Summer’s nearly over – no more long, warm writing-walks or having the sun on your side when you’re up stupidly early for your morning scribbling. Soon the nights will start doing their creeping-in thing and the schools will re-open (boo!) but a new term also means new creative writing workshops (YAY!)
I’m incredibly excited to be running a brand spanking new course for Writing East Midlands at Nottingham’s Waterstones. ‘Writing Your Novel’ is due to begin on Saturday 24th September. During the first term, we’ll be looking at essential elements such as character, setting, point of view, structure and plot, as well as honing the unique ideas behind the individual stories you want to tell. There will be plenty of advice, support and practical exercises – and, hopefully, some fun. Please visit WEM’s website if you fancy coming along.
And on Saturday, September 10th, I’m also leading a half-day session at Nottingham Writer’s Studio ‘DOA or SOS’ workshop, in which we’ll be attempting to revive your flagging fiction. Further details from the Studio…
I’m also very much looking forward to being part of the panel discussing the Booker shortlist at West Bridgford Library on Thursday, 20th October (thank you, lovely people at Inspire)
In other great (new!) news, the brilliant Beestonian have included a feature about my writing in their latest issue! The very generous Darren Kirkbride, who interviewed me, has a few theories about my dark side (!) and said some incredibly kind things about The Lives of Ghosts (Thank you, Darren Kirkbride! Thank you, The Beestonian!)
Finally, I’m thrilled to have had a short story, ‘In the Dirt, Under the Trees’, accepted for publication by Hic Dragones for their ‘Into the Woods’ anthology. I hope to have more news on that one very soon…