SHOWING & TELLING February 23, 6:00 – 8:00 pm GMT Location: Zoom Probably, you were first told, ‘Show, don’t Tell’ – or maybe you know it’s nonsense, but not what to do instead: you just know that what writers mean by these two apparently simple terms has big implications for how effective your writing can…
CHARACTERS & WORLD BUILDING Tuesday March 21, 6:00 – 8:00 pm GMT Location: Zoom Developing characters and the world of your story are fundamentally linked. Together, they form an essential engine for your novel, generating story and informing style, voice and point of view. In this workshop, we will look at how growing your characters also…
Q&A: AGENT ADVICE ON COMPETITION SUBMISSIONS Q & A session with 2023 First Novel Award judges Eve White & Ludo Cinelli. Lots of great advice and tips if you are considering submitting to our First Novel Award or indeed any competitions for debut novel writers. Literary agents:Eve White & Ludo Cinelli from Eve White Literary…
HOOKS, OPENINGS & PITCHES March 30, 6:00 – 8:00 pm BST Location: Zoom It’s not only agents and editors who judge a book by the first page: readers do too. In an industry driven by pitches, hooks, blurbs and the first paragraph of Look Inside the Book, writers need to get to grips with how…
WRITING WITH SCRIVENER: A ROUGH GUIDE May 25, 2023 @6:00 – 8:00 pm BST Location: Zoom Scrivener software is the writing program most used by professional writers of all kinds to help them structure and write – or erase – their drafts, and then revise, edit polish and even format and publish book-length projects and…
Where possible we try to make these sessions interactive with writers invited to submit some of their work in advance to be included in the tutorial.
The publishing world is notoriously hard to get into and finding the right agent to represent you and sell your novel to publishers is a business in itself
Online events take place on a Tuesday or Thursday evening starting at 18:00 hrs London time. We don’t record the sessions professionally but we understand that things crop up unexpectedly and in some instances a recording may be available.
There’s nothing like gathering with a group of writers to learn the craft and chat about your work-in-progress over a cup of tea or glass of wine. Our in person events combine beautiful locations with in-depth tutorials from some impressive guests, usually authors, tutors or literary agents.
Our retreats offer you the chance stay in glorious private homes often with a literary connection, write in peace, explore and develop your skills alongside support from one of our editors. Writers work on their novels in the mornings and there are creative writing workshops with guest tutors in the afternoon. There are Q&A sessions with the tutors and evening readings from authors. There is also a workshop or Q&A session during the retreat with a literary agent and/or publisher.
Our Spring and Autumn Away Days give you a taste of the retreat experience with practical workshops and the chance to quiz an industry gatekeeper.
Tutors at previous retreats have included
Best selling Authors Tessa Hadley, Claire Fuller, Louise Doughty and Marcel Theroux
Publishers Doubleday’s Kirsty Dunseath, Penguin Random House’s Selina Walker,
Literary Agents Eve White, Caroline Wood ,Antony Harwood; Charlotte Seymour; Joanna Swainson
Numbers are limited so there is plenty of time for discussion and Q & A.
Thanks to the Authors, Publishers and Agents who have been so generous with their time.
_______________
