How to write and research your novel

Learn the skills required to write unforgettable fiction in a compelling way

From historical fiction to the contemporary novel, this course will take you deep into the world of storytelling, giving you the tools you need to write unforgettable fiction. Curated by award-winning author Alex Preston (This Bleeding City; In Love and War), this full-day seminar provides a thorough overview of the novel-writing process to set you on the path to publication.

Speakers including Mirza Waheed (The Collaborator) and Kerry Hudson (Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma) offer advice on everything from plotting and pacing, to how to shape the narrative of your novel. The course includes practical writing exercises and workshops, with feedback and suggestions for further reading delivered throughout the day.

This course is for you if...

• You’re just setting out on your novelistic journey or are looking to polish a finished manuscript ahead of submission.
• You're a writer interested in exploring new issues and themes in your fiction

Course description

This course teaches the skills and techniques required to write compelling fiction. By the end of the event you will have the tools needed to plan, plot and research your novel. Topics covered on the day include:

• How to bring the world of your novel to life
• Characterisation: how to form believable, rounded, sympathetic characters and protagonists
• How to weave your own experiences into your fiction
• Stylistic tips to help create an immersive world that will enhance readers' empathy
• Expert research methods to ensure factual accuracy and inventive storytelling
• A plotting masterclass
• Q&A and discussion with all speakers

Tutor Profiles

Alex Preston's first novel, This Bleeding City, won the Spear's and Edinburgh Festival First Book prizes, and was chosen as one of Waterstone’s New Voices 2010. Alex's second book, The Revelations, was shortlisted for the Guardian's Not the Booker prize, and his third, In Love and War, was recently published to critical acclaim. Alex also writes for GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Town & Country Magazine and the Observer's New Review, and appears regularly on BBC radio and television. Find Alex on Twitter here.

Mirza Waheed is a journalist and novelist. His first novel, The Collaborator, was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award in 2011 and the Shakti Bhat Prize, and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. It was also book of the year for The Telegraph, New Statesman, Financial Times, Business Standard and Telegraph India, among others. Mirza has written for the BBC, the Guardian, Granta, Al Jazeera English and The New York Times. His latest book, The Book of Gold Leaves, was published in 2014 to critical acclaim.

Kerry Hudson's first novel, Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma, was published in 2012 by Chatto & Windus (Penguin Random House). It was the winner of the Scottish First Book Award, while also being shortlisted for the Southbank Sky Arts Literature Award, Guardian First Book Award, Green Carnation Prize, Author's Club First Novel Prize and the Polari First Book Award. Kerry's second novel, Thirst, was published in 2014 by Chatto & Windus and was shortlisted for the Green Carnation Prize. Kerry founded The WoMentoring Project and has written for Grazia, Guardian Review and YOU Magazine. She teaches with the National Academy of Writing, Arvon Foundation, Writers' Centre Norwich and is a mentor for IdeasTap Inspires.

One more speaker to be announced

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website