100 In a Nutshell (SPANISH)

This Microfiction Workshop is intended for people interested in writing very short stories of a few lines, or two or three paragraphs. During the workshop, we will read and analyze a selection of microfictions by various authors and periods including short Chinese tales, to microfictions by contemporary authors such as Julio Torri, Juan José Arreola, Augusto Monterroso, Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Ana María Shua, and Luisa Valenzuela, among others. Participants will also be asked to write microfictions, both realistic and fantastic, which will be critiqued and analyzed by the instructor and the group. Participants will be taught how to write a microfiction in a way that immediately captures the reader’s interest. The following aspects of microfiction will be covered: definitions of microfiction or flash fiction, its brevity, imagination, sense of humor, surprise, revelation or epiphany, dreams, the use of personal experiences, wordplay, and the precise use of language so that not a single word in your microfiction is superfluous. You will learn to write standalone microfictions as well as series of microfictions on the same theme. The course will also show how to write a micronovel — that is, a novel composed of microfictions — and how to use social media to write microfictions. The workshop will be dynamic, lively, and fun. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able not only to write very short imaginative texts but also to feel confident about writing and publishing a book of microfictions.

Instructor

Armando Alanís