The path of a piece of fiction – from first drafts, through a publisher’s office, and then into the hands of a reader – is usually long, with twists and turns. Over a full day, learn from debut authors, writers with multiple books under their belts, and the publishing pros about the different stages of fiction writing. Whether you’re working on short fiction or a longer piece, if your idea is just beginning to take shape, or you’re starting to polish a first draft, this masterclass is for you. Learn about the craft, considerations and business of fiction.
Please note: this Masterclass will be recorded and made available for ticketholders to watch on-demand after the event.
10am – Keynote: What Moves Us?
Join celebrated writer Alice Pung as she talks through the ways in which a writer can come to fiction: with a question to answer, a voice to inhabit, or a story to tell. How can we craft stories around the questions that move and concern us? How do we find and craft the right voice to tell those stories?
With Alice Pung
11am – Break
11:15am – Panel: The Business End
If you’re writing fiction, chances are you’d like to share it: but where do we even begin in the wide world of publishing? Hear from writers Emily Bitto and Ennis Ćehić, and Ultimo Press’s Alisa Ahmed as they discuss and demystify the less romantic aspects of publishing your fiction: querying, pitching, working with publishers and editors, the editing process, publicity, and more.
With Alisa Ahmed and Ennis Ćehić
Hosted by Emily Bitto
This panel is proudly presented in partnership with Faber Writing Academy
12.15 – 12.45pm – Lunch break
12:45pm – Workshop: Writing the Real
Yes, it’s fiction, but is it real? In this workshop, think through what it means to write “real”. Regardless of whether a setting is otherworldly, deeply everyday, far in the past, or somewhere in between, how can it be brought to life? How can an everyday setting be made to feel strange and uncanny? Do your characters feel tethered to reality, or are they adrift? Consider settings, senses, and everything in between, and find out how to make your work feel alive.
With Tony Birch
2.45pm – Break
3pm – Workshop: Character
With Chloe Wilson
4pm – Finish
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