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 […]
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 […]
Starting a new book, editing a finished one or stuck somewhere in the middle? Take your writing to a new level with a weekend dedicated entirely to writing, under the guidance of two highly regarded tutors – both multi-published award-winning authors. Arrive on Friday to meet the tutors and your fellow authors. There's time to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Kiley Dunbar and Ally Sinclair (aka Alison May) talk to Keshini Naidoo about their latest books The Gingerbread Christmas Village and The Christmas Season. Book here.
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 […]
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 […]
Ally/Alison will be appearing at the Dark Side Light Side Festival in Alcester to discuss romcoms. The festival runs from 10.15am to 4pm. The romcom panel will be at 2pm. Tickets free but you can reserve a place in advance here.
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 […]
