Take care of themselves.”

Click to attend Mary Karr’s Creative Non-fiction Writing Course.

You need to pay a subscription fee to attend the course. But if you can’t afford the fee, that’s okay. ‘ll be giving out free codes to over one hundred readers. You know, a little something to reward you for reading Creative Writing News.

How to get a free code to attend Mary Karr’s Creative Writing Course:

1. Subscribe for the Creative Writing News Newsletter. The subscribe button is on our homepage.
2. Follow Creative Writing News on Twitter. And like Creative Writing News on Facebook.
3. Share this post on either Facebook or Twitter or both.
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5. Attach the snapshots in an email to creativewritingnews [at] gmail. com (remove the spaces and include the @ yourself. Don’t just copy and paste). The subject of the email should read : Interested in Attending Mary Karr’s Memoir Course On Skillshare

You might also be interested in : Online Creative Writing Class with NYT Bestselling Author Roxanne Gay Available On Skillshare—Register

The post Attend Best-selling Author Mary Karr’s Memoir Class on Skillshare / How To Get A Free Code To Attend appeared first on Creative Writing News.

The short story form is in high demand. Many writers want to learn how to write a short story. Also, many writers wonder how long is a short story?

In this article, Tega explains everything he learned from prolific writer TJ Benson. Wrapped in short story examples are nuggets on short story outlines, elements writing hacks, and more.

Ready to learn how to write a short story? Ready to learn how long a short story should be.? Read on. This article starts with a vivid short story about a writing festival.

How To Write A Short Story: Lessons Learned From TJ Benson’s Short Short Story Day Africa Workshop. 

It’s the Jos Museum Festival. It means the celebration of ancient cultures and histories to keep the future breathing. 

I want to roll with the massive crowd gathering at British-America Junction. I want to soak the raw banging of the local drums and the seismic blast of horns scattered everywhere.

Another thing, the popular Terminus Market is falling flat today. I want to see Chinese engineers setting demolition charges to the quiet sprawl of mossy buildings that were once the economic pride of Jos.

I have also been invited to a Cast and Crew Party at the Jos Repertory Theatre. The party means Jollof rice and baked chicken and groundnut oil. It means moi-moi, and chilled juices and evergreen high-life music.

But guess where I am headed with Lardo, YoungLan and our copies of We Won’t Fade into Darkness?

To a short story workshop taught by fiction writing maestro, TJ Benson. There I intend to learn more about how to write a short story.

For the uninitiated, here’s a definition of a short story.

A short story is a work of prose fiction (sometimes prose poetry) that can be read in one sitting. It can also be defined as a piece of fiction that focuses on a specific moment in a character’s or group of characters’ lives.

On my way to this workshop, someone begged me to ask how long is a short story. But I said, I already knew about the word counts of short stories.

A short story is usually as long as it wants to be. Or as short as it wants to. Thankfully, the short story market is flexible. It can accommodate stories that are as short as six words and as long as 10,000 or even 20,000 words.

Ernest Hemmingway famously wrote a beautiful flash fiction or micro fiction story that was six words long. It read:

TJ Benson had interesting things to say about how long a short story should be. More on that later.

A Short Story About Meeting The Other Workshop Participants.

nHUB is all vintage lamps, impossible warmth, and brilliant graffiti. Poets move up and down, asking for the central Wi-Fi password.

I feel strangely related to all of them even with their mad varieties of accents. I broach one.

“What’s your name?”

“De General.”

“Bro, I mean your real name?”

He observes a long pause as though trying to remember his birth name. “Nuel,” he says, almost with a grudge. He is a performance poet, he says.

Performance poets prefer their stage names. He mourns his lack of earphones. Poets need their earphones, especially spoken word poets. Please, do I have any spare earphones to lend?

In the spacious lobby, Younglan and other poets find belonging in navigating the memories of a Pulitzer photographer who killed himself. Someone makes light of the tragic issue.

“Have you ever been in a deep depression?” Miriam asks the person, her voice bellicose.

