Fiction III
Genres: Fiction, Novel, Short Story
In Person
Introductory, Intermediate
10 Sessions
This class meets IN PERSON at Hugo House in Capitol Hill.
This is where the work gets deeper—and your voice gets sharper.
In this ten-week advanced fiction class, we’ll focus on you as a writer: your obsessions, your creative instincts, and the patterns that shape your voice. You’ll identify your strengths, challenges, and tics. You’ll also learn to revise with intention, not just polish—workshopping a full draft of a short story or novel chapter, receiving detailed feedback, and resubmitting a revised version by the end of the course.
Along the way, we’ll read bold, rule-breaking stories and analyze how those risks function on the page. We’ll also cover the basics of the publishing process, giving you practical tools and insights to help guide your next steps.
Perfect for intermediate and advanced writers ready to refine their work, deepen their voice, and move toward publication.
Please bring a short story or novel chapter (15 pages or fewer) to share by the midpoint of class, or arrive ready to complete one in the first few weeks.
This class is the third in a three-part series that can be completed over the course of a year. Completion of Fiction I and II is not required—but a steady writing practice, understanding of craft fundamentals, and previous workshop experience is necessary. Students should be familiar with craft concepts such as character, conflict, plot, description, dialogue, scene, structure, subtext, psychic distance, pacing, and implication.
- Fiction I with Alma Garcia
- Fiction II with Alma Garcia
- Fiction III with Alma Garcia
This class focuses on:
- Craft & Technique: Focuses on improving writing skills, exploring elements like plot, character, or dialogue.
- Close Reading & Analysis: Engages deeply with published texts to examine craft, language, and style.
- Workshop: Students submit work and receive feedback from the instructor and/or classmates.
What to expect:
- Project-Based: Students will work toward completing a specific project (e.g., a story, poem, or essay).
- Reading & Analysis: Published works will be closely read as part of the learning process.
- Lecture: Instructor-led teaching
- Class Discussion: Facilitated class conversation
- Prompts & Exercises: Class features guided writing activities.
- In-Class Sharing: Students are invited to share their writing aloud or in small groups during class.
- Instructor Feedback: Students receive direct feedback from the instructor.
- Peer Feedback: Students share and critique each other’s work.
- 2-3 hours of writing and/or reading outside of class per week
Students say…
“I really loved the workshops. Everyone was so engaged and approached each others' work with depth and sensitivity. I've learned more about writing from 10 sessions than I did over the course of a grad school to be honest. Just really effective and streamlined learning. Alma is a fantastic teacher with an eye for detail, an empathetic approach, and fantastic advice.”
“Alma is an incredible teacher whose passion for fiction and writing is explicit, and equally so is her investment in her students and their stories.”
“[Highlights include the] story workshops and feedback from Alma about my story [and] discussion about the logistics behind publishing.”
Registration Dates:
- August 12: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- August 19: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- August 26: Scholarships open
- August 31: Last day of Early Bird discount
This class is not eligible for a member discount. Learn more here »
Not in the Seattle area? Consider our online section of Fiction III with Anca Szilyági.
FAQ
Complete FAQEach class description includes a breakdown of what you can expect in terms of in-class activity, feedback, and homework (if any).
Generative means you’ll be generating new writing, either in class or at home between classes.
Workshop means you’ll be sharing work to be read and critiqued by your instructor and classmates and that you will also be critiquing the work of your peers.
Reading means you’ll be doing close reading of a work with an eye toward craft.
Craft discussion means you’ll be looking at the tools writers use to do that thing they do so well and then trying it out yourself.
Class levels are designed for various stages of the writing journey. Simply self-select the level that sounds best for where you’re at.
Introductory: This is your first creative writing workshop, first writing class since high school, or first foray into a new genre or form. You’re looking to try something new, kickstart your writing, and/or establish yourself in the fundamentals.
Intermediate: You have a strong understanding of writing fundamentals and are eager to deep dive into craft. You’re honing your writerly identity and voice through independent projects. In workshop, you look for constructive feedback and are ready to do writing and reading outside of class.
Advanced: You’ve written a significant body of work and have taken it through several stages of revision. You’re getting ready to publish or are in the early stage of publishing, and you’re interested in refining the skills that will take you to the next level in the literary industry.
All Levels: You are any of the above and are looking to play with new possibilities.
You’ll get your class information, including Zoom link if applicable, three days before the first day of class.
Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program, operated in partnership with the Seattle Public Library. Two take place onsite at SPL locations, one takes place online.
Sliding-scale classes are offered every quarter. Find them in our Class Catalog.
We announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page.
At this time, we offer payment plans on classes 8 sessions and up. Email education@hugohouse.org with the name of the class you’re interested in to set up a payment plan. Please note that you can only have 2 active payment plans per quarter.
-
We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans.
-
Extended payment plans up to 8 monthly installments and 16 semi-monthly installments are available upon request.
-
We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
-
If you need to cancel, Hugo House will issue refunds according to its cancellation and transfer policies. Your 5% nonrefundable admin fee will not be refunded.
-
If you withdraw from a class after it begins, you will not receive a refund and are still responsible for paying the full course tuition.
Asynchronous classes are perfect for students that need flexibility!
During an asynchronous class, instructors release new lessons once per week. Students then have one week to complete that lesson and any accompanying coursework. You’ll learn as much as you would in a traditional class but with the flexibility to work at the best times for your schedule!
While there are no live sessions, asynchronous classes are still a lively and rigorous experience. Async classes are not static lessons but an adaptable and energetic community space. Be ready to work in a collaborative environment, giving and receiving feedback on your writing, participating in discussions, and growing your writing practice in a way that works best for you.
Asynchronous classes take place through the website Wet Ink. Students receive an invitation to the class and to set up a Wet Ink account on the start date of the class. Each week of the class, a new lesson will be available through the Wet Ink portal. Classes close two weeks after the end date, and students receive an email containing their content from the class when it closes.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 business days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception if a student has specific access needs.
We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.
We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.
If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, you’ll receive a full refund.
You can apply for a scholarship by clicking the red “Request a Scholarship” text on class pages. The scholarship request text is located at the top of each class page, underneath the “add to cart” button.
Due to the limited number of scholarships, please only request up to two scholarships for two different classes per quarter if you truly meet the financial need requirements.
Hugo House members get to register early for classes – a full week before they open to the general public!, receive a 10% discount on events and classes, and more. See the full list of membership benefits here!
Donations of all sizes allow us to provide access to quality writing classes, events, and experiences for all. Please consider making a donation to Hugo House today.
If you’re interested in contributing your skills, Hugo House accepts volunteer applications for a variety of roles, including event support, administrative tasks, and more. Learn more on our Volunteer page.
Make a Donation
Donations made throughout the year help fund our programs and operations.