Fundamentals of Writing
A 6 Month Virtual Workshop with Zoë Wells
Based on university-level writing courses in the US and UK, this Fundamentals of Writing series offers a step-by-step introduction to writing theory. By breaking a story down into its essential components, we’ll demystify what makes “good” writing and learn how to craft cohesive, creative, and impactful work with consistency.
The course consists of twelve sessions—six theory-based and six practical—and you are welcome to attend as many as you wish.
Consider this your Writing 101.
THEORY Session 1: Plot Arcs and Structures – Beginnings, Changes, and Resolutions
14/01/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
Stories are defined by movement — but how does plot actually work?
In this session, we explore major plot frameworks, from the classic three-act structure to the seven basic plots, and examine how these patterns shape literary fiction, suspense, and everything in between. By understanding how stories move, you’ll learn what your own plots can teach you about your writing.
Texts discussed: Raymond Carver, Neighbours • Shirley Jackson, The Lottery • Chigozie Obioma, The Fishermen
PRACTICE Session 1: Practical Writing – Plots and Changemakers
28/01/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
This hands-on session focuses on change, the engine of every plot. Through guided exercises, you’ll experiment with how shifts, reversals, and choices alter the direction and emotional impact of a story — and how to avoid predictable plotlines while strengthening narrative momentum.
THEORY Session 2: Character and POV – Motivation, Voice, and Narrative Style
11/02/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
A story without a voice is a story untold. This session examines how point of view shapes narrative meaning, tone, and emotional impact. We’ll look at the purposes different narrators serve and how selecting (or crafting) a voice becomes one of the most powerful artistic decisions a writer makes.
Texts discussed: Carmen Maria Machado, The Husband Stitch • Helen Oyeyemi, Books and Roses • Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway
PRACTICE Session 2: Practical Writing – Playing with Point of View
25/02/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
What happens when you change the storyteller? In this session, we experiment with shifting narrators and angles of perspective. You’ll discover how POV alters tension, intimacy, and meaning while uncovering new possibilities within your own stories.
THEORY Session 3: Dialogue – Natural Tones and Unnatural Voices
11/03/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
Dialogue is deceptively difficult: seamless when done well, disruptive when done poorly. This session breaks down what makes dialogue effective, when to use it, and how it shapes character, pacing, and story dynamics. We’ll analyse examples that reveal how dialogue can quietly transform a narrative.
Texts discussed: Ernest Hemingway, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place • Lawrence Hill, “So What Are You, Anyway?” • Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
PRACTICE Session 3: Practical Writing – Talking Our Way Through Dialogue
25/03/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
Through targeted exercises, we’ll practice crafting dialogue that carries emotion, reveals character, and controls narrative rhythm. This session focuses on balancing believability with intention, sharpening your ear for voices that elevate your fiction.
THEORY Session 4: Setting – Believability, Detail, and Beauty
08/04/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
As Carmen Maria Machado notes, “Places are never just places.” In this session, we explore how setting functions as mood, metaphor, context, and even catalyst. By analysing vivid fictional worlds, we’ll consider how to make our own settings feel alive and indispensable.
Texts discussed: Julia Armfield, The Great Awake • Ross Raisin, Ghost Kitchen • Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
PRACTICE Session 4: Practical Writing – Setting
22/04/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
Using guided prompts, we’ll experiment with different approaches to creating effective settings — from atmospheric landscapes to dynamic urban scenes. Learn how world-building (even in realism) influences tone, character, and narrative energy.
THEORY Session 5: Detail – When to Show and When to Tell
06/05/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
“Show, don’t tell” is one of writing’s most repeated rules — but also one of its most misunderstood. This session examines when showing is essential, when telling is more efficient, and how detail functions in stylistic and structural terms. We’ll analyse sparse and lush prose to understand both ends of the spectrum.
Texts discussed: Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants • Anton Chekhov, The Student • Cormac McCarthy, The Road
PRACTICE Session 5: Practical Writing – Show Don’t Tell
20/05/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
Through writing exercises, we’ll test different levels of detail and explore how much information a story truly needs. This session helps you refine your stylistic preferences, sharpen your descriptive instincts, and cultivate a voice that feels confident and intentional.
THEORY Session 6: Narrative Reliability – The Known and the Unknown in Writing
03/06/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
The space between what a story tells and what a reader understands is where literature becomes most alive. This session explores reliable and unreliable narration as tools for complexity, tension, and depth. We’ll analyse how writers manipulate truth and ambiguity to shape interpretation.
Texts discussed: Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper • Claire Vaye Watkins, “Ghosts, Cowboys” • Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
PRACTICE Session 6: Practical Writing – Reliable and Unreliable Narrators
17/06/26 — Wednesday, 19:30–21:30
How much does your narrator reveal — or conceal? In this session, we’ll experiment with varying degrees of narrative reliability to see how trust, withholding, and perspective reshape a story. Learn to use unreliability not as confusion, but as craft.
Fundamentals of Writing Pricing
Sliding-Scale Member Rates
GWG offers a trust-based sliding scale to ensure equitable access. Participants are encouraged to select the pricing tier that best aligns with their financial circumstances.
Accessible rates support those with limited means, standard rates cover core costs, and pay-it-forward rates help fund subsidized places for others in the community.
Member – Pay It Forward: CHF 450
Member – Standard: CHF 340
Member – Accessible: CHF 280
Non-Member: CHF 480
Two-Session Package: Members CHF 60 · Non-Members CHF 80
Zoë Wells is a short story writer and novelist. She has spent a decade working in literary magazines in the UK as a reader, editor, and contributor, for publications including Poetry Wales and Bandit Fiction. Her own short stories have been longlisted for prizes including the BBC National Short Story Award, the White Review Short Story Prize, and the Bridport. Her writing has been featured in the anthologies Night-Time Stories (Emma Press), IX: The 2021 Manchester Anthology (Centre for New Writing), and Reclaim: An Anthology of Women’s Lives (Bandit).
