Flash Fiction: Writing the Short-Short Story

Student Feedback for Barbara Henning:

Excellent. Barbara's teaching and critiques are first rate. Such a terrific and talented instructor for the organization! And the student group was wonderful as well - committed and helpful. Great overall experience. Michael Mabrito

The assignments were stimulating and [the teacher's] responses rapid and enlightening. I learned a great deal. ...this is the best site I have come across for writing. ...Keep up the great work, the wonderful selection of classes, the tremendous instructors. Michelle Vanstrom

Barbara is a great teacher. She obviously puts a lot of effort into the lectures and reading material, which are based on her extensive knowledge and experience with the poetry genre. And she offers innovative and inspiring assignments. I highly recommend her as a teacher. Melissa Airas

As with every Writers.com course, this one was planned with care and delivered with engagement. The instructor, Barbara Henning, offered challenging prompts that really forced us to explore a space between experience and invention. For the entire 10 weeks, she responded promptly to each person's post, with a close and constructive reading. And also as always, the participants were essential to the adventure: the writers brought generosity, insight, and creative energy every week. Nina Goss

Great class. It certainly helped me stretch my limits, and I got to meet some excellent writers and people in the process. This was my first class with Writers.com and Barbara set a very high standard for my next. John Lee

Barbara's Poetic Prose course was in-depth and surpassed my expectations. Barbara's feedback was timely, thorough, and compassionate. All-in-all, a terrific experience. Carol Schoder

I loved the class content & assignments... The content was of a very professional/university level; it is exactly what I would want from an on-line class... Barbara's critiques were very clear, delivered as ideas to ponder and consider; and gave me much to work with during the class and even now, as I continue to revise & study. Christine Robert

This class was one of the best courses I have done. It gave me new insight, as well as practical experience, into writing prose which is alive with concrete images. Barbara's guidance and enabling feedback pushed my writing to a new level. I highly recommend it. Anne Schuster

Barbara is a five star teacher. Always available, always engaged in each individual participant, always encouraging. Sophie Cayeux

The prose poem course with Barbara Henning was excellent. She was a generous and stimulating teacher, and gave us great ideas and materials. I'd really like to take her course again. Gabrielle Daly

I ventured into some new territory with this course. Barbara is top notch. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. Lee Heffernan

The course stretched and pulled at the writer’s imagination and creativity. Students who participated became a highly supportive group who gave regular and valuable feedback. Barbara was prompt and considered in her feedback. Su Pollard

The lessons and assignments were well conceived and comprehensive. Considerable effort went into designing the content of the course. Barbara was a very attentive mentor, gave honest and valuable feedback, and a pleasure to work with. Mary Raihofer

Barbara is a superb teacher. She tailors her comments precisely to each student's needs. She is a joy to study with. Your classes are fantastic! Helen Salter

This was my first online class experience and I must say that it exceeded all of my expectations. Barbara was the best! She is so competent, receptive, and generous with her time and attention to our writing that I can only say she could not have been better. The resource materials she provided as well as each week's assignments will be useful to me for years to come. In summary, it was a terrific experience and one that I will highly recommend to others. Colleen Burns

I want to thank Barbara for such an enlightening, hands-on flash fiction class. She introduced us to some wonderful new authors and challenged us with an array of writing techniques. Chris Wenzel

Barbara is a brilliant teacher, very highly skilled, very helpful and very kind and encouraging. The whole set up of the classes worked extremely well and the instruction and feedback was excellent. The classes I have taken with Writers on the Net have not only been very rewarding in what I have learned but also sheer pleasure in the doing. Many thanks. Ray Prowse

Barbara is an exceptional teacher. And exceptional writers are drawn to her groups, so her classes have that added bonus. Melissa Airas

Very happy. Barbara provided an eclectic mix of information and inspiration, which I never would have encountered on my own. The depth of her lectures encouraged us to think more deeply, more profoundly than I have in any other class. Kirsten Whatley

Overall, I was very happy (delighted) with the class. Barbara is always attentive to each student/writer. The writers Barbara brings to her classes are really terrific, writers, people – and I do feel I have a small network which connects ever so often online through Writers.com! That is really incredible. Barbara put together a unique class which let us read very different writers, but all converging on a theme of broadening our approaches to writing about a person, one self. That was fascinating and I do not think that I would have gained that perspective in any other course.  Anne-Marie Audet

Absolutely fabulous. I loved the books and the assignments were interesting as well as challenging. Great content! Barbara Henning is one of the best teachers I've ever had -- and I've had many. She is first rateI This is my 3rd class under Barbara -- and I hate to see each of her classes end. You've got a winner here. Barbara Henning is a model of excellence. Sue Brannan Walker

