Want to write, edit, publish or market your story? Here's how!

My current Fictionfire Focus Workshops are fully booked - I hope to announce the next series very soon. In the meantime, here's a little reminder of four Day Courses coming up in May at Trinity College, Oxford. These courses are designed to take you through all the processes from writing your novel to publishing it and marketing it. I'm delighted that Ali Luke of Aliventures.com and Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn will be guest speaking on the publishing and marketing aspects.

19th May: Write It!
This course is all about getting the words on the page, before you move on to editing and selling the book. Here we'll look at all the key components of writing your story: motivation; sources of inspiration; creating character, plot and pace; using point of view, voice, dialogue and setting.

20th May:  Edit It!

Trinity College

This course is designed to show you the essential techniques you need to edit your own work effectively and to help you see these skills as integral to your creative life as a writer. We'll look at the different types of editing and how best you can present your work to an agent or publisher.

26th May: Publish It!
In this course, we'll explore the various routes to publication, whether mainstream or independent, print or electronic. We'll discuss how the publishing process works, how to approach agents and publishers, how you can go it alone - while at the same time producing a novel which looks professional and eye-catching.

27th May: Market It!

How can you let the world know you've written your book? This day course concentrates on how you can create awareness and buzz. You'll learn about the importance of creating your 'author platform' whether you're following the traditional route or are self-publishing; how to write a book-marketing plan; how to use social networking, blogging, audio, video and podcasting; how to garner reviews.

Each course will involve illustration, discussion, analysis of published examples and writing exercises. There is currently an Early Bird price deal, so don't leave it too long to book! For fuller details of the courses and speakers and for descriptions of the gorgeous location,  go to my website: here and here. If you have any questions or want to contact me, email me at info@fictionfire.co.uk

I hope you can come along!

Tomorrow on this blog I'm delighted to announce that Lynn Shepherd will be guest-posting on her use of location in her novel Tom-All-Alone's, published today. The novel is inspired by Dickens' Bleak House and she'll describe how she went about creating a truly powerful atmosphere for her Victorian murder mystery.