Crafting Plot and Structure

1st July 2024 7:00pm to 8:30pm, Online

Join award-winning author Sam Sedgman for a perfectly-paced masterclass in plotting and structuring stories of all kinds.

In this online session, Sam will draw from his experience of writing detective novels to show the importance of a well-ordered narrative in stories of all genres - no matter what form you’re writing in.

With hands-on writing tasks, group discussion and step-by-step demonstrations, Sam will show you how to identify the missing pieces of your plot and find a structure that lets your story shine. He’ll also explain some of the key principles of great plotting, and show why structure is his favourite part of writing – and hopefully make it yours, too!

Whether you have a work in progress on the go, or are about to embark on a brand new project, this class is perfect for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of good storytelling.

This masterclass will take place online via Teams. It will also be recorded so if you are unable to attend live, you'll be able to catch-up and access the recording for up to two weeks after the event has taken place. The session will end with a brief Q&A, so come ready with your questions! 

Speaker profiles
Sam Sedgman

Sam Sedgman is a bestselling author, confirmed nerd and enthusiastic ferroequinologist.

His first novel for young readers, The Highland Falcon Thief, was published by Macmillan in January 2020, winning Children’s Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Co-written with his friend M. G. Leonard, the book was the first instalment of the bestselling middle grade series Adventures On Trains.

Before writing stories for children, Sam worked as a digital consultant for the National Theatre, which meant nosing around backstage with a camera and a microphone, cajoling theatre makers into explaining how stories are built. Forever interested in piecing things together, Sam is a lifelong fan of puzzles, games and detective fiction, and once founded a company making murder mystery treasure hunts for adventurous Londoners.

An experienced host, Sam currently presents Down the Rabbit Hole, a podcast for grown-ups about children’s books. He also chairs panel discussions and interviews for festivals and events in publishing, theatre and the arts.

A multi-award-winning writer, his work has been translated into more than 20 languages, and he has written articles on books, writing, culture, theatre, technology, games, travel and free speech for numerous publications including The Guardian.

When he isn’t writing, Sam can usually be found admiring a handsome timepiece, watching Alfred Hitchcock movies, or explaining some weird fact to you. He lives in London, on top of a railway station.

Booking & payment

The workshop fee of £30 (incl. VAT) is payable in full online. Please note that payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services, as part of our accessibility scheme. Contact W&A Admin on events@writersandartists.co.uk so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you.

This is a live online event which will be presented using video conferencing software. Joining instructions and full guidance will be provided by the W&A Team a week before the event start-date. Please note, all event timings are in UK time.

To view our event refund and cancellation policy, please click here.

Accessible to All

  • It’s of real importance to Writers & Artists that our events and courses remain accessible to all.

  • Writers & Artists has made one bursary place available for this event as part of our accessibility scheme. Please visit our bursaries page to find out how to apply for bursaries to the course. 
  • Payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services, as part of our accessibility scheme
  • At the speaker's discretion, event materials will be made available to attendees after the masterclass.

  • A link to a recording of the masterclass will be circulated after the event. This will be made available to event attendees only, and for a time-limited period.

  • This event will include written text and visuals. Please contact us in advance so that we can make arrangements to be sure all documents appear in a format that works for you.

  • If you’d like to attend but have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, then please email AccessWA@bloomsbury.com

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