By the end of this course, you’ll be able to identify what makes a story feel alive, distinguish a story from an anecdote, and use the “4 C’s” of storytelling—character, conflict, context, and craft—to develop your own fiction. Renowned urban fantasy writer Daniel José Older takes you on an energetic, bite-sized dive into the fundamentals of narrative storytelling.

Across three parts, you’ll explore each of the 4 C’s, see how they work together through a close look at Older’s short story Salsa Nocturna, and use practical questions and tools to shape your own story. You’ll learn to think critically about your characters, build meaningful conflict, understand how context creates depth, and make intentional craft choices. This course is for aspiring and established creative writers, as well as anyone who wants a deeper understanding of what makes a great story so captivating. No formal writing background is required; to be successful, you simply need an interest in fiction and a willingness to develop your ideas. You’ll leave with a tried-and-true framework for writing a fictional short story—and the inspiration to put pen to paper.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to use description intentionally to create vivid, immersive scenes; incorporate sensory detail and unexpected elements to spark creativity; and identify descriptions that feel automatic, overused, or unnecessary. Acclaimed writer Kathy Fish demystifies the art of description with concrete examples, practical advice, and tools you can return to again and again.

Across three parts, you’ll explore how description can do more than provide window dressing: it can create a “felt experience” that pulls readers into your work. You’ll learn how to make thoughtful choices about what to describe, use the senses and the unexpected to create fresh imagery, and study notable examples from published writing to understand why certain descriptions work. This course is for writers of all levels who want to sharpen their descriptive powers and bring greater energy and depth to their work. No formal creative writing background is required; to be successful, you should have an interest in creative writing and a willingness to experiment with language. You’ll leave with practical tools for creating richly described, immersive scenes in stories of any form or length.