“Depression is depression.” The person says, in a quiet shout. “Nothing like deep depression.”

An argument on depression follows. It flows sadly, loudly.

I move away from them to a flower girl filling herself with music by a concrete balustrade. Her name is Sonia.

Her lips are soft passion fruits. Like passion fruits, maybe they will produce some sweetness. Maybe they will be comforting.

Hello, Sonia! What genre do you mostly write? Poetry too? Okay. So, Sonia what was your last poem about? Depression too? Mo gbe! No, pleeeease don’t show me. Thank you! I leap into the hall.

Arriving At The Short Short Story Day Workshop Hall.

The hall is the milk veneer tables, which strangely turn purple when the white lights trip on.

The hall is also a rainbow of neatly arranged chairs and weird wall paintings. I jog my hands across the cold expanse of tinted glass windows that mute the daylight.

But I do nothing to mute the raucous sound downstairs. I roll back one of the windows.

I lower my gaze and take in the reckless movement of cars, and people in ridiculous tribal clothes. They’re dancing their way to British-America Junction for the festival. Someone, an old man with a brilliant toothy smile, waves at me. I wave back.

Write Your Story Immediately The Idea Comes To You.

We sit facing a whiteboard that reads, ‘WRITE IT NOW. SOMETIMES, LATER BECOMES NEVER.’ I feel attacked.

I know I shouldn’t. But I can help myself. Learning how to write a short story isn’t for wimps.

Rudolph, an ingenious spoken word poet and one of the organizers of the workshop, performs a poem while walking around our tables.

I find it hard to catch up with his experimental style. He talks about theme, coherence, plot, rhythm and diction. All the elements of a short story.

He talks as if these elements are things from outer space. I don’t understand much of them, maybe because I am not a poet.

I look at my wristwatch and scribble on my right palm: Where. Is. TJ Benson?

Crafting A Character Profile Of The Workshop Facilitator

TJ Benson breezes into the hall in the cool height of a Toyota Hummer bus, in swaying ash trousers and a white T-shirt that is MALAWI.

His eyes are focused on everyone. He owes Jos some years of his writing life, he says.

TJ’s movement is a lot like Salsa. The way his hands swim, and the way his shoulders swing back and forth when he says he has nothing against people who beer out their bellies. His movements are all endlessly fascinating.

He has the soul of an intricate Tiv song, this TJ. He imagines himself as the character he is writing. And by that way, he is able to find specific things about that character. He stalks himself. Applaudissez! We clap for him.

Straight to the matter. What are your names? He asks. Tell the house something about you.

The first writer is trying to love again. Wow. Bold of him to say that, TJ says. Isn’t writing about churning bold expressions when other art forms are reticent? Be bold. Know and say what you want. Write it. Don’t worry about the short story length. Just write it. Next!

The second is a psychologist who doesn’t socialize.

Her character is unique, TJ points out. She is wearing a shouty blue lipstick to draw our attention. And she doesn’t like socializing, huh?

An accurate irony, something writeable! “It’s green,” she says to TJ, smiling, “my lips are green.” It’s all a story, TJ says. That’s the long and short of it. 

Depictions don’t have to be factual. Just make them interesting and believable. Okay? Next!

Someone wants to situate deep humour inside a short story strictly on pain. More like distilling perfume from garlic. Why not! It’s possible. Everything is. There is something called Speculative Fiction, and there is Fantasy, TJ says.

Someone wants to write a book about life.

‘WHAT PART OF LIFE?’ TJ writes on the whiteboard. Life is too broad, he says facing us, his voice a decibel higher.

Avoid blanket statements. Don’t think of life when writing. Think about specific experiences in life. Good writing thrives on specificity.

But avoid the obvious, he adds. Like poverty, disease, hunger, and other clichéd subject matters that are copious in most African Literature.

Write something new. Write from a fresh and unique angle, he admonishes. Writing is not a tidy experience, he adds. We must avoid the urge to put the process into a small or bland space.

