When it comes to fiction, your research skills are as important as your writing skills
Facts are the engine of the most captivating fiction, and researching a novel is a grand undertaking in itself. Whatever your genre, theme, or setting, research skills are an invaluable resource for any writer. On this illuminating course, acclaimed novelist Alex Preston will show you how to use a variety of research sources to craft convincing, powerful stories. You'll explore online horizons far beyond Wikipedia, and find out how to use libraries and the media to access vast repositories of the un-Googleable.
Through practical exercises and study of the research models of renowned authors, you'll discover the many different ways such fact-finding can improve your plotting, dialogue and narrative voice, and also learn shortcuts to researching on a tight budget. By the end of the course, you'll be able to apply your new skills to take your writing into new territories, resolve problems in your stories, and imbue your work with a striking authenticity.
Course description
Through a mix of talks and practical exercises, you'll learn to use a variety of research sources, and how to weave professional-standard research into the fiction writing process to improve all aspects of your work, without letting the facts get in the way of a good story.
You'll also be introduced to different research models employed by famous authors, to help inspire an individual methodology that's right for your project. Topics covered on the day include:
- Resources for research – using the internet, libraries and media to flesh out the world of your story
- Backgrounds and the launchpad – how to use your research to find the killer hook for your novel or story
- Shortcuts – how to research on a shoestring
- Writing the past and the present – how to use detail to bring the world of your story to life
- What not to do – common mistakes even good writers make
- Theories of research – from Laurent Binet to Hilary Mantel, looking at how the masters work
- Practical exercises – a series of writing exercises designed to inspire and instruct
This course is for you if…
- You are an experienced author currently writing or planning a novel or short story which requires more research than you've previously undertaken
- You are a new fiction writer struggling with building a convincing world or authorial voice
- You want to learn how to use either contemporary or period detail with elegance and subtlety
- You are currently having plotting or structural problems with a novel or short story of any kind
Tutor profile
Alex Preston is a prize-winning novelist and journalist. His bestselling This Bleeding City was the first novel to address the Credit Crisis. His next book, to be published in August, is In Love and War, set in 1940s Italy. He appears regularly on BBC television and radio and writes for the Observer and GQ Magazine. Click here for Alex's website.
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Details
Date: Sunday 9 February 2014
Times: 10am-5pm. Check-in begins 30 minutes before the start time.
Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
Price:
☻Early bird special (a limited number of places at a reduced price for people who book in advance)£199
☻Regular price£229
(all prices include VAT, booking fee, lunch and refreshments)
Event capacity: 16
Dress code: There is no dress code for Masterclasses. Please dress however you feel comfortable.
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 7 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.