The areas of fiction writing we will cover in the programme are listed below.  The sessions will include reading out and critiquing the group’s stories, questions and discussions, fiction writing exercises, a critiquing exercise on a story I will provide, looking at some short story magazines,  filling in a ‘writer’s diary’ for 3 of the weeks, and some articles of interest on fiction writing.

 

1.    COMMON PITFALLS FOR NEW WRITERS.

Exposition - use of adjectives - using characters’ names, - awkward words, cliché – jokes - use of parenthesis - expletives - detail anxiety - changing POV – number of characters.

 

2. EDITING

A system for approaching editing in fiction writing.

 

3. DIALOGUE

Uses of dialogue – point of view.

 

4. CHARACTERISATION

Building and developing characters - psychology and dialogue - description – reader empathy.

 

5. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NOVEL AND SHORT STORY WRITING

What novel writing allows - what defines a short story - common problems with short stories.

 

6. SHAPE AND STRUCTURE

Literary versus non-literary stories - use of flashback - metaphor and symbolism - juxtaposing scenes - theme.

 

7. SHAPE AND STRUCTURE CONTINUED

Balancing setting, character and plot to create the shape of the story.

 

8. STYLE

Wordiness – exposition - active and passive verbs - writer’s ‘voice’ - unfinished sentences - ‘stream of consciousness’ - obscure phrases – the sounds that words make.

 

9. GETTING STORIES PUBLISHED.

Dealing with rejection - publishers’ terms – timing – format - response time - placing work – ezines, magazines, anthologies.

 

10. WRITING TIPS, SUMMING UP.

Avoiding clumsy tags in dialogue - changing point of view -  first paragraphs and titles, finding material – reading – rejections – submissions - starting new stories - throwing work away - different uses of dialogue in story writing.

 

Rebecca Lloyd.