Are you looking for a flash of inspiration this autumn? Do you want to get into a better writing habit but not get hung up on word counts?
It’s the season for cosy nights, glowing fires, warm soups, fairy lights, fireworks and NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) happens every year in November, and we want to expand it into flash fiction by throwing away the word count.
If you’re up for the challenge, then ignite your writing habit and write a flash fiction story every day (no word counts required), with Author and Director of the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize, Freya Morris, and Marie Gethins, award-winning writer and editor of the Irish flash ezine Splonk. For less than the average coffee cost per session, we’ll get you writing again and enjoying it.
To keep your fuse lit and your inspiration on fire, we will be focusing on creating first drafts only and staying in ‘creation mode’ – just like NaNoWriMo. You won’t be asked to share your writing or offer feedback. So we invite you to show up in any way you need that helps you write, whether that’s PJs, black screens, food and drink, or duvets. Creativity comes when we feel the most relaxed to create, so show up on your own terms.
Who for: Beginners / Writers looking to start writing frequently after a dry spell.
Cost: £99 / £70 (16 available) / Free places (SOLD)
Workshop times: 1 – 30 November, 7.30pm – 8.30pm (GMT) every day
What to expect over 30 days
- A FlashWriMo Welcome Pack in the post. Includes a notebook, calendar/habit tracker with stickers, advice for pre-FlashWriMo prep, Commitment Form, Keep Out sign, box of matches, an Ignite badge, tea bag, and copy of This is (not about) David Bowie by FJ Morris. (Terms: Must be booked onto the course at least a week in advance to get in time.)
- A one hour Zoom session every day from 7.30-8.30 with Freya Morris and Marie, providing prompts, guides, inspiration and more.
- Daily emails and flash stories to ignite your creativity.
- Prizes for 7 day streaks and if you complete the whole 30 days.
It’s time to light up November and get writing!
The course was wonderful. When I first signed up I didn’t know what to expect, and was afraid it would be intimidating and I’d be out of my depth, but Freya did a wonderful job and I felt very at ease. I feel very inspired to write. Thank you! Flashy Gifts Workshop Participant
Your Hosts
Marie Gethins
Marie is an award-winning writer and editor of the Irish flash ezine Splonk. Her stories have been selected for 2020 BIFFY50 , 2021 Best Microfictions, and 2023 Best Small Fictions. She has also been nominated for a British Screenwriters Award, Best of the Net, and three Pushcart Awards. Marie has a BA in English Literature, a Master of Studies in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Limerick. Her flash fiction has featured in NFFD Anthologies, Bristol Short Story Anthology, Reflex, Jellyfish Review, Mslexia, Litro, NANO, Fictive Dream, Spelk, Ellipsis Zine, and many others.
Freya Morris
Freya is an award-winning writer and Director of the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize. Freya’s collection ‘This is (not about) David Bowie’ was published by Retreat West and received a special mention in the Saboteur Awards for Best Short Story Collection in 2019. In 2021, they were awarded DYCP Arts Council funding for their novel in progress, Burning down the house.
Freya has been published in numerous publications in the UK and internationally, and shortlisted for a variety of awards. You can find Freya’s stories soaring the skies thanks to a short story vending machine, and gracing pillows in a hotel in Indonesia.
Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 