So you have a story in mind, but how do you create characters that readers will want to follow to the end? In this practical tutorial we will explore what makes a character compelling, how to move on from lists and stereotypes, and how to make developing your characters a dynamic, organic part of your writing process.

If story is king then narrative drive is story’s engine. But how do you come up with a story that has enough drive, while staying true to your need to tell stories that matter to you? If the heart of your story is emotional and psychological, how do you make it compelling while keeping the reader turning the pages? Join us to unpack how story-structure keeps the reader reading, and learn to use that knowledge to shape or reshape your novel.

Writing about real lives and experiences – your own, or someone else’s – is rewarding but also daunting. Whether you’re writing your memoir, shaping live-writing round someone in your family or the past, writing about travel or other experiences, or want to build a narrative round a specific passion, perhaps for an art or a sport, join us for this practical Zoom workshop to explore the exciting possibilites, and sharpen your skills.

Most writers know that editing your work is about a whole lot more than tidying up the sentences – and that the most important stage of writing fiction is actually re-writing. But what does that actually mean? How do you discover what isn’t working, and what do you do about it? Join our workshop to find out.

You know the submission package representing your novel or memoir is your biggest and best chance to hook an agent and hopefully a publishing deal – but how do you make the most of that chance? Blue Pencil’s Emma Haynes will be joining us for this practical, all-day workshop. Discussion and exercises will draw on participants’ own letters, synopses and opening pages, submitted in advance.

Story and plot are often talked of in the same breath, but understanding the difference is key to making both work for you. In this practical, all-day workshop we’ll unpack what this means for each writer, with exercises will be based on your own work. Over afternoon tea, Marina de Pass from The Soho Agency, The Bookseller’s Rising Star of 2023, will give you the inside track on the submission process.

Psychic Distance is the fiction writer’s secret sauce, and learning to work with it is a game-changer. It's often called narrative, or emotional distance, and we’ll start by exploring how psychic distance works, try our hands with the new tool, and expand our sense of possibilities with real-life examples.

Scrivener software is the writing program most used by professional writers of all kinds to help them structure and plan – or erase – their drafts, then revise, edit polish and even format and publish book-length projects and scripts. Emma is a working writer who has used Scrivener for Windows for many years; she will help you understand the core principles of how Scrivener works, and support you as you get a feel for how to make it work for your own, individual writing process.

How do you root your fiction in history without getting stuck in the mud? How do you set your imagination flying when you have to look everything up? Join novelist Emma Darwin, author of Get Started in Writing Historical Fiction, at the I Am Writing Festival, for a masterclass in writing historical fiction.

Do you get the first draft of a novel or creative non-fiction down fairly easy, but find it hard to move on to the next stage? Does your motivation sag – or does your plot – when you start revising? In this fully catered Away Day, we will explore what a writer needs to do to move on from that first-draft stage without losing touch with the passion that makes you want to write this story.

It’s not only agents and editors who judge a book by the first page: readers do too. In an industry driven by pitches, hooks, blurbs and the first paragraph of Look Inside the Book, writers need to get to grips with how a potential reader would first encounter their novel. Join Emma for this interactive online tutorial.

Probably, you were first told, ‘Show, don’t Tell’ – or maybe you know it’s nonsense, but not what to do instead: you just know that what writers mean by these two apparently simple terms has big implications for how effective your writing can be.

When authors want to take their writing to the next level, there is no better way to do this than by exploring advanced writing techniques. As part of The History Quill’s five-day online convetion, Emma’s keynote presentation will discuss techniques which will stretch and challenge authors and encourage them to embrace new ideas, and will include a Q&A. Note that the time for the presentation is 4-5.30pm GMT, and 11-12.30 am EST

if your language-wrangling skills and experience are limited, your storytelling will always be limited too. It’s the same with the imaginative work: learning to direct and develop your imagination, and knowing when and how to let it go off-track fruitfully, can make a huge difference to the quality of your writing. Join this intereactive, online workshop, to find out more.

All writers know that the most important stage of writing is actually the re-write. Most know that it’s about a whole lot more than tidying up the sentences – but what does that actually mean? What should you be looking for and what do you do about it?

In this practical, day-long workshop we’ll think about what makes characters convincing and keeps the reader caring about them. With a mixture of exercises, discussion and studying how other writers do it, we’ll explore how to find and develop your characters, how characterisation and theme interact, and what to do when your characters won’t do what they’re told.

Psychic Distance: the fiction writer’s secret sauce. Over the years Emma has found that learning to work with psychic distance – often called narrative distance or emotional distance – is the game-changer for her students. In this practical session we’ll start by exploring how psychic distance works, then try our hands with the new tool, and finally expand our sense of possibilities with some real-life examples by different writers.