Hi and welcome:
Every teacher dreams of the moment when a student takes a craft lesson and transforms it into something wholly their own. Konrad Nau gave me that moment.
A retired family physician with thirty-five years of patient relationships and one memoir under his belt, Konrad had never written fiction before taking my Bones course. When he encountered Flannery O’Connor’s Revelation through Flight School’s teaching, something clicked. Konrad understood the structure and the principle of how social hierarchy inversion forces character recognition.
In one week, he wrote Fear in West Texas—a complete, publication-ready short story— that highlights every element I teach: clear dramatic structure, layered characters with focused motivations, thematic coherence, natural dialogue, and an earned ending that allows a beat of ambiguity.
This is the magic of the right writer finding the right teaching at the right moment. Konrad didn’t need an MFA. He needed:
* Serious reading (he’d never read O’Connor before Flight School)
* Understandable teachings
* A prompt that sparked recognition
The result is his wonderful, clear, concise short story that tackles contemporary American tensions—fear, prejudice, immigration, mortality—without preaching.
This is Blackbird’s Flight School working exactly as designed: bite-sized lessons, clear examples, space to practice, and a community that celebrates follow-through. Konrad proves that writing excellence isn’t about youth or formal degrees. It’s about attention, discipline, and doing the actual work.
If you’ve been waiting for permission to start, or wondering if it’s too late, or questioning whether you need expensive credentials—this conversation with Konrad is your answer.
✍️Your Turn: The Follow-Through Challenge
Konrad took a prompt, wrote a complete story with beginning/middle/end, and submitted it. No endless revision, no waiting for perfect conditions, no ‘I’ll get to it someday.’ One week, one story, done.
Pick any prompt from Flight School’s archive (find the index of posts here), set a one-week deadline, and write a complete short story. Then share it or report back on what you learned from finishing. Maybe you’ll be the next writer I feature here on Flight School. Go.
I look forward to seeing what you create,
Jennifer 🐦⬛
PS: What is this Bones of Storytelling Konrad took and applied to his work with such stunning result?
Click above and see for yourself. The first class is free. And, if you are paid subscriber, get 20% off when you buy the full series. Look for the code in the footer of this email. Save thousands of dollars, years of your life and become a better writer now (or Nau 🙂. Thanks again, Konrad).
