Flash Fiction Workshop

Wed 28 February 2024

Tutor / Melanie Dixon

Course Fee / From £14 per person

Genre / Fiction

Language / English

6.00 – 7.30 pm

Join Melanie Dixon for an online workshop exploring flash fiction. Learn the elements of what makes an effective flash fiction piece, looking at plot, characterisation and word choices that leans towards the poetic. We will study some award-winning flash fiction pieces, many of which have featured in respected literary publications. There will be an opportunity to discuss why these pieces work, before we explore some writing exercises so you can try your hand at this super-short form. There will be an opportunity to share some of your work, discuss your ideas, and to ask questions. Resources will be provided with this workshop to extend your study, help you with further writing, and point you towards publication opportunities in this form.

Tutor

Melanie Dixon

Melanie Dixon is an award-winning writer of flash fiction and short stories. Her work has been published and anthologised internationally including in Flash Frontier, Flash Flood, Best Small Fictions and Best Microfiction. She has a master’s in creative writing from the University of Auckland, as well as science degrees from the University of York and Oxford University. Melanie has recently published her debut young-adult novel, New Dawning, Part 1 of The Edge of Light Trilogy (One Tree House, 2022). This speculative-fiction novel recently won a Storylines Notable Book Award for 2023. Melanie is the current Director of Hagley Writers’ Institute in Christchurch. She also tutors at the University of Canterbury and at Write On School for Young Writers. Originally from Aberystwyth, and schooled in Swansea and Bangor, Melanie now lives in New Zealand. When she’s not writing, you can find her out biking or running on the Port Hills or planning her next adventure.

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Kat Ellis

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Helen Sandler

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Patience Agbabi

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Grug Muse

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Alys Conran

Tŷ Newydd is a fantastic place for writers – inspirational, welcoming. There’s a kind of magic in its stones – words find you there.

Katherine Stansfield

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Rachel Joyce

I’ve been told by other writers that Tŷ Newydd is a place like no other but I assumed they were exaggerating, however, if anything, they undersold it. Walking up the path to the house felt as if I were stepping into a time capsule. I was transported by the gardens and views of the sea which drew me in; I knew that I would be inspired to write and teach in the many areas the grounds have to offer.

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Dr Dimitra Fimi

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David Thorpe

Tŷ Newydd is a wonderfully warm and welcoming place. It’s a space that allows you to connect with your writing and focus entirely on that. The location, staff and house all come together to create the perfect home away from home for creativity and inspiration.

Alison May

On the final evening of our course, one student hit ‘send’ on a submission to a literary agent and the whole room cheered for her. That says everything you need to know about the course. As a tutor, it was a real privilege to be part of such an inspiring few days.

Janet Gover

A warm welcoming writing centre with lots of space and fantastic grounds. We had rich discussions on writing about climate change; stayed up late discussing denial, anger, grief for the world and hope for the future. A few bottles of wine, candlelight and delicious food.

Emily Hinshelwood

A weekend at Tŷ Newydd is an escape to a romantic literary past. The modern day falls away, forgotten. What remains is the whitewashed house, the gardens and the stretch of sea in the distance. What remains is the writing and the inspiration that powers it. And what remains are the new friends experiencing the same thing at the same time.

Louise Walsh

I always come away from Tŷ Newydd feeling enthused and creative. It’s a tonic, a fresh eye on life. A rest for the mind and a fire for the heart. It makes me want to craft words, tell stories, write.

Eloise Williams

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Eilir Jones

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Siôn Tomos Owen

Do it! As well as the focused period of writing, and excellent tuition, you will make a lot of contacts with other writers and these can be invaluable in exploring mutual opportunities for publication and readings. You will gather a lot of material for drawing on later. You will enjoy the wonderful Dwyfor valley, the coast and surrounding countryside. The accommodation is comfortable ... and the food very enjoyable! (Sorry, that’s longer than a sentence!)

2018 Course Participant

Cerwch amdani! Mae’r arbenigedd a rennir gan diwtoriaid yn amhrisiadwy a’r gwmnïaeth a’r lluniaeth yn ychwanegu’r fawr at y profiad.

Adborth o gyrsiau 2018

Os ydych yn dod am y tro cyntaf, dewch gyda meddwl agored a bod yn benderfynol o elwa, naill ai drwy ddarganfod eich dawn chi eich hun neu ddawn rhywun arall. Os yn dod ar encil, gofalwch eich bod chi’n cael popeth mewn trefn CYN dod ar yr encil er mwyn cael y budd mwyaf o lonydd i sgwennu.

