Rescue the Draft: How to Fix a Story That Isn’t Working

Access: After checkout, we’ll enrol you into the course space within 24 hours, usually the same day, and send the Zoom joining details before the session.

Rescue the Draft: How to Fix a Story That Isn’t Working is a live, single-session Litro masterclass with Jo Gatford for writers with a flash piece, short story, opening, or abandoned draft that has potential but isn’t quite working.

Maybe you can’t put your finger on what’s wrong. Maybe the piece keeps getting rejected. Maybe it has lost its spark, or you’re trying to bring an old idea back to life.

In this practical 90-minute workshop, Jo will show you how to diagnose what is wrong, tighten the prose, sharpen the tension, decide what to cut, and find the heart of the piece. You’ll explore techniques that help you edit and redraft with more objectivity, and troubleshoot some of the most common reasons a story stalls.

Who it’s for

• writers working on flash fiction, short fiction, prose pieces, or openings
• writers with a half-finished, rejected, stalled, or abandoned draft
• writers who know a piece has potential but cannot yet see what is not working
• writers who want practical revision tools rather than vague encouragement

How it works

• One live group masterclass on Zoom with Jo Gatford.
• 90 minutes of practical teaching, discussion, guided diagnosis, Q&A, and revision tools.
• Small group format with seats capped at 15.
• Sharing is optional: you can take part fully without reading aloud.

What we’ll cover

• Draft diagnosis: common reasons stories lose force, stall, or keep getting rejected
• Reader connection: how characterisation, set-up, and early pressure pull the reader in
• Depth and subtext: how to add meaning to an underdeveloped story without over-explaining
• Structure and momentum: how to build tension, movement, and shape
• Voice and flow: how to refine the language so the piece feels more alive and controlled

What you’ll leave with

• a clearer diagnosis of what may be weakening your draft
• practical ways to decide what to cut, sharpen, develop, or rethink
• a stronger sense of where the heart of the piece is
• a repeatable approach for rescuing stuck or abandoned drafts
• clearer next steps for revising the piece before sending it out again

Session details

• Date: Thursday 17 September 2026
• Time: 6:00–7:30 pm UK / 1:00–2:30 pm ET
• Format: Live Zoom masterclass
• Length: 90 minutes
• Seats: capped at 15
• Recording: not recorded unless agreed in writing in advance

Tutor

Jo Gatford is an award-winning author, editor and mentor with over 15 years’ experience teaching creative writing. Her short fiction has been selected for the Wigleaf Top 50, Best Small Fictions and Best Microfictions, and published in more than 70 anthologies and literary magazines. Her novel, White Lies, was published by Legend Press, and her hybrid chapbook, The Woman’s Part, was published by Stanchion.

She has devised and run hundreds of writing workshops and courses, from weekly online flash fiction challenges to literary festival programming. She was co-editor of Thread lit mag and has read for and judged several writing competitions. Her newsletter, The Joy of Fixion, is about following the fun, reconnecting with creativity and finding flow.

What to bring

Please bring one short draft, flash piece, opening, or abandoned idea that feels stuck or not quite working. You may also want to mark one short section where the prose feels flat, slow, over-explained, or unclear.

Refunds / transfers: Seats are limited. Please refer to Litro Masterclasses’ checkout policy for refunds and transfers.