8 Week Workshop
The Novella Workshop with Daisuke Shen

September 7th to October 30th, 2026
8 Weeks • Fiction • Online • 10 Participants

The novella form is perhaps best defined by its scope. While often described as a “long short story”, or a “short novel”, compression allows for stories to take on a unique kind of intensity. Plots might focus around a brief lapse of time, the cast of characters might be quite small — but the novella’s tightened focus requires writers and readers alike to engage their full attention, focusing on how details build or shift to influence understanding.

The many successful writers of this form include P. Djeli Clark, Adinia Shibli, Han Kang, Kathryn Scanlan, and Justin Torres, all of whom have won or been named finalists for major awards.

As a special guest for this session of the course, that Parker Willis Young will be joining as a co-teacher. Parker is a successful author and editor, with a novel published by Future Tense Books, in addition to work published in a wide variety of literary journals. Parker is also an experienced and caring editor.

During this eight-week course, you will write a complete first draft of your novella (up to 90 pages/22,400 words total), receiving extensive feedback on your submissions each week.

You will also explore the craft of the novella form through daily lessons and writing prompts, and get the chance to learn from successful visiting authors and publishers. Students are also invited to work alongside each other on Writing Days and engage in class discussions so that you can form meaningful connections with other writers in the class. 

Daisuke Shen, whose debut short story collection Vague Predictions & Prophecies (CLASH Books 2024) was named a finalist for the CLMP 2025 Firecracker Award in Fiction and is the co-author of the novella Funeral with Vi Khi Nao (KERPUNKT Press 2023), has been teaching with Authors Publish for five years now. Students frequently return to take courses with Daisuke due to their insightful and attentive feedback, as well as their unique approaches to fiction craft. 

Each week, you will be provided with the following:

  • Craft lessons and exercises designed to help you experiment with different forms and structures.
  • Editorial feedback letters for each new section (up to 2,800 words each) of your manuscript from Daisuke Shen (for a total of 22,400 words by the end of the course).
  • Live meetings with Daisuke and your classmates via Zoom to discuss manuscript progress and lesson material, as well as write in response to in-class prompts. Two of these meetings will feature guest visitors. All meetings will be recorded for those unable to make it. 
  • Have the chance to participate in live “write togethers”, which can be coordinated amongst your peers to fit your schedule

This course is for writers eager to produce new writing and receive in-depth feedback during the process, as well as learn about craft from a variety of different narrative traditions.

The course starts on September 7 and ends on October 30. Everything will be hosted online via the Circle platform. For those who need extra time, you will have a full six months to complete the course and submit your work for feedback.

Enroll Now for $897 $747 (Early Bird Tuition)

What Daisuke Shen's Students Have to Say

“I highly recommend this novella writing workshop to anyone who intends to write a novella. Daisuke conducted the classes which were both informative and critical in developing the writer's skills further. Daisuke's feedback was commendable and encouraging. Thank you Daisuke.”

Helen Toraskar

“ The back-and-forth feedback through the weekly submissions, prompts, and posts helped propel me through this novella writing process. I wrote 40k in 8 weeks. Each time I got stuck, Daisuke's prompts 'unstuck' me. Their feedback was very helpful, picking up on subtle things I was trying to do and offering suggestions that were thoughtful and relevant”

Erin Swann

“Daisuke is a wonderful caring teacher, full of love and encouragement… The edits on my work were absolutely wonderful and to the point. I loved the edits, and the direction they gave me to expand the piece. ”

Radhika Iyer

“As for Daisuke, I can't sing their praises loud enough! The amount of editing they did to my work showed that they wanted to provide feedback, would not be content with a brief and cursory glance, and truly wanted to make me feel as if they had fully read and thought about what I wrote. Definitely what I hoped to see in an editor and I was not disappointed.”

Andrew Long

“Thank you Daisuke for your patient and encouraging way of teaching. I can tell you really care about your students' progress and I loved reading all of your thoughtful comments in the discussion. ”

Kate Grono

“Daisuke’s lecture and discussion materials presented a wonderfully nuanced vision of what a story can be. I truly appreciated this divergence from conventional—often cookie-cutter—approaches to teaching the story. Highly recommended.”

Greg Miller

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“I like Daisuke's teaching style. So very down to earth and real ... Daisuke had such great feedback to all the students' submissions. Praise was heart felt and suggestions and critiques were honest while being supportive. It was a privilege being part of this class. ”

Sandra Sullivan

Workshop Schedule

The course starts on Monday, September 7th and ends on Friday, October 30th, 2026. Optional weekly Zoom meetings will be held on Mondays from 1pm to 2pm Eastern Time.. Everything is hosted online.

  • Weekly craft lessons, exercises, and live meetings.

  • Personal feedback via email and our online discussion platform.

  • A full six months to complete the course and submit your work for feedback.

About Daisuke Shen

Daisuke Shen is the author of the collaborative novella Funeral with Vi Khi Nao (KERNPUNKT Press 2023). Their debut short story collection, Vague Predictions & Prophecies published in August 2024.

Their work has been published in numerous journals, including Autostraddle, Southwest Review, The Asian American Literary Review, Joyland Magazine, Maudlin House, Hobart After Dark, and more. They received his MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2019, where they taught undergraduate creative writing courses for three years.

As a teacher, Daisuke is passionate about supporting his student’s visions for their writing and discusses the craft of fiction using different narrative traditions throughout the world. They are enthusiastic about providing students with resources, thoughtful feedback, and encouragement as they continue building their careers. You can read more of their work at www.daisukeshen.com.

About Parker Willis Young

Parker Willis Young is the author of the short story collection Cheap Therapist Says You're Insane, Published by Future Tense Books. 

He has also worked as an Assistant Editor at  Featherproof Books as well as a Guest Editor at Meekling Press. 

His work has also been published in places such as Joyland Magazine, Oyez Review, Autofocus, and X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine. Parker also holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

FAQ

  • How long do I have to submit my work?

    While the class is designed for students to complete a manuscript within 8 weeks, you will have a full six months (up until March 7, 2027) to submit assignments for Daisuke’s feedback. This allows students to tailor the course to their personal schedules and writing goals, whether this be to consistently produce work within a set time frame, or to go at a pace that feels right for them.

  • Include questions a potential student may have before purchase.

    Address common questions ahead of time to save yourself an email.

  • I’d like to get feedback on a shortened version of my novel / I have a finished novella draft that I’d like feedback on. Can I submit this instead of writing something new?

    This is a generative course in which students actively engage with the feedback they receive, using the instructor’s comments to inform and develop the story as they go. While those who might have some working ideas or a rough skeleton for a novella are encouraged to join, those seeking editorial feedback on a completed manuscript should refrain from enrolling at this time.

  • What should I know about my instructor?

    Daisuke has many years of experience in working with literary, speculative, and experimental fiction in a number of roles, including teaching at the undergraduate level, serving as a guest editor for different literary journals, and working as a developmental editor for fiction manuscripts. While Daisuke primarily writes between speculative and experimental genres, your work does not need to fit into these genres to enroll. To get a sense of some of their work, please visit their website.

Enroll Now

Enrollment is strictly limited to 10 participants.
Early bird tuition is available until August 31st.