Writing a great short story

Figuring out how to tell a good story has changed my life.

I spent years writing stories that a lot of people almost really liked. They were good--clearly I had talent--but somehow they were also not very interesting. This situation made me feel pretty terrible.

Maybe you've experienced something similar, or you have stories you want to finish, or you've vowed to take your own writing more seriously this year. If so, I would like help.

I will read some of your work before we meet, and in a one on one session (probably in a cafe, somewhere quiet and relaxed), I will explain in simple terms, with amusing diagrams of bull fighters and heart beats, a variety of story structures and techniques that will help you catch and hold a reader's attention.

These same techniques will help you plan out new stories and revise old ones. As much as possible, I try to teach without mystery, explaining everything about writing that I can.

I've been teaching these skills at Rutgers University in the US--I came back to England when my visa expired. I have been tutoring writing students for the past five years.

My short fiction has been recognised in multiple writing competitions, is forthcoming or published in literary magazines such as The Tampa Review, has won me a scholarship to a writing conference, as well as a generous funding offer to a Phd programme.

I love discussing stories and how they work. I look forward to reading yours.

Daniel