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History books are one of the commercial success stories of the literary age. But whether you're writing a novel or non-fiction, great historical writers need the research skills to find meaningful and revealing information, the structures to put them together in a flowing and intriguing narrative and the writing skills to bring these facts to life.
This in-depth weekend course will show you how to put history in a dramatic context. The Guardian's Reel History columnist, Alex von Tunzelmann (author of the acclaimed Red Heat) and multi award-shortlisted historical fiction author William Ryan will equip you with the research tools and writing skills you need to turn facts and dates into compelling human stories. Using real historical data, you'll learn how to extract compelling human stories from disparate sources, and then turn your source material into compelling long-form writing with believable characters, authentic dialogue and meaningful narratives.
This course is for you if…
- You're currently planning or writing a long-form historical novel, work of non-fiction or film/TV script
- You're a journalist who wants to write long-form non-fiction
- You're a historian who wishes to make a compelling, readable text out of a research project
- You're an experienced writer of contemporary fiction who wants to write a historical novel or script
Course description
This highly practical, multi-disciplinary weekend course will give attendees a thorough grounding both in research methods and in translating data into exciting long-form writing. Attendees will engage in intensive study of research materials and learn how to extrapolate information and narratives, as well as how to structure stories, develop characters and write dialogue. The course also includes advice on the best ways to get your project published. Topics covered over the weekend include:
- Researching historical data – what to look for, how to assess information
- How to structure a research project, and how to take notes
- How to plan, structure and build an intriguing narrative
- Character development, for both fictional and real-life historical characters
- How to look for, select and present historical dialogue
- Finding new angles on well-trodden eras and stories in non-fiction
Tutor profiles
Alex von Tunzelmann's first history book, Indian Summer, was described by William Dalrymple as "the best book ever written on the partition of India and Pakistan, and pretty close to a flat-out masterpiece." Her second, Red Heat, looked at the Cold War in the Caribbean, and was described by the Guardian as "a thriller… told at a cracking pace." She is currently developing a feature film about Winston Churchill, and a third history book. She writes a weekly column about historical movies for the Guardian Film Online.
William Ryan has written three crime novels set in 1930s Russia, which have been shortlisted for numerous prizes – including the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, The CWA's Ellis Peters Historical Dagger and New Blood Dagger, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award and The Irish Crime Novel of the Year (twice). He is currently working on a standalone novel set in 1945 Nazi Germany.
Charlie Viney of The Viney Agency now represents over 100 authors writing adult and children's fiction, biography, history and current affairs. Charlie started his career as a bookseller, then enjoyed a 25-year career in general trade publishing, working primarily in international sales and marketing. Being a literary agent is Charlie's dream job, combining a love of books and business while enabling him to work closely with authors.
Book now Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April 2015
Details
Dates: Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April 2015
Times: 10am-4pm
Location: The Guardian, 90 York Way, King's Cross, London N1 9GU
Price: £449 (includes VAT, booking fee, lunch and refreshments)
Event capacity: 16
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 14 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