What about urban markets? Bank Vault? About BRT buses? About the surface of the moon? About Maximum prisons? About afterlife? Research. Tell outgoing stories.

Someone says he is a writer who is mostly too lazy to lift a pen. But when he does, OMG happens. For example, he helped a secondary school student write an essay and the essay is taking the student to the USA.

TJ tells him to trust his lazy process as long as it gives him OMG results. He proceeds to ask a moral question: Do we think it was wrong of him to have helped the student write the essay?

An argument breaks out between two participants.

“Oh! It’s cheating.”

“EVERYONE cheats one way or the other.”

“I don’t cheat!”

“He was just helping an underprivileged kid get to the USA!”

“It was a competition for school kids.”

“And so what? What of ghostwriting?”

“What about ghostwriting!?”

“Are you not a ghostwriter?”

“That’s none of your business!”

“Why?”

“Zed.”

Someone says he photographs for a local newspaper.

TJ Benson asks him to give a picture of the newspaper office. The person says it’s conducive, beautiful –

Keep your opinion to yourself, TJ cuts it. Just paint a picture. Show what the place looks like then let the reader say whether it’s conducive and beautiful. Show. Don’t tell.

Next! Next!…

Determining How Long Your Short Story Should Be.

The short story is a compact wonderful literary form. Yes, there’s a lot of contention about the aptest short story length. This explains why budding writers are often asking, how long is a short story?

According to TJ, short story lengths are dynamic. In some cases, they overlap.

Many short story journals and contests often publish short stories with word counts between 2000 – 5000 words. Some flash fiction magazines and contests prefer stories that are less than 1000 words. Some prefer sudden or microfiction stories that are under 500 words.

There is no easy answer to the FAQ, how long is a short story. But below is a yardstick you can use to determine the correct short story length.

Microfiction or sudden fiction: 500 words or less.

Flash fiction (also called short, short stories): 1,000 words or less.

Short story: 1000 to 20,000 words (the style is often cyclical. There are often echoes strewn throughout the story)

Short novel or a novelette: 7,500 to 25,000 words

Novella: 10,000 to 49,000 words

Novel: 50,000 words or more.

More Of TJ Benson’s Tips On How To Write A Good Short Story.

If you’re learning how to write a short story, you must take the following tips seriously.

Your Story Should Haunt The Reader.

Your short story supposed to make the reader feel a strange sense of wonder. There are a bunch of amazing short stories out there. But there will also be a space for yours. Simply make your reader truly feel that strange sense of wonder.

Create Seminal Moments Of Change.

For a short story to be successful, there has to be a profound change. Our lives are stories of changes.

We are born. We die. We change senses. We change our minds. We change our clothes. We change levels.

Something has to change in the story you are writing. The more major and unpredictable the change is, the better the sense of wonder.

Ask Yourself The Following Questions After the First/Second Draft of Your Short Story:

• What makes this piece different from every other piece?
• How does it capture a specific moment or consciousness?
• Why should people give up their precious time for it?
• How can I cut it down? This question is important is you’re wondering how long your story should be.

Practice The Art Of Word Count Economy. Say A Lot In Few Words.

A good short story isn’t unnecessarily wordy. The best short story writers often employ a rare technique called word economy.

Your short story should be able to convey as much meaning as possible in few words. And this must be neatly done –else, it becomes a burden to the reader.

Don’t forget that word count and length matter in short stories. But rather than ask, how long is a short story, pause. Compress your sentences. Delete unnecessary and repetitive words.

Aim For A Rythmic, Voice Driven Tale.

A good short story should flow and show. Don’t spend too much time describing to your readers. Or you will leave them with roadblocks and no story.

Show your reader a picture of the unfolding events. When you show, your readers experience and absorb your story.

Pay Attention To Your Mode Of Representation

There is a certain form of erasure of groups that do not belong to the mainstream in every part of the world.

There is no one-way to being human. Humanity is complex. Showing complexity and difference in your work matters.

