We welcomed short story writer Masatomo Tamaru for a workshop on writing original short stories (very short novels).
After only one hour, each participant was able to create an original short story.
At the end of the workshop, participants read their original short stories to each other. When everyone shared their richly conceived work, the applause was loud and enthusiastic.
Some students who had never written a novel before told us that they enjoyed seeing the finished works and felt confident that they could do it too.
Mr. Tamaru said, "There are many things you can do, even if you thought you couldn't do them before. It is important to give it a try without putting up barriers.
Mr. Tamaru is the author of the "5 Minutes to an Unexpected End" series, which Rits Uji students often read.

Below are the titles of the pieces that were completed during the workshop.
Aren't you curious what kind of stories they are?

"The Delicious Test"
"Desert Clock"
"Fluffy Train"
"Futon with Rules"
"Colorful Salmon Roe"

We hope you enjoy the world of short shorts as much as we do.

Masatomo Tamaru
Born in Ehime, Japan in 1987. Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Engineering and the Graduate School of Engineering. In addition to his writing activities as a standard-bearer of the modern short story, he has served as the head judge for the "Bo-chan Literary Award" and other prizes. He is also active in a wide range of activities, including holding creative writing courses throughout Japan. The content of his writing courses has been included in a 4th grade Japanese language textbook (Kyoiku Shuppan) since FY2020, and his novels have been included in a 1st grade Japanese language textbook (Kyoiku Shuppan) for junior high school students since FY2021.
Representative works: "Otogi Company," "Melancholy Detective," "Yagarasu Magarashi Shops and Black Consequences," etc.