Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience
A course by Shaun Levin, Writer and Creative Writing Teacher
Learn how to write stories that captivate readers by building a narrative with elements of fiction
Reading stories can transport you to other worlds. Writing stories allows you to create those worlds. Join writer Shaun Levin on an innovative journey to create a short story that brings your inner world and the world around you to life on the page.
In this Domestika course, explore Shaun’s creative process behind finding and writing short stories entirely from the imagination or based on personal experiences with a touch of fiction. Discover daily exercises that could lead to writing a collection of short stories, a memoir, or even a novel.
If you are interested in exploring other styles of writing, take a look at Shaun’s previous course Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life
What will you learn in this online course?
19 lessons & 16 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin by getting to know Shaun. Hear about his adventures as a traveler and as a writer, and see how living in different cultures has shaped his work. He shares some of the short stories that have inspired him and discusses their unique styles.
Shaun takes you through his creative process by brainstorming themes to write about. Using two main routes to composing short stories, he guides you through his process for finding compelling subject matter. Then, watch the story evolve as it takes on a life of its own.
Next, Shaun explores the inevitable hurdles of the writer's life: distractions. Discover how getting distracted can enhance your fiction, and lead to unexpected storylines. Learn how to establish the thread holding your story together, and find inspiration in art, your own memories, and the world around you.
The next unit focuses on personal experience that incorporate elements of fiction. Revisit the brainstorming process to expand the scope of your story. Shaun shares his creative process for digging deeper into your writing to draw your readers in. Learn how to write a strong ending to your story, and then make it even stronger. Then, review and edit your text to fill in the gaps, and make sure your story flows. Last but not least, discover how to choose the perfect title for your short story.
Wrap up the course by exploring the possibility of putting together a collection of short stories, expanding your story into a novel, or writing a memoir. Shaun highlights the importance of unfinished projects and how they can prepare you for deeper and more accomplished work in the future.
- 98% positive reviews (817)
- 35,518 students
- 19 lessons (2h 8m)
- 16 additional resources (1 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish (Latam), French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Write a short story based on personal experience intensified with elements of fiction.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone interested in short story writing who would like to explore their creative process.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you only need something to write with. It can be a notebook and a pen, or a computer. Access to a printer is optional.
Reviews
Shaun Levin
A course by Shaun Levin
Shaun Levin is a writer and creative writing teacher from South Africa who is based in Madrid. He also lived and wrote for many years in Tel Aviv and London. His writing has always been prompted by reading and closely examining the books he loves. He went on to study literature at university and soon started to get his stories published in magazines and anthologies. His passion for books has led him to a parallel career in bookbinding and producing handmade books.
Shaun has over twenty years of experience teaching creative writing in colleges, schools, art galleries, and other settings. He has published several novels and short story collections, including Alone with a Man in a Room, Seven Sweet Things, and Snapshots of The Boy, as well as three guides for writers taking on book-length projects, The Writing Notebooks. Today, Shaun continues to teach creative writing and work on his next novel and collection of short stories.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
How to Look For and Find Stories
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Where Do Stories Come From?
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Materials
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Brainstorming: the Quest for Stories
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Out of Many Possible Stories, One Story (or Three, Or Twelve)
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U3
Entering the World of Your Story
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Trust the Exploration: Stories Have a Life of Their Own
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Get Outside Help: Art and a Walk
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The Thread of the Story: What's Holding It Together?
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Honesty Is the Best Policy: There's No End to Stories
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U4
How to Make a Story
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Preparing to Write a Story
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Start Anywhere (but Not at the Beginning)
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Doing the Groundwork and Going Deeper Into Your Story
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Go One Step beyond the Ending
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Filling In the Gaps (Going Back to the Beginning)
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Give Your Story a Title
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U5
What Happens When a Story Is Finished? Another Story!
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How Big Is Your Story?
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The Importance of Abandoned Projects
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Yes, It’s All About You
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FP
Final project
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Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners and those new to writing autobiographical fiction or short stories from personal experience.
You’ll need a notebook, your preferred writing materials (pen, pencil, or digital), and optionally printed images or an art book for inspiration.
You’ll learn how to generate story ideas from personal experiences, structure compelling narratives, build emotional depth, and combine memoir with fiction techniques.
You’ll discover brainstorming techniques, list-making, and methods for drawing inspiration from memory fragments, daily life, and visual art.
Yes, the course covers visualizing scenes as images and organizing them to enhance narrative clarity and immersion.
Absolutely. The course includes strategies for building story layers and adding drama to create powerful, memorable endings.
Yes, you’ll explore techniques for brainstorming story titles that balance mystery, information, and cultural references.
É meu segundo curso de Shaun Levin e ele me parece especialmente bom em como saber que ideias que talvez não considerássemos boas, ou talvez apenas um aspecto delas, podem render uma história inteira.
I really enjoyed this course. It gave me a lot of practical advice and a step-by-step process that I’m applying as I explore ideas and learn the craft of writing.
Este es mi segundo curso de Shaun Levin, y la verdad me encuentro muy satisfecho¡¡¡¡ De haber otro curso del mismo profesor sin duda lo tomaré¡¡¡¡
Violent references aren’t really my cup of tea and they seem to appear quite often in Shaun’s examples (from the parrots story to the inspirational paintings he mentions). Another aspect I found off-putting was the references to other courses he has created while leaving some information out - I prefer self-contained courses which don't feel like a trampoline to other ones.
That said, I'm happy I took the course, as it did offer useful insights, though not enough for me to recommend.
Shaun es el mejor profesor. abierto, honesto, divertido y auténtico. te invita a explorar y confiar en tu propia voz. su método es orgánico, sin rodeos ni complicaciones y adaptable. sus actividades son motivadoras y siempre te dejan alguna enseñanza.