Write the marginal in with dignity. But don’t be preachy about it.

Good Short Stories Don’t Waste Words On Stereotypes.

As a writer, assume no default identity. Rise above preconceived notions and unbridled traditional beliefs.

There are no fixed restrictions as to what should be or not be. Always be on the verge of saying something new. Work against stereotypes.

Resist The Temptation To Italicize Non-English Words.

Don’t italicize or explain indigenous words for the West. Your job isn’t to beg people to like your culture.

Your indigenous words aren’t exotic. Exhaust materials peculiar to your culture. Use folktales, songs, riddles, proverbs and so on. Enrich your works with these things.

Your experience is worthy of representation.

Give Your Story Context

Context is the ecosystem of your story. Context matters. It adds believability to your piece. Always check with context.

Pay Attention To Intent and Language

Your intent is the ocean wave that carries your words. It is the guiding spirit of the story.

It is the energy behind each word, the feeling. If your intent is to create a love story let it be clearly felt by the reader. Be intentional.

Favor language simplicity. Don’t rely on heavy or complicated language to tell your story.

Rely on yourself as an artist. Build a confident voice (and you do this by continuous writing practices and of course, reading)

 Watch a video of the workshop. Learn how to write a short story.

Create Moving Dialogue

Characters are different people. The way they talk should mirror their differences. Your characters shouldn’t speak like you. Study the cadence of people.

For example, assertive people talk with curt and short sentences or long rants.

Less self-assured or nervous people beat around the bush or ramble.

Never enter into a writing project without absorbing the sounds of various kinds of people.

 Choose Your Characters Names Wisely.

Humanize your story with names, profound names. Let diversity and color richly show in your characters’ names.

Often, writers assume that readers won’t remember indigenous names. The irony is that such names make them more memorable.

Remember Ralia, the sugar girl? Ali and Simbi? Who can ever forget Ifemelu or Okonkwo or Jagua Nana?

Your Title Should Tell The Reader Something About Your Short Story. 

Your title may cast an informing light on the story but should not give it away. You could get a title from when a major change occurs in the story.

If the essence of your story cannot be contained in its first and second paragraphs then let it be contained in the title.

Read Materials That Make You A Better Short Story Writer. 

To read is to think and to think clearly is to write wonderfully. It opens and renews the mind. 

Reading is the surest way to learn how to write a short story. It gives you more words, more ideas, and consciousnesses.

When you read, you add heft to your voice. You know what is true to you. You know what is not. You know the right length for the short story you’re working on.

Read widely. Don’t look down on any genre. Have an acute consciousness. Read and absorb your environment. Be aware.

Bonus Tips: How To Care For Your Creative Health

• Be kind to your mind.
• Don’t let rejection letters get to you.
• Remove market pressure from your worktable.
• Don’t do it for prizes or for validation. Do it for you. Write at your pace.
• Control your work. Be in charge of the process. Be in charge of how much of yourself you put into your work.
• Network with friends. Have a support system that will insulate you from dark moods.
• Be deliberate about the environments you expose your mind to. Some environments will never be good for you as an artist.
• Don’t disappear into the world you are trying to create on paper.
• Create time to stretch and do some physical exercises. Remove yourself from your manuscript once in a while, and seek out psychical spaces that are new to you.
• Traveling is very essential to the craft. Travel out of your experience and embody other consciousnesses.
• Don’t conform. Find your own formula. Don’t let how any writer writes to be your absolute way.
• You may experience the imposter syndrome sometimes. You may feel you are not worthy of the attention you receive. You do, and you deserve even more.

Because TJ Benson says we deserve more, and because we do, Lardo and Rudolph skip forward bearing a pack of meat pie and frosty coke for each one of us.

Wrap Up On How Long Is A Short Story?: Understanding The Basics Of How To Write A Short Story.

The short story is a unique art form. It is almost as technical as drama and screenplay writing. But it is interesting still.

The easiest way to figure out how to write a short story is to read many, many stories. There are a lot of great short stories you can read for free online.