Adborth o gyrsiau 2018

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Adborth o gyrsiau 2018

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Adborth o gyrsiau 2018

Tŷ Newydd holds a special place in my heart. I’ve grown through every residential course I’ve attended and to return as a tutor is a real honour. It’s a delight to work in such creative surroundings and to have the opportunity to practice my Cymraeg.

Sophie McKeand

Tŷ Newydd is a wonderfully warm and welcoming place. It’s a space that allows you to connect with your writing and focus entirely on that. The location, staff and house all come together to create the perfect home away from home for creativity and inspiration.

Alison May

This is a beautiful place and an ideal environment to concentrate and write. I had heard so much about Tŷ Newydd but it surpassed all expectations!

Dr Dimitra Fimi

Tŷ Newydd is my favourite writers’ centre – warm, welcoming, like a home from home, and the setting is stunning – sea views, huge gardens, picturesque river walks. You are doing a great job and huge contribution to the literary life, attracting many talented and promising writers who are a dream to teach – thank you!

Pascale Petit

The location itself is crucial to the course, offering as it does a quiet, serene venue for people to get down to work free of outside influences and the stress of daily life. The peace and the layout of the house – lots of nooks and corners for people to disappear into to write – means that even with 16 people on the course we at no time felt cramped or under each other’s feet.

Paul Sussman

My thanks as always to the staff at Tŷ Newydd for their unobtrusive but supportive presence throughout the course. They make it a pleasure to be there.

Ann Sansom

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Mavis Cheek

And if anyone wanted proof of the Tŷ Newydd effect, and the quality of writing it can produce, get a hold of the anthology produced at the end of the week, ‘Tales from Tŷ Newydd’, and read the ‘Letter from David Lloyd George’ that a school pupil, aged 11, wrote in twenty five minutes, in the library, on a Thursday morning. It’s extraordinary!

Malachy Doyle

On the final evening of our course, one student hit ‘send’ on a submission to a literary agent and the whole room cheered for her. That says everything you need to know about the course. As a tutor, it was a real privilege to be part of such an inspiring few days.

Janet Gover

The tutor was outstanding - I've been twice before and I learn more and more each time. Kaite is rigoras, supportive and exciting to work with.

Writing and Performance Making, 2017

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Cwrs Cynganeddu 2017

I feel enlightened, like all the static in my head that I always wished would stop has finally turned into song.

Pupil from St Aidan's High School

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Roedd yn braf cael rhyddid a llonydd i fynd ar eich liwt eich hun, ond cael y cyngor gan y tiwtoriaid os roedden ni angen hynny. Bwyd hyfryd, gwely a chyfleusterau glan a chyfforddus. Tan tro nesaf, Tŷ Newydd.

Mynychydd cwrs sgriptio, Medi 2016

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Past Participant

My favorite writing centre by far! The setting and the house are so conducive to creative work. Being surrounded by beauty, natural and home-wise, makes all the difference.

Pamela Robertson-Pearce

Tŷ Newydd offers an unforgettable experience for writers. It is unique among writing centres I know in its beautiful, picturesque seaside location. Working there as a tutor was a greatly rewarding experience. It was brilliant to see how writers developed during the week, and how quickly a sense of a writing community developed among people who started the week as strangers. As a tutor, it was a thrill to be inspired by the students’ work and by the atmosphere of the place. This is very definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had as a writer and teacher.

Jonathan Edwards

Lle i enaid gael llonydd - a thanio!

Mared Lewis

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Aled Lewis Evans

Tŷ Newydd is a very special place. Writers often seek inspiration and it is difficult not to find it here. Inside, the house is handsome, comfortable and heaving with books – not to mention chef Tony’s mouth-watering creations. Outside, the natural setting is extraordinarily beautiful, a world of mountains and rivers, woodland walks and the stretching sea. As a writerly escape from the busy world, a place of reflection and laughter, it takes some beating.

Justin Marozzi

Wales’s best kept secret. The house has loads of character and is labyrinthine – so many nooks and crannies and the best library ever. You instantly feel at home. The food is home cooked and wonderful and the staff welcoming. And a 15-minute walk away is an unspoilt rocky beach with a path all the way to Cricieth. If you seek inspiration you will find it here: in the workshops at Ty Newydd; on the bardic chair in the garden; all along the wild coastline.

Patience Agbabi