Workshops
Being currently based in the West Midlands, I am available to travel, within reason, to your location.
Please use the contact page to email me to check availability.
Full-day courses: £249 plus travel expenses.
Half-day courses: £199 plus travel expenses.
I do not offer online courses but plan to in 2024.
Introductory
‘The Broad Sweep and the Telling Detail’
“Dr N.O.’s” Ten Commandments of writing
The Broad Sweep: crafting a short story from (up to) 7 random objects
The telling detail: examining a small object and writing about it in 40 words (max.)
Planning
This is for those who prefer to plan before they write. The workshop looks at:
The three-act structure of (most) novels
Starts to examine how to apply that to our work, concentrating on the protagonist’s journey.
How to edit your work
‘A Great Story is Made in the Re-write’
Essential for those who write before they plan, but useful for everyone.
For this workshop, you will be expected to read a short piece of your work aloud and accept a critique on how to improve it.
We look at openings, dialogue, and how a good ending will often mirror the opening, and character development and challenge.
Characters
This workshop follows on from the ‘Great Story’ one and looks at:
The protagonist
The antagonist
The minor characters. No matter how big a role they have in the protagonist’s story, the ‘minor’ characters have a lesser role and the reader should not be as invested in their story as the protagonist’s