Do you dream of writing short stories but feel unsure where to start?
Maybe you haven’t written in years—or perhaps you’ve never written at all.
If fear, self-doubt, or lack of confidence are holding you back, you’re not alone. Many first-time writers feel exactly the same way.
That’s why I created the Short Story Toolkit: to give you the skills, structure, and encouragement to finally write stories you can be proud of.
Your first short story starts here!
A beginner-friendly toolkit with 3 lessons, workbooks, and audio guides to help you write and edit your own stories with confidence.
The Short Story Toolkit
WHAT'S INSIDE?
The Short Story Toolkit is a mini-course designed especially for beginners and returning writers.
It includes:
💜 3 video lessons taught by me, guiding you step by step
💜 Downloadable workbooks echoing the theory to help you practice and apply what you learn
💜 Audio versions of every class, so you can learn anytime, anywhere
By the end, you’ll know how to write, evaluate, and improve your own short stories—with far less fear and much more confidence.
All this for only US $59.
Overcome fear, build confidence, and finally call yourself a writer with this beginner-friendly toolkit of short, practical lessons.
Tell me more ...
Lesson 1: How to Write a Short Story
A gentle, beginner-friendly guide to the essentials of short story writing. You’ll learn the basic building blocks: character, setting, conflict, and endings, so you can start writing without overwhelm.
Lesson 2: The Ultimate Short Story Toolkit
Discover a simple, powerful framework to review your own writing. You’ll learn how to identify what’s working, what is missing, and how to strengthen your story step by step.
Lesson 3: How to Show and When to Tell
One of the biggest struggles for new writers is knowing how to “show” and when to “tell.” In this lesson, you’ll learn how to balance the two, so your stories are vivid, engaging, and enjoyable to read.
Why this works
With the Short Story Toolkit, you’ll:
- Overcome fear and self-doubt so you can finally start writing
- Learn practical techniques to make your stories stronger
- Gain the confidence to evaluate and improve your own work
- Build the foundation you need to take part in writing challenges or keep writing on your own
Who is this for?
This toolkit is perfect if you are:
- A first-time writer who’s always wanted to try short stories
- A returning writer who hasn’t written in years and needs a gentle reintroduction
- A nervous writer who craves guidance and reassurance
- A participant in the 12 Short Stories Challenge who wants a solid foundation before starting
Ts&Cs: Given the non-returnable nature of digital products, we do not offer refunds. Please make sure of your decision before you buy.
A deadline is the fastest way to fill a blank page
and in this class I am going to tell you about 52 of them.
About Us
Deadlines are the solution.
In a perfect world, no writer would ever get stuck, be stumped or get sucked into the black hole that is the internet. We would sit down, the muse would descend and we’d produce literary magic, but this world is far from perfect. We get stuck, stumped and sucked in by hyperlinks. We need deadlines.
Deadlines for Writers is the kindest, most productive writing community on the internet. We kick procrastination butt by meeting daily, weekly and monthly deadlines.
Deadlines for Writers
Deadlines for Writers is the home to several writing challenges. We host the 12 Short Stories in 12 Months, 12 Poems in 12 Months and 52 Scenes in 52 Weeks novel-writing challenge.
We write together, critique each other's work and constantly improve our craft.
Write your book in a year
If you have always dreamed of writing a novel or if you have several incomplete manuscripts languishing in your drawer or if you need some extra help and accountability, well, this challenge is just for you.
Weekly deadlines, flexible prompts and a supportive community will make the challenge of writing a novel not only possible but fun.
Mia Botha
Founder
Mia has been a creative writing coach for more than 13 years. She created the Deadlines for Writers, which as the name implies, is a deadline-driven, online critique group that helps writers beat procrastination and perfectionism and overcome self-doubt because she has learnt that a deadline is the fastest way to fill a blank page.
©2024 Deadlines for Writers.