Rather than worry about the length of your story, simply write. Focus on getting the voice right, on plugging plot holes. Focus on making the most of the elements of the short story.

The tips above will help you write the perfect short story. And hopefully, you now know the answer to the FAQ, how long is a short story.

Have you written a short story lately? What was your experience? Did you have to worry about the short story length? And does reading and analyzing poetry make you a better writer?

Please leave a comment below. Click, if you’d like to learn how to write a novel.

 The workshop was co-organized by Just Create, Tales Afrik and Custodians of African Literature. It held on the 18^th of May, 2019, in Jos, Nigeria.

Bio: Tega Oghenechovwen has attended Short Story Day Africa workshop, Aké Festival writing Workshop, among others. He has published work with the Rumpus, Black Sun Lit, Litro Magazine, Arts and Africa, and elsewhere. He tweets @tega_chovwen

The post How Long Is A Short Story?: A Guide On How To Write A Short Story. appeared first on Creative Writing News.

You probably know that feeling, when your mail has not received any acceptance letter in a while, or, that feeling, when you’ve never been to any creative writing workshop. I was experiencing that feeling one night, when Olakunle Ologunro’s message just popped into my. The email notified me that I’d been selected to attend a prestigious workshop I’d applied to. I was so excited; I almost couldn’t believe my luck.

Now for all those who haven’t heard of Olakunle Ologunro’s legend, here’s his brief bio:

Olakunle Ologunro is a student of English in the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. He is an alumnus of Farafina Trust Creative Writing Workshop and a winner of the 2017 Kreative Diadem prize for short fiction. He has been shortlisted for different prizes including, the 2018 Africa Book Club contest and the inaugural Gerald Kraak Award. In 2015, he placed second in the Naija Stories contest, and was also long listed for the AMAB–HBF prize. His short story “A Non required Guide to Writing Love Stories” is published in Brittle Paper. Recently, his short story “Pampers” which was anthologized in the South African anthology Queer Africa 2, was republished in the anthology Queer Africa: Selected Stories, which also features stories from 2007 Caine Prize winner, Monica Arac de Nyeko and the late South African author, K. Sello Duiker.

Two days after the email arrived, I found myself rushing to the venue of the workshop. I really wanted to be at the venue before the stipulated resumption time. I will not bore you with detailed stories of everything that went on in the workshop. Rather, I will list out the cogent tips Kunle gave on writing a good story.

Tips on writing a good, memorable story.

1. You have to read widely:

The first words of advice I heard Kunle utter was this: reading a lot of books. He said reading many books means reading different authors so as not imbibe one writer’s style. Reading widely also helps the writer stand out with a unique (personalized) style.

2. The major approach to writing is what and how:

Ask yourself, what do I want to write, then, how do I write it? When you know what to write, you will then determine your readers because whatever you want to write, has probably been written before. Your job is to write the story from such a unique angle that the story takes on a fresh and unique perspective.

3. Defamiliarisation:

Throughout the workshop, defamiliarization was the most examined technique. The students learned the most important aspects of style.

I will explain. Defamiliarisation means making the common things uncommon. This means presenting a common object or experience in a unique way, so that readers can have a completely new experience of it.

At the workshop, Kunle explained how this can be achieved. He said one can do this by symbolizing the whole story with an object or something that happened or time or event or anything. He gave us Lesley Nneka Arimah’s The Future Looks Good as an example. In Lesley’s story, the story begins with Ezinma trying to open a door and while trying to open the door, everything in the story happens.

Click to read more stories by 2019 Caine Prize Winner, Lesley Nneka Arimah

4. Catching the attention of the reader:

In every story, use significant details to observe characters, events and things. This will help to draw the reader into the story. Your goal as a writer is to entice your reader enough to you’re your story to the end. Your opening word, line, sentence or paragraph should be catchy to the extent that readers would want to finish the story. Make them eager to know how it ends. Make the reader curious. Avoid clichés or stereotypes.

