Workshops

Instructor: Arman Chowdhury

Most stories sent to literary magazines are declined within the first page, and the reasons are rarely the ones craft books discuss. Arman Chowdhury read more than 15,000 submissions as Associate Fiction Editor of West Branch, and in this workshop, he will show writers what that reading looks like from the other side of the desk.

In the first hour, we will read a set of story openings the way an editor does, quickly and cold, and vote on which ones earn a second page. We will name what the strong openings share: a voice with authority, a specific pressure on the character, and sentences that trust the reader. We will also name the quiet mistakes that sink promising work. In the second hour, you will apply a one-page editor’s checklist to your own opening, revise it during class, and share the before and after with a partner. We will close with practical advice on cover letters and choosing where to send your work.

You will leave with a revised opening page, the checklist, and a clearer sense of how your work is read. The class is open to fiction and creative nonfiction writers at all levels. 

Students need the first page of a story, essay, or chapter they have written, and something to write with. The instructor will provide a PDF packet with the sample openings and the editor’s checklist before class.

Adults, all levels

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