How to Have Ideas: A Fiction Writing Workshop In-Person
No one is born knowing how to drive a car, ride a bike, or write a story. Like everything else in life, having ideas is a skill that we can develop and work out over time like a muscle. This generative fiction workshop for adult writers of all levels will teach you how to come up with ideas for stories, recognize ideas when you have them, and use titles and short phrases as launchpads for creativity. Over the course of two hours, we will look at examples of short, concept-driven flash fiction (<250 words) and use concise prompts and dynamic exercises to generate our own writing, paying special attention to the process of having and then using ideas. Participants will have the opportunity to share their work and will leave with resources to build their writing practices beyond this workshop.
Notebooks and pens will be provided. Participants are also welcome to bring their own writing materials and/or devices like a laptop if they prefer.
- Date:
- Sunday, May 24, 2026
- Time:
- 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Lora Hussey Room
- Location:
- Zionsville Branch
- Audience:
- Adults (18 and over)
- Categories:
- Adult Events
Logan Taylor is a writer and teacher working at Ivy Tech and Butler University in Indianapolis. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Butler University in 2021 with a concentration in Fiction. Logan spends his time talking about Kurt Vonnegut, running community Dungeons & Dragons events, and writing about the philosophical value of videogames on his blog.
The Butler MFA Community Workshop series is a free writing program facilitated by Butler University alumni of the MFA in Creative Writing. These one-off workshops, hosted at partner sites including bookstores, nonprofits, and public libraries in the Greater Indianapolis area, connect adults at all stages of their writing journeys with workshop experiences shaped by graduate-level study. Thanks to a generous gift from the Efroymson Family Fund, alumni from the program's concentrations in Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Fiction will guide local writers into creative practice. Each workshop is designed to help participants generate new work, learn new ways of thinking about the craft of writing, and more confidently continue their own writing practices.
Learn more about the Butler MFA Community Workshop series and view the complete Spring/Summer 2026 Catalog here.
I'm Natalie! I have a background in illustration and enjoy creative writing as well. I'm also a fan of manga and video games. My favorite genres are fantasy, horror, and nonfiction.