Storytale Futures: Writers’ Day

Age requirement: Adult only (18+)

Passionate about crafting stories that spark young imaginations?

Ready to embark on a journey into the fabulous world of children’s literature?

Join us for Storytale Futures: Writers' Day – Writing Middle Grade Fiction, a full-day Adult only (18+) event for tailored for budding and emerging adult writers crafting novels for 9-12 year olds.

In the picturesque and inspiring surroundings of Arnos Vale, our writers’ day offers a unique blend of indoor and outdoor workshops led by acclaimed children’s authors Sophie Kirtley, Rachel Delahaye, Emma Read and Ash Bond. Dive into sessions that will explore ideas, characters, setting and editing in a creative and interactive way with the aim of elevating your storytelling skills.

Engage with fellow writers and seize the opportunity to network with local authors. With ample time for creative reflection and informal chats, plus a lively panel discussion with a publisher, our Storytale Futures: Writers' Day promises to ignite your imagination and fuel your journey towards publication.

Publishing Panel Now Updated!

The Writers’ Day will end on a high with a fascinating and informative publishing panel discussion with Penny Thomas (co-founder and publisher at Firefly Press), Jo Nadin (author, editor and academic) and Gill Mclay (children’s book agent). Plus there will be time for you to ask the panel your publishing and writing related questions.

Don't miss this immersive and inspiring experience designed to propel your middle-grade fiction writing to new heights.

This day is aimed at ADULTS writing for children, rather than creative kids. We welcome young people but cannot take responsibility for anyone under 18.

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WORKSHOP DETAILS:

Story Exploration 
With Sophie Kirtley

An out-and-about workshop looking at how to use real life places to add richness and depth to the setting of your story. Some walking and exploring will be involved (weather dependent!) so no stilettos or glass slippers please!

Creating Characters
With Rachel Delahaye

How to build them from faceless place-holders into living, breathing, and sometimes plot-changing people to remember. We’ll be discussing what makes a good character, playing with a formula that will help you build unforgettable personalities and then we’ll be exploring ways of melting a character’s looks, backstory and motivation into a plot frame without the dreaded ‘info dump’. By the end of the session, you’ll have a grasp of how to use your character’s physicality and psyche to lift your manuscript to a new level, and possibly a new direction.

The End is The Beginning
With Emma Read

What comes after you type The End on your first draft?

Relief? Probably.

Celebrations? Hopefully.

Editing? Certainly!

This session takes you through the basics of self-editing. I’ll show you where to start and how to stop. We’ll look at the various stages of editing - structural, line and copy, and proofreading and we’ll explore ways to achieve distance from your own work, including working with others – beta readers and critique partners for example.

The hour-long session will be delivered as exercises and discussion. By the end you’ll be able to step back from your work in progress and begin editing with confidence. Because The End is very much The Beginning.

Finding Voices
With Ash Bond

Voice. That's what everyone tells us they want, right? But what is 'voice' in fiction? Ash doesn't promise any answers to this trickiest of writerly questions, but instead will take you through a series of writing exercises and prompts to help identify and hone the voice of your characters. Ash's fantasy adventures Peregrine Quinn series is written in multi-Points of View - no easy feat! She will discuss how she crafted the characters and made sure that their voices were unique enough to be recognisable - even from the first line of a chapter. She will also talk us through the opening of her second book and give you the opportunity to write your own memorable opening paragraph.

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ITINERARY

9.30 – 10:00
Chapel: Welcome and introduction

10:00 – 11:00
Chapel: Voices, with Ash Bond
Underwood: Inspiration, with Sophie Kirtley

11:00 – 11:30
Chapel: Coffee Break

11:30 – 12:30
Chapel: Voices, with Ash Bond
Underwood: Inspiration, with Sophie Kirtley

12:30 – 1:30
Chapel: Lunch*

1:30 – 2:30
Chapel: Endings, with Emma Read
Underwood: Characters, with Rachel Delahaye

2:30 – 2:45
Chapel: Coffee Break

2:45 – 3:45
Chapel: Endings, with Emma Read
Underwood: Characters, with Rachel Delahaye

4:00 – 5:00
Chapel: Publishing Panel (now updated) and Q&A with Penny Thomas, Jo Nadin and Gill Mclay.

*Lunch and refreshments are included in the ticket fee.