5. Show, don’t tell:

Show us the story, don’t tell us the story. In showing, you describe what a character or event looks like. If a character is angry, show us by telling us may be he flings his clothes or throws something out. “Don’t just tell us he is angry, show us,” Kunle said. However, don’t over show and don’t under show. i.e don’t over describe. Just describe enough. Let your description be accurate.

6. Winging is not a very good idea:

Winging means telling a story somehow as you perceive it should be. Olakunle gave us an instance of a writer who wants to write about being a slut and mingles with sluts so as to know their language and reactions. Write what you know.

7. Sentence Structure:

Make use of shorter sentences if you want to describe a sudden event or an action. It heightens the emotion of the readers. Try to be simplify your senses. Avoid using “big” words. However if it works for you, don’t hesitate to use it, Kunle advised.

Personal Essay: On Getting Writing Advice From Chimamanda Adichie, Bonding With The Literati and Enjoying The Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop

8. Kill your darlings:

Don’t be afraid to cut out unnecessary details even when you love them. You can save them in a separate file and document for future use.

9. Writing Non-fiction:

In writing non-fiction, Olakunle begins with Teju Cole’s quote that says “A good fiction story should be like non-fiction.”

Then he went further to explain the quote in the following three points.

• One, go where it hurts.
• Two, use your story to relate to the collective.
• Three, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.

Tips For Starting Your Novel: 8 Lessons From The Aké Art And Book Festival Writing Workshop.

10. Closing a story:

Have a sense of the end from the beginning. Don’t start if you don’t know how to end. Close your story by tying up loose ends. Close your story in a way that makes the reader heave a sigh.

At the end of the workshop, we read out the stories he’d required us to write. I want you to consider writing it as well.

“Write about yourself from the perspective of your mother”.

We all took pictures with Olakunle Ologunro. And he promised to be available whenever we needed his help and advice. I also took a selfie with Ope Adetayo. Ope was the friend who introduced me to the workshop.

About the Author:

Ahmad Adedimeji Amobi is a student of English and Literary Studies at the University of Ilorin. His works have appeared or are forthcoming on Kalahari Review, African Writer, Agbowo, LitroUK, Tuck magazine and others. He was shortlisted for the League of Wordsmiths, 2018.

You might also be interested in: Resonance: A Personal Essay on the 2018 Purple Hibiscus Trust Creative Writing Workshop

The post 10 Lessons from Olakunle Ologunro’s Creative Writing Workshop appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Writers are invited to apply for the  BookArtArea’s creative writing 5- day masterclass. It’s completely free of charge, and participants will get a chance to learn from literary bigwigs–Ayobami Adebayo, Teju Cole and Emmanuel Iduma.

The workshop will hold in Lagos, from August 5th to August 9th, 2019.  There will be a public reading (by the participants) at the end of the workshop. The public reading will be followed by  a discussion with the facilitators.

We are interested in both fiction and non-fiction, from focused and disciplined writers who are thinking about form but also about ethical questions: witness, kinship, hospitality. Of special interest to the facilitators is the way the visual arts interact with literature, so aspiring art critics are especially encouraged to apply.

So what exactly will participants gain?

Throughout the 5-day intensive program, selected participants will receive:

• a rare opportunity to hone their prose with the supervision of these accomplished writers.
• a chance to learn more about the art of creative writing.
• assigned readings and an opportunity to learn to read like writers
• In-class writing exercises and feedback from the facilitators
• Tailored take-home assignments geared towards strengthening the writer’s voice and style.

The workshop will run from 10am to 4pm, Monday through Friday.

How To Apply:

To be considered for this workshop, you must:

• submit a sample of your published work (not more than 10 pages or 2500 words)
• A brief personal statement (in which you’ll state your literary interests and influences.) Word count: 200 words)
• All materials must be submitted after filling the BookArtArea’s Online Google Doc Submission form.
• All applications must be submitted before the July 9th 2019 deadline.

Who is eligible to apply?

