Alison says: 'When I moved from writing for pleasure to writing as my career I was incredibly excited. It was something I had dreamed of for years so achieving that was genuinely brilliant. But... over time I realised that something had changed. Writing was starting to feel like a chore. I was facing writers' block, … Continue reading "Rediscover Your Creativity and Find Your Voice"
On the 7th of July 2023, I will be over at I Am In Print, talking about Ten Things to Think about before you Sign Your First (or next) Contract
Creating Character will take you through creating and developing engaging characters for your novel. Conflict will explain what on earth conflict is and why novelists bang on about it so much, and help you find the conflict in your story. These are standalone workshops which you can book individually - you don't even have to do both … Continue reading "Online Workshops: Creating Character and Conflict"
Do you want to know how to use Canva to make marketing images for your book? You can make nice looking flat lays and nifty animations - all using Canva Free. Come along to my talk at The Writing Gals conference* and find out how. About the conference: Learn from The Writing Gals how to write … Continue reading "Canva for Authors – part of The Writing Gals online conference"
Plot & Story Structure will take you through developing your story ideas, understanding the structure of a novel and identifying the key elements in your plot. Planning a Novel is particularly aimed at writers who don't naturally plan. It will be packed full of ideas and suggestions to how to find a balance between keeping … Continue reading "Online Workshops: Plot & Story Structure and Planning a Novel"
Setting & World-Building will explore ways of communicating the world of your novel to your reader and will look at how setting influences plot and character throughout a story. Finding Your Voice is all about focusing on who you are as a writer. What are your strengths and how can you make the most of … Continue reading "Online Workshops: Setting & World-building and Finding Your Voice"
Writing with Emotion is all about how to put emotion on the page in a way that grabs your reader's attention and makes them laugh, cry and fall in love with your story. Show, Don't Tell is the writing advice that just won't die! This workshop is all about what it actually means and how … Continue reading "Online workshops: Writing with Emotion and Show Don’t Tell"
Theme will look at how to get to the heart of what you're writing about and identify your themes, and then we'll discuss how to use that knowledge to deepen and improve your story. The Dreaded Synopsis will take the terror away from writing a synopsis. Well some of the terror anyway. Alison actually quite … Continue reading "Online Workshops: Theme and The Dreaded Synopsis"
Editing Your Novel will help you work out your process for what comes next after you've finished your first draft. Everyone agrees that editing is vital - this workshop will actually tell you how to do it. Common First Draft Problems is all about the issues that come up time and time again in first drafts … Continue reading "Online Workshops: Editing Your Novel and Common First Draft Problems"
The Business of Publishing is a whistle-stop tour of the basics of the publishing industry. We'll look at pros and cons of self-publishing vs the traditional route. We'll talk about what a publisher is actually buying when they acquire a book and we'll talk about when not to sign on the dotted line. Agent-Hunting is … Continue reading "Online workshops: The Business of Publishing and Agent-Hunting"
Grab a cuppa and get to know the incoming Chief Executive of the Society of Authors, Anna Ganley. Anna will be in conversation with Jeevani Charika, SoA member and Chair of the SoA’s Authors North group. Programme Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Jeevani Charika (2 mins) Introduction to Anna Ganley and a glimpse into her routine (15-25 mins) Q&A with audience (10-15 mins) Summary … Continue reading "Afternoon tea with Anna Ganley – Jeev will be hosting the Q&A with the SoA’s new chief executive"
Authors are often expected to make their own marketing graphics (especially once the launch buzz is over). Canva is a graphic design program aimed at complete beginners. It is very powerful, but can be overwhelming. Join SoA Member Jeevani Charika as she leads this talk aiming to show you how to make scroll-stopping animations and graphics so … Continue reading "SoA At Home – Professional Development – Canva Tips for Authors"