Short Fiction Writing Certificate Program

Explore the essential techniques of great storytelling while developing your unique voice. Through analysis, practice, and workshopping, you'll refine your craft and leave with stories that captivate readers.

Taught by a world-class faculty of writers and educators, our Short Fiction Writing certificate program offers a unique opportunity to deepen your craft, earn a valuable credential, and receive credit from Interlochen. This program is designed for both adults and teens and consists of three four-week courses that can be taken in any order.

Courses

Tuition

$ 1197 $999

Ages

Teens: Grades 6-12

Adult Learners: Ages 18+

Receive personalized feedback
Get regular guidance from an experienced artist-instructor who can help you strengthen your skills and develop your creative voice.

Connect in a weekly live class
Join an optional one-hour live class each week to ask questions, discuss ideas, and learn alongside other students.

Learn on your schedule
Complete video lessons, guided activities, and creative projects on a flexible weekly schedule of about five hours a week per course.

Create work you can share
Complete projects that demonstrate your progress and can contribute to a portfolio, résumé, application, or professional profile.

For all students:

✔ A respected credential from Interlochen Online
✔ Physical and shareable digital certificate upon completion
✔ A portfolio of completed, polished projects
✔ A strengthened résumé, college application, or LinkedIn profile

For middle school and high school students:

✔ An official transcript awarding high school credit
✔ Accreditation by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)

No, course sections are designed for their respective age groups, either for adults (students 18 and older) or young people (students under 18).

Yes, there are eight sessions of courses per year. View the academic calendar for more session dates.

Jeni McFarland

Instructor of Creative Writing

Sam Dunnington

Instructor of Creative Writing

Jake Bienvenue

Instructor of Creative Writing

Questions? Speak with an Advisor.

Email: online@interlochen.org

Phone: 231.276.5990

You can also schedule an appointment.

Get access to How Published Authors Stay Unstuck, an exclusive guide developed by Interlochen Online faculty.

Short Fiction Writing Certificate Program

Introduction to Creative Writing

Short Fiction Writing: Improving Structure

Short Fiction Writing: Making Stories More Vivid

Meet the Faculty

Questions? Speak with an Advisor.

Prevent Writer's Block

✔	Write well-crafted fiction
✔	Sketch characters with wants and fears that propel the narrative of your story
✔	Write dialogue that develops your characters
✔	Create vivid settings with details that are significant and support the characters
✔	Write metaphors that are thematically linked to your characters and settings

✔	Analyze short stories through premise lines, exploring how to structure your own work effectively
✔	Identify and apply key strategies for crafting compelling beginnings, middles, and endings in short stories
✔	Develop well-rounded characters and create scenes that advance plot and heighten emotional stakes
✔	Explore new directions for short fiction and how to adapt and reinvent the genre in modern literary contexts

✔	Create vivid settings that draw readers in through both straightforward description and defamiliarizing techniques
✔	Create complex, memorable characters with just a few well-chosen details
✔	Craft dynamic, high-energy dialogue that reveals character and builds tension
✔	Use the texture and rhythm of language to elevate your writing and create stories that resonate with readers