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 for anyone considering the traditional path and hoping for agent representation. We’ll look at how to decide which agents to submit to and how to put together the strongest possible submission pack.
These are standalone workshops which you can book individually – you don’t even have to do both the sessions in one evening – or you can pick and mix from the full set of 14 workshops running over 7 weeks to build your own bespoke novel writing course, or you can book all 14 and claim a discount. All the workshops are led by Alison.
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 – saggy middles, confusing openings, rushed endings and all points in between – along with lots of suggestions for how to tackle those challenges.
These are standalone workshops which you can book individually – you don’t even have to do both the sessions in one evening – or you can pick and mix from the full set of 14 workshops running over 7 weeks to build your own bespoke novel writing course, or you can book all 14 and claim a discount. All the workshops are led by Alison.
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 to put the idea into practice in your novel
These are standalone workshops which you can book individually – you don’t even have to do both the sessions in one evening – or you can pick and mix from the full set of 14 workshops running over 7 weeks to build your own bespoke novel writing course, or you can book all 14 and claim a discount. All the workshops are led by Alison.
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 them? And how can you recognise your weaknesses without losing your confidence?
These are standalone workshops which you can book individually – you don’t even have to do both the sessions in one evening – or you can pick and mix from the full set of 14 workshops running over 7 weeks to build your own bespoke novel writing course, or you can book all 14 and claim a discount. All the workshops are led by Alison.
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 things creative and not losing the plot entirely!
These are standalone workshops which you can book individually – you don’t even have to do both the sessions in one evening – or you can pick and mix from the full set of 14 workshops running over 7 weeks to build your own bespoke novel writing course, or you can book all 14 and claim a discount. All the workshops are led by Alison.
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 the sessions in one evening – or you can pick and mix from the full set of 14 workshops running over 7 weeks to build your own bespoke novel writing course, or you can book all 14 and claim a discount. All the workshops are led by Alison.