MINI COURSE PROGRAMME

Mini Courses run on Friday 25 June between
10.00 -16.30 unless otherwise stated.

BOOKING INFORMATION: Join one of these courses to gain specific advice and revision for your novels, short stories, poems,features, book-length non-fiction and self-publishing.

PRE-CONFERENCE WORK: Athough not necessary in order to attend, should be submitted no later than 28 May. Please send all pre-conference submitted work to: Mini-Courses, c/o Barbara Large, Conference Director, The Winchester Writers' Conference, Research and Knowledge Exchange Centre, University of Winchester, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 4NR. Only submissions from abroad accepted by email.

NOTES: Workshops will be held in St. Edburga Building, The Main Building, The Tom Atkinson Building, The Boardoom & Arts Centre 5.

COURSE FEE: £120
Includes coffee and biscuits, lunch, afternoon tea and cakes and Friday dinner.

B&B: (Thursday 24 June) £32
B&B: (Thursday 24 June En-suite) £41.50


To book your place, download and complete the application form (Word document) and send to Barbara Large, Research and Knowledge Exchange Centre, Univeristy of Winchester, Winchester, SO22 4NR. If paying by cheque please make cheque payable to University Of Winchester. Bookings will not be taken without payment.

Download application form here

Download terms and conditions here

YOUR NOVEL - THE FINAL COUNTDOWN (MC01)
CAROLYN CAUGHEY
What do you need to do fter you've finished wriitng it? Learn how to take a ruthless look at your masterpiece before you market it, sell it and probably revise it all over again. Bring the first pages from any two chapters and see if you can make them perfect during the day.

CREATING/WRITING, REVISING AND MARKETING FICTION FICTION (MC02)
SAM NORTH
Case Studies, Pitfalls and Delusions in Self-Publishing; using writing exercises we will market dynamics, structure, planning, character deepening/backstories.

GRABBING ATTENTION (MC03)
JUNE HAMPSON
Grabbing attention with that first chapter and keeping the reader involved throughout your novel. Unravelling secrets that can help you write and complete your first chapter and go on to finish your novel. We'll explore by reading delegates material, discussion and examples. Handouts will be issued. Delegates are invited to send their first chapter or novel or a maximum of 1,500 words prior to the course for critiques.

THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE AND THE TELLING VOICE (MC04)
LORNA FERGUSSON
One of the most crucial decisions you make as a novelist is to choose who is telling the story. The effective creation of point of view will add colour and draw your reader into the world of your characters. In this mini-course, we'll use published examples and practical exercises to explore the options available to you when choosing narrative perspective, how to convey attitude and voice and the importance of controlling just how much information the reader is given and how it is pitched. You're aiming to use your skills to intrigue your reader and keep them engaged.

ALL ASPECTS OF COMEDY WRITING FOR TV, RADIO AND MAGAZINES (MC05)
BRAD ASHTON
This workshop will reveal the simple formulas for creating comedy starting with gags then routines, sketches, satire, visual comedy for foreign markets and finally characterisation, plotting and witty dialogue for situation comedies. Additional this year, is writing humorous articles for magazines.

OTHER VOICES, OTHER LIVES: BREATHING LIFE INTO STORIES FOR CHILDREN (MC06)
BEVERLEY BIRCH
A workshop on narrative voice, involving practical exploration of alternative angles of narration and bringing character to life. Bring an idea you are working on, and be prepared for new writing during the workshop, serious self-analysis and evaluation, and a shaking up of your ideas and assumptions!

CONFLICT (MC07)
ADRIENNE DINES
Sometimes novels/stories come to a halt because the writer simply doesn't know what happens next. It's as if the engine that kept the story moving has run out of fuel and you feel abandoned - you should never have trusted that duplicitous muse! Don't worry. It's not your muse but your conflict that needs attention. Plots falter when the writer loses sight of what's driving the story, the aim of the action. In this workshop we'll consider all the aspects of conflict that might affect you and how it helps to keep the tension going till you reach a satisfying ending. Suitable for beginners and experienced writers.

SHAPE, SHARPEN AND SELL YOUR NOVEL (MC08)
JULIA BRYANT
Learn how to give your novel its best chance of success by writing that killer first sentence, discovering its unique selling point and making your synopsis leap from the page.
Practise pitching to an editor/ agent and discover where your novel fits in the bookshop.
Bring your synopsis/first chapter to this workshop to put it to the test in a group workshop with tutorial advice.

GETTING STARTED, KEEPING IT GOING (MC09)
Suitable for beginners
CAROLE BURNS
Find the inspiration for new ideas or discover a new window into work-in-progress. Class involves five writing exercises, on character, place, endings, intensifying scenes, and deepening story; we will do a brief workshop at the end of each exercise to hear: what's working? The aim is to leave with rough drafts to expand and revise at home, and to deepen work in progress.

BRINGING SCENES TO LIFE (MC10)
PAUL BAVISTER
Description is not just about setting the scene. It can, when used correctly, build empathy for characters, create a thematic unity to longer pieces and extend the meaning of poetry. It can also allow agents to see your writing, making the potential film within your work come to life. Take this opportunity to invigorate your writing by creating suspenseful scenes in fiction and unique imagery in poetry.

THE ART OF WRITING ARTICLES (AND HOW THEY CAN LEAD TO NOVELS AND NON-FICTION BOOKS) (MC11)
SOPHIE KING
This practical session will help participants to think of ideas for magazines/newspapers and also how to pitch them. It will also show how articles can be inspirational sources for short stories, novels and non-fiction books.

WHAT'S IN A MONSTER? (MC12)
CAROLIN ESSER
What happens when Monster Theory meets personal experience and practical exploration? We will find out in this workshop. Inspired by your thoughts last year, we will explore the nature of the monstrous and the monster and what functions it fulfils in different genres for different audiences.

SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED - WRITING A SHORT, SHORT-STORY (MC13)
JOHN GILBEY
Have you promised yourself you'd write a novel - but haven't got the time?
If you want to write, but haven't yet fitted it into your busy schedule, come along to this highly interactive short story workshop. John Gilbey, whose list of published short stories is firmly into double figures, will explore the special delight and fascination of the short-short story. At between 500 and 1,000 words, this genre allows you to build a finished work quickly - but demands a special discipline and clarity of thought in order to be successful. We will discuss techniques, approaches and marketing - then build stories from scratch, either individually or as a group. Expect fun!

CRAFTING THE SHORT FILM (MC14)
CRAIG BATTY
Many screenwriters start their careers writing and making short films. Unlike feature films, short films offer a more viable way of getting scripts made and attaining screen credits. This workshop will explore what makes a good short film and what kinds of stories can be told in the format. Delegates will then develop a short film idea and begin to script it.

TACKLING YOUR FIRST NOVEL (MC15)
Suitable for beginners
CATHERINE KING
This course is suitable for not-yet-published novelists as well as first-timers. With a view to publication, you will be taken through an analysis of your ideas and/or work-in-progress, and re-think of your approach. The session will include writing activities, reading and feedback of your work and group discussions. Bring your writing difficulties and an open mind.