• Writers from every part of the world can apply. There are no geographical restrictions (However, it is important to note that participants, who ‘live outside Lagos, will be responsible for their travel and accommodation costs.)
• Only published writers can apply (if you have been published either online or in print, you are eligible)
• Self-published work in personal blogs or on social media do not count.

According to the press release:

This is not a workshop for beginning writers, but for those already at a certain level of accomplishment looking to hone their craft.

Ten participants will be selected. All the participants must commit to the full five-day duration of the workshop.

Forward all inquiries to: info@bookartareaafrica.org

Do not send your application materials to this email. If you do, you;ll be disqualified. Submit your application via this Google doc form:

About the workshop facilitators:

Ayobami Adebayo, fiction editor of Saraba Magazine, is the author of Stay With Me which was shortlisted for the 9mobile Prize for Literature and the Baileys Prize for Women’s Fiction, and translated into more than a dozen languages.

Teju Cole is a writer, photographer, and the author of several books, including Open City and Known and Strange Things. He is currently a professor of creative writing at Harvard.

Emmanuel Iduma, co-founder of Saraba Magazine, and associate curator of the first Nigerian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, is the author most recently of A Stranger’s Pose. He teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

You might also be interested in:

IAEA 2020 Essay Competition for Students and Early Career Professionals (€6,000 + Fully-Funded trip to Vienna) / How To Apply

Goethe-Institut Writer’s Residency for African Writers Under 40, Slated To Hold In Burkina Faso (Awards: €1,500) / How To Apply

Personal Essay: On Getting Writing Advice From Chimamanda Adichie, Bonding With The Literati and Enjoying The Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop

Resonance: A Personal Essay on the 2018 Purple Hibiscus Trust Creative Writing Workshop

The post Fully Funded Creative Writing Masterclass To Be Facilitated By Ayobami Adebayo, Teju Cole and Emmanuel Iduma / How To Apply appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Do you yearn to work as a writer or editor of a print and digital magazine? Do you often dream of designing your own magazine or blog? Are you interested in learning the basics of launching successful websites? Then you should register for the upcoming course titled, SBMEN Practical Editing Workshop for Magazines and Digital Platforms.

What will participants gain from attending this course?

At the end of the workshop, participants will:

• create their own unique magazine concept
• learn the entire process of planning, creating, writing, and developing editorial content for print or online platforms.
• learn how to design an editorial mission
• learn how to use digital tools to advance your craft
• explore the fundamental of writing content for blogs, websites, and interviews
• Participants will be given a foolproof guide for generating unique content ideas, and developing editorial tools to meet required standards.

Bonus: Participants will get a chance to expand their networks. If you want to connect with the world’s leading editors and publishers, simply register for this course.

Bloggers, journalists, content developers, vloggers, and everyone involved in digital publishing/marketing are strongly encouraged to apply.

This course is being organized by the board members of the Society of Book and Magazine Editors of Nigeria (SBMEN). Editing for Magazines and Digital Platforms is its second editing workshop for the year. The first workshop was a resounding success. This forthcoming workshop promises to be a lot better than the first.

Editing for Magazines and Digital Platforms is slated to hold from 26 to 27 June 2019.

This course will be taught by the following facilitators:

•  Adesuwa Onyenokwe, founder/editor-in-chief, Today’s Woman magazine;
• Kola Tubosun, writer and founder of award-winning blog, “Ktravula”;
• Chiagozie Fred Nwonwu, founder/editor of Omenana e-magazine, which has published award winning stories;
• Enimien Etomi, a marketing specialist and art photographer.

How To Enroll For This Highly Selective Course:

•  Send an email to: training@sbmen.org.ng
• Alternatively, you can send a WhatsApp message to 08120055823

Want to check out this organization? Visit  www.sbmen.org.ng

This program is being supported by the British Council Nigeria and Quramo Publishing Limited.

