Writing Short Stories with Manuel Gonzales
Streamed Jul 20th, 2026
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📚Overview
Short stories are packed with big ideas, and when you’re writing to a tight wordcount, every sentence needs to earn its place. Join critically-acclaimed short story writer Manuel Gonzales as he discusses how to craft short fiction that hooks readers immediately and stays with them long after the final page.
In this special Monday Masterclass, Manuel will guide you through the techniques he used when writing his multi-award-winning short story collection The Miniature Wife, now adapted into a TV series on Peacock.
Whether you’re working on short stories or full-length fiction, you’ll learn how to craft narratives that are vivid, tightly plotted, and impactful.
Schedule
3pm - 4pm EDT
Writing Short Stories
In this hour-long talk with author Manuel Gonzales, you will learn:
- The key structural elements of a compelling short story
- How to use consequential action to drive your narrative forward
- Strategies for short-form character development and worldbuilding
- Publication routes for short story writers and collections
Following the talk, there will also be a live Q&A where you can ask Manuel any questions about writing short stories, curating short fiction collections, and being optioned for a TV series.
Speakers
Manuel Gonzales
Author
Manuel Gonzales is the author of The Miniature Wife and Other Stories, which won the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction and the John Gardner Prize for Fiction, and the novels The Regional Office is Under Attack! and Escape From Blackthorne Island (forthcoming). He is the fiction editor for The Bennington Review, and a contributing editor for One Story Magazine and American Short Fiction. He teaches literature and creative writing at Bennington College.
