​Discover how writing and mastering the art of micro prose can change the way you write and share your work.

​Dates: April 7 – May 12, 2026
Time: Tuesdays, 5:00–7:00 pm PT
Format: Live on Zoom (recordings provided)
Cost: $575 ($545 for Paid Subscribers)
Enrollment: Limited to 25 writers

​Overview

​SHORT, SHAPED, SUBMITTED is a six-week intensive designed to take writers through a complete creative arc: writing, revising, and submitting micro prose. We’ll work across generation, revision, and next steps so that you leave with new work, a clear revision method, and a practical sense of where your writing can go next.

​Micro prose—300 words or fewer—offers an opportunity for more, not less. In a compressed space, writers can cut to the chase, distill what matters most, and sharpen voice, image, and insight.

​This class is especially well-suited for writers working in creative nonfiction (memoir, personal essay), and writers across all genres are welcome.

​Who this class is for

​This class is a good fit if you want to leave with new work, a clearer process, and concrete next steps for your micro prose.

​It’s especially well-suited for writers who:

• ​Want to generate and revise micro prose with intention

• ​Have drafts they’re ready to deepen and shape

• ​Feel stuck and want a clearer sense of what their work needs next

• ​Want accountability without overwhelming assignments

• ​Value a defined, time-bound container

• ​Want guidance on preparing and submitting work thoughtfully

​This is a live class, and part of its value comes from working in community. We’ll learn through shared examples, discussion, and guided practice, with regular opportunities to ask questions and apply the material in real time.

​How the class is structured

​Weeks 1–2: Writing Micro Prose
We’ll focus on generating new work and understanding what micro prose makes possible. Through short lectures, examples, and guided writing during class, you’ll draft multiple new micro pieces and learn how compression can sharpen meaning rather than limit it.

​Weeks 3–4: Revising Micro Prose
Revision is where micro prose comes alive. I’ll share the revision method I use to move a piece from promising to precise—clarifying what the work wants to say and how best to say it. You’ll watch live revision examples and apply the same process to your own drafts.

​Weeks 5–6: Submitting Micro Prose
We’ll focus on how to move your work into the world: where to submit individual micro pieces, how to think about chapbooks and collections, and how micro prose can live inside larger projects. You’ll receive a submission tracker, sample templates, and curated resources. We’ll end with submitting 1-3 pieces into the world.

​What happens in class

​Each session combines:

• ​Short craft lectures

• ​Discussion

• ​Guided writing or revision

• ​Live examples

​I’ll do live, cold-read revisions on 1–3 participant pieces per session, selected as teaching examples. These are process-focused demonstrations that make revision visible, so everyone can see how decisions are made and apply the same thinking to their own work.

​We’ll also use structured breakout groups for targeted exercises and conversation. These small-group sessions are designed to help writers articulate their intentions, test ideas, and practice new approaches in a supportive, low-pressure setting.

​ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

​Darien Hsu Gee is an award-winning author whose work includes the micro memoir collection Allegiance, poetry chapbook Other Small Histories, and forthcoming Fortune Cookie in Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series. Her novels have been published by Penguin Random House and translated into 11 languages. She teaches micro prose on Writer-ish (writerish.substack.com) and shares her creative process on Drafts, Deals & Detours (draftsdealsdetours.substack.com).

​What writers say

​“Darien Gee is the reason three of my notes have gone viral. Her advice and support on writing micro-prose is fantastic.” (Rebecca Barry)

​“Darien is one of the best motivational writers on Substack.” (Rachielle Sheffler)

​“Fantastic teacher of micro prose.” (Cindy Sams)

​“Thank you for inspiring me to write consistently again. Ever since I took your micro workshop a little over a year ago, I feel like I’ve found my way back to a steady writing practice. What started with micro has now opened the door to something deeper.” (Claudia Vidal)

​“Darien is a gifted teacher and facilitates her class and content with so much knowledge, compassion, enthusiasm and simply great lessons… Each time I spend with her in class or workshop is a gift and fuels my creativity and generates new writing.” (UCLA Extension student)

​“The encouraging atmosphere and the organization of the class made the work feel possible.” (Hugo House student)

​“Darien is excellent at motivation, structure, and accountability.” (UCLA Extension student)

​REFUND POLICY

​Because this is a small, live course with limited enrollment, refunds are handled on a tiered basis:

• ​Cancellations made more than 30 days before the start date will receive a refund minus a $75 administrative fee.

• ​Cancellations made 14–30 days before the start date will receive a 50% refund, minus the $75 administrative fee.

• ​Cancellations made fewer than 14 days before the start date are non-refundable.

​If you are unable to attend live sessions, the sessions will be recorded. Refunds are not issued for missed classes.