About SBMEN

 

The Society for Book and Magazine Editors of Nigeria (SBMEN) is a new educational and professional association that represents and supports aspiring and existing editorial professionals to develop editorial skills that meet global best practices. It is also extended to other professionals who work within publications, broadcasting, digital media, legal services, communications, public relations and academia. The organisation provides training and resources for professionals to increase their proficiency in editing.

The post Register For SBMEN’s Practical Editing Workshop for Magazines and Digital Platforms (It’s Set To Hold This June) appeared first on Creative Writing News.

If you can craft an engaging and compelling micro-fiction in ten words, then you should definitely apply for this free-to-enter writing contest.

Here’s a snippet from the press release:

It may be apocryphal, but the story goes that Ernest Hemingway won a bet by writing a short story that ran fewer than ten words. One version of the story places the bet at the famed Algonquin round table. Whether true or not, there is an actual bet-winning short story attributed to Hemingway:

For sale. Baby Shoes. Never worn.

Challenge yourself to write and submit your 10-words long short story and you could win a 10-week writing scholarship at the prestigious Gotham writers’ workshop.

How To Apply:

Write and submit a unique , unpublished 10-word short fiction.

Word count : 10 words max (title included) . It is also important to note that titles are optional.

No entry free required.

All submissions must be send before the May 20, 2019 deadline.

Winners will be notified June 18, 2019

How to submit:

Click https://www.writingclasses.com/contest/tenwordstory

Good luck

The post 2019 Gotham Writers’ 10-Word Short Story Contest—Apply appeared first on Creative Writing News.

The post Two Scholarships Post ions Available At The New York Writers Workshop—Apply appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Writers all over the world have been waiting with bated breaths to see the results of the Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop 2018.

Well, the time is here. Can we get the drum rolls please? Just kidding.

First, I’d like to say congratulations to all the successful applicants. If you’re a writer who didn’t get accepted, be strong. Do not despair. Rejections are a part of a writer’s life. Even the renowned Chimamanda Adichie talked about her days as a budding writer and how she learned to develop a thick skin for rejections.

If you haven’t received the acceptance letter, please take heart. There are other amazing creative writing courses you can attend free of charge from the comfort of your homes. You can learn to write fantastic stories Ms. Adichie might accept in the next workshop season. I will talk about these opportunities at the end of the post.

Now back to the results for the Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop.

In all honesty, Ms. Adichie’s team has yet released the list of the successful applicants. CWN only heard from reliable sources that twenty-two writers were contacted. A few of them disclosed their acceptance letters on their social media pages.

It is not yet clear whether all the 22 applicants have been contacted of if more writers will be contacted in the near future. But we can safely say that writers who haven’t yet heard from the Purple Hibiscus Writing Workshop team probably didn’t make the highly-selective list. I will publish the results once it has been made public.

Coping Tips For Writers

Judging a creative work of art can be subjective. Sometimes, a well-written story will be rejected for inexplicable reasons. Literary tastes differ, Sometimes, it is all about time and chance. When your time comes, you’ll get your lucky break. Just keep working hard. Read, read, read. Write, write, write.

You can do a lot with this rejection, though. You can write about the gut-wrenching feeling or the liberating feeling. CWN will be glad to publish your pieces. See our write for us page for guidelines.

A few years ago, I experienced so much despair as a budding writer (and I still do, Back then, I was on the verge of giving up on the entire enterprise (I don’t think I’d have succeeded in giving up). I spoke to South African writer, Judy Croome  and she sent me one of the most encouraging words of advice I ever received. I published it as a blog post titled, Why We Write. You might find it helpful.

The best thing to do is to enroll for the University of Iowa’s current free creative writing course.  Joining a vibrant online critique group will give you plenty of room to read and write fantastic stories. I used to give creative writing courses online, but I have put that on hold. However, another writer friend of mine gives one on one mentorships. Click to learn all about this writing course.

I hope this helps. Someday, I will write and publish tips on handling rejections from editors. It’s okay to ask questions or vent in the comments section.

Photo credit: Jared Siskin /PMC

The post 22 Writers Selected For The Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop appeared first on Creative Writing News.