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Fiction Workshop with Laura Jean McKay
Join Frank O’Connor Fellow Laura Jean McKay to journey through the short story form – idea, character, voice and editing. This practical four-week workshop series will take apart the short story form, using examples from Laura’s and other authors’ works. Through readings, discussion and workshopping, participants will work together to celebrate and explore the precise, playful and potent elements that make for short story writing.
For queries or to book contact James at info@munsterlit.ie.
Full prospectus below:
Workshop one (6th November):
Entering a story – idea, connection, journal
Workshop one focuses on the ‘generative self’ – how to find ideas in object and scene prompts, as well as global and personal events, to begin or maintain a sustainable writing practice that feeds stories.
WORKSHOP TWO (13th November):
Finding your person – character, object, image
In workshop two, we continue our story generation with a focus on character and object to apply concrete images to our big (and small) story ideas. Whether building on the previous workshop or starting something new, this session will help participants to understand the importance of character in the short story.
WORKSHOP THREE (20th November):
The voice of fiction – language and dialogue
All stories have a voice – the writer’s voice, the story’s voice, the character’s voice (dialogue). The voice of a story directly relates to character, and so in workshop three, we will be continuing our focus on character-building by developing voice through unique language and dialogue.
WORKSHOP FOUR (27th november):
Kill your darlings: editing, the next draft, publication discussion
In workshop four, we meet the analytical or ‘editor self’. One of the most useful skills that a writer can develop is to edit their own work and provide constructive feedback to others. This session explores editing techniques with a view to working through drafts. The course finishes with a robust Q&A session on publishing with Laura Jean McKay.