Fiction Writer’s Intensive with Charleen Hurtubise

Course Summary

Please note that class will not take place on Tuesday 1 July and this course will end on Tuesday 5 August.

Are you ready to add a short story to your growing collection or dust off your novel-in-progress? This course is designed for emerging writers who are looking to develop or renew their commitment to a writing practice. We will revisit elements of the craft, set short- and long-term writing goals, read work aloud, and give and receive feedback in a peer-to-peer workshop. This course is about encouraging you to carve out time and commit to a writing project within the structure of a supportive environment.

Course Outline

Week 1: JUST READ! JUST WRITE! This week will focus on setting up and then showing up for your writing practice. We will survey books on craft, discuss strategies for reading like a writer, and explore how established writers approach routines and discipline. We’ll touch on file organisation and software, and share ideas for where and when to write—at home and around the city. We’ll also explore idea generation, word counts, the value of messy first drafts, deadlines and how having an audience can drive the work.

Week 2: The Writer’s Workshop – Deadlines & Audience. This week focuses on establishing a productive peer-to-peer writing workshop. The first volunteers will present their work within the time limit. We’ll explore how to give and receive constructive feedback, how to structure critique meetings, and how to create a safe and supportive workshop environment. We will make a quick review of the novel structure vs. short story structure and what makes a compelling plot. We will discuss how deadlines and the idea of reading to an audience help progress goals.

Week 3: Editing and Revision: Exploring and Expanding Ideas. This week explores how writing develops through revision. We’ll discuss drafting vs. editing, storytelling through dialogue and character, and writing dialogue that sounds authentic. In revising, participants will be encouraged to read their work aloud and distinguish between the need for structural edits and line edits. We’ll also explore using notebooks, idea logs, thesauruses, and brain maps to deepen creative development.

Week 4: Research and Atmosphere. This week focuses on creating atmosphere—both in setting and character dynamics. We’ll explore what is said, and the power of silence. We will discuss how research can enrich writing. We’ll examine examples of atmospheric writing in novels and short stories and discuss site visits to locations as part of creative research.

Week 5: What I wish I knew: Pitching, Publishing and Rejection. This week explores the path from writing to publication. We’ll discuss submitting your work to agents, publishers, novel fairs, and other competitions. We’ll discuss the pitch letter and explore resources for publication. We’ll also talk about handling rejection and how to access bursaries, residencies, mentorships and other opportunities and practical tools to get your work out there. Setting up a continuing group beyond the course.

Week 6: Building a Network and Final Reflections. Our final session will focus on reflection, sharing, and what comes next. Everyone is invited to share a revised excerpt from shared work (500 words) or a pitch letter if you are at that stage. We’ll wrap up with discussions on any unanswered questions and next steps, advantages of further opportunities (e.g. MA/MFA programs, book launches, open mics, festivals, etc.) and where to find upcoming events and opportunities in the literary world.

Course Outcomes

Participants will present a 1000-1500 excerpt of their fiction for peer-to-peer workshopping and later, read a 500-word piece of revised writing or a pitch letter. They will also have a written outline of their short term and long term writing goals

Charleen Hurtubise is a writer and artist based in Dublin. She is the author of two novels, The Polite Act of Drowning (2023), and Saoirse, to be published in early 2026. Originally from Michigan, she has lived in Dublin for the past twenty-five years. Often, in her writing, she explores a sense of displacement that comes with living a life suspended between two places, existing in coordinates that are neither Here nor There, and how this paradox can never entirely be resolved.