Barbara always provides provocative readings and this class was no exception. I liked the fact that we read whole texts his time around. The pace of the class was brisk, but not so much that I couldn't manage my time. I am struck also by how much like a graduate level seminar her classes are: excellent readings, outstanding commentary and writing on the part of her students, and meaningful discussions. Thanks for another fantastic class! Cheri Ause

[Barbara] was warm and supportive and expected hard work and great things from each of us -- which we all tried to satisfy. Were you happy with the class content - the lessons and assignments? Yes, very much so. Barbara's enthusiasm for the stories and writers she choose was infectious, and she provided enough material and suggestions and writing ideas to keep me challenged and busy for years to come. Ann Winfred

The prose poetry class with Barbara Henning was fabulous. The content was more helpful than I ever thought possible. Barbara is an incredibly talented poet and teacher. I found her critiques kind and helpful. I write very short pieces and Barbara helped me focus them and weed out the unimportant, expanding upon what worked in my work. I've already recommended it to several people and I am excited about working with Barbara again. Jennifer Grant

Barbara's class was tied with one other workshop that I took for the best instruction in writing fiction that I have ever had. I would be taking her prose-poem class right now if I had not rashly made other plans before understanding just how deeply her flash fiction class was going to hit. [Barbara] was the most important element of the class. Her taste is fine, but entirely different from mine, so I was exposed to many new and enjoyable perspectives on fiction. She is consistently gentle and encouraging, without failing to offer help where it is needed and can be immediately used. Toby Jensen Perkins

Innovative, mind-stimulating, out of the ordinary material. None of the standard information you get everywhere. A well of well-researched references. Barbara is exceptional. Her feedback is spot on. She engages with each submission and picks out the essence of it and tries to guide you in developing your piece and further your writing. Sophie Cayeux

Barbara is very fast and effective in her responses. She provides in-depth comments, yet still leaves space for the writer to decide what changes might/should made. I really value her criticism. I will continue to have Barbara do some private evaluations for me and I hope to take more of her courses (probably her next flash fiction). I will definittely be taking more classes! Jean Wollam

Barbara Henning is remarkable. She always responds right away and gives expert advice on writing. I recommend your classes. They are taught by professionals, and are well organized. I was thrilled. Claudia M. Reder

I learned so much. The assignments were very enjoyable and allowed students to experience a new/different way of thinking and/or approaching the writing of prose poems. Barbara is the kind of teacher who skillfully guides students so that their work becomes what they had intended it to be; she has a very effective and subtle critique style. Kathryn Woronko

Very happy with the class content. Each assignment prepared me for the next, the reading materials and lectures educated, informed, and enlightened. Very happy with the teacher. I feel very lucky to have had such a talented teacher AND talented writer for a teacher. Her suggestions are concrete, workable and clear, and her comments help me think more clearly about the writing. She is also flexible, willing to work with what I wrote even when it didn't always quite conform to the assignment. Mica Mortensen

This was a really terrific class. It exposed me to a poetic form AND to several different schools of writers of which I was ignorant. There were times when I really didn't get some of the assigned readings, but that's more than okay. It helped clarify my own poetic opinions. The assignments were clear and thoughtful. I did some good writing. Barbara was responsive, both to the assignments and to the other conversation in the class about art & audience & other miscellaneous topics. She clearly loves poetry and the prose poem. I've recommended it already. Sue Swartz

Barb was a terrific instructor! She was very prompt and helpful in her responses and very clear in her lectures and assignments. I felt that she genuinely cared about our writing and about helping us to grow & improve. I thought the lessons and assignments were well thought-out, informative, and enjoyable. They offered challenge without being overwhelming. Katherine Lo

Delighted. The readings were carefully chosen and the assignments often yielded breathtaking revelations about writing. The variety of choices was terrific--now I have a dozen or more exercises saved up to try later on. I found the short short formats to offer me tools that will work in my longer fiction as well. Barbara is brilliant--and thoughtful, and kind. Always available even while she was traveling, and very clear in her comments on everyone's stories. Uma Krishnaswami

Barbara is an outstanding teacher. She was caring and respectful in her responses. Her suggestions were helpful and always presented in the context of ideas to consider in revision. When I had a question about her reponse to one of my postings, she was very thoughtful in her response. I hope to have future opportunities to take classes she teaches. Although I have an MFA, this was my first on-line class and I plan to enroll in another one in September. I also have recommended the classes to others who are interested in takin an online writing class. The class format, topics, and feedback from instructor and students are supportive and motivating. Thank you for providing wonderful classes and opportunities for writers. Kathleen Thoma