This course is run in partnership with Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival 2015. The festival’s programme offers a range of events of all different styles encompassing talks, panel debates, workshops, in-conversations and readings for both adults and children, from 27 April until 2 May in Stratford-upon-Avon.
If you have an idea for a novel, this course will help you to stop planning and procrastinating, and dive into writing. Led by acclaimed author and tutor Jill Dawson, this is a ‘work hard, play hard’ course that will encourage you to suspend your inner critic and simply have a go. Using her unique approach to teaching, Jill will show you playful techniques that will help you to grow your novel – and enjoy the writing process.
You’ll get involved in practical exercises where you dream up scenes, play with images and flesh out characters. You’ll also learn the essentials of synopsis-writing, structure and storytelling, as well as how to boost productivity.
Suitable for writers of all levels, this informal workshop will ask you to think about what you want to write, what research you might need to do, and how best to go about it. You’ll learn how to put perfectionism to one side, and develop your ideas through writing (rather than thinking about writing). You’ll leave the course armed with practical techniques to help you get your novel out of your head and onto the page.
This course is for you if…
- You have an idea for a novel you want to write but aren’t sure where to start
- You have started writing your novel but have lost confidence in it
Course description
This interactive workshop teaches writers of all levels how to develop their idea for a novel. Attendees will get involved in hands-on activities aimed to boost productivity, creativity and writing skills. There will be opportunities for feedback on writing exercises carried out during the class. Topics covered on the day include:
- How to stop procrastinating and start writing
- How to grow your novel from an idea to a manuscript
- Identifying research that needs to be done, and the best ways to go about it
- Developing scenes and settings
- Establishing a voice
- How to create and flesh out characters
- The essentials of synopsis-writing
- Story, themes, structure and shape
- How to make time in your life for writing
- Writing activities, with opportunity for feedback on exercises carried out during the class
- Q&A and discussion with Jill Dawson
Tutor profile
Jill Dawson is the award-winning author of eight novels. She was twice nominated for the Orange Prize. Her novel The Great Lover, about the poet Rupert Brooke, was a bestseller and a Richard and Judy Summer Read. Her latest novel, The Tell-Tale Heart, was described by Hilary Mantel as ‘an uncanny and atmospheric novel by a skillful storyteller’. Jill’s inspiring, enthusiastic and empirically-based teaching has gained her much acclaim as a tutor, and many published authors testify to its effectiveness. She has taught at the University of East Anglia, and is a founder of www.gold-dust.org.uk.
Details
This course has now passed – but we update our programme all the time. For information on our full range of masterclasses, sign up to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, or keep an eye on our calendar.
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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.
