Fiction Writing: Fundamentals

Are you serious about developing your book idea?

Fiction Writing: Fundamentals is an introduction to the essential elements of the writing process, and a perfect opportunity to learn about the nuts and bolts of writing fiction, apply this to your own work, develop your confidence as a writer, and receive invaluable critical feedback on both your prose and story structure. Led by critically acclaimed author William Ryan, this four-week course is for writers of any genre, and precedes Fiction Writing: Advanced, a six-week course (beginning November 2021) designed to take your work-in-progress to the next level.

Course benefits

Students on this course should expect:

- 10 hours of practical writing advice and tuition over just 4 weeks

- Feedback from William Ryan on up to 3,000 words of your own writing (4x 750-word submissions)

- Peer-to-peer review: amass a wealth of objective feedback from fellow students

- Deadlines on writing exercises and written work to make the most of what's on offer

- Copies of presentations and audio recordings from all sessions

- Exclusive discounts on W&A titles and other products 

Each week sessions will combine tutorials with practical exercises, discussion and feedback. 

Testimonials

'Taking Bill Ryan’s novel course was one of the best decisions I have made as a writer. His classes combined useful lessons on crafting a novel in all its component parts with the close reading of each writer’s text. His insightful critique of my prose cut to the heart of what did and did not work in the scene, and his kind encouragement left me motivated to keep pushing myself to grow as a writer. All this while creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere where students felt confident to share their work.' Tammye Huf, author of A More Perfect Union (Myriad Editions)

'I was very impressed with the amount of work Bill put in, and the overall standard of work was very high indeed. It was a good catalyst for getting people writing, and the criticism from other students was, in the main, helpful.' Liz Newman

'[T]his was superb. One of the best writing courses I've been on.'  Wassim

'Thank you for a useful and inspiring course. The weeks flew. I feel I’ve improved as a writer and also as a reader; I find I’m looking for the ‘strings’ when I’m reading published novels now, and marvelling when an author has hidden them well. The tutor was encouraging, as were the other writers on the course. Some of us are keeping in touch to give continued feedback on one another’s work.' Marie Kreft

'This was my first course on creative writing and I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me. I can now see so many more ways to improve my writing. Now I just need to put them into practice. Bill was patient and encouraging for those who needed support to boost their confidence. He created an environment that urged improvement in a comfortable way. Thank you!' Beth Rehman

'This was the first online course I’ve taken. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was delighted. I learned so much from Bill’s feedback in the workshops – not just with me but also with the other participants. And I gained a lot too from exchanging feedback with my fellow course participants. I don’t hesitate to recommend the course to anyone with a first novel in progress.' John Nixon

'Bill gently teases the story out, with the sort of questions readers would ask. He helps writers understand that every sentence is important, that every conversation must add to the overall narrative arc, and that there is no valid ‘filler’. His feedback plus the feedback of others on the course, was invaluable for getting outside the writer’s point of view and into the reader’s.' Michele Kirsch

'I have been on courses before, but haven’t experienced such a solid, useful mix of the tools of the trade and feedback. Inspiring, practical, enjoyable.' Clare Palmer

'Bill gave very detailed feedback, sometimes quite challenging. He made a real effort to balance criticism with encouragement – not easy […] There was a real sense of progress, especially in the last couple of weeks where everyone seemed to have raised their game. […] Insightful. Challenging. Encouraging.' Stuart Blake

Schedule

William will read and mark up all work submitted during the course – highlighting areas which may need work and pointing out areas of strength. In addition you will be expected to read and give constructive feedback on the submitted work of the other students, as will the other students be expected to constructively feedback on your work.  The format of each week will be a one hour talk by William, using submitted work as examples, followed by workshops on four of the submitted 1000 word submissions

Week One

18.00-19.00: The Basics of Writing Fiction – William will give a talk on the basic stylistic elements of a novel, including discussing POV, tense, style and things to avoid.

19.05-20.30: Workshop on 1000 word extract which reflects the general tone of your novel, together with a brief description of where this fits into your story.

Week Two

18.00-19.00: Writing Place – Writing Setting, Research, Atmosphere and Dramatic World. William will discuss how to write the setting in which your novel takes place, the importance of research and how to use it, how to create an atmosphere that works for your novel and the importance of identifying the dramatic world that will contain your story.

19.05-20.30: Workshop on an extract in which you use research, establish atmosphere and/or establish the setting, together with a brief description of where this fits into your story.

Week Three

18.00-19.00: Writing Dialogue – good dialogue is likely to be key to the success of your novel. William will discuss how to carry it, how to deliver it and ways to enhance its dramatic impact.

19.05-20.30: Workshop on a submission in which a key conversation takes place, together with a brief description of where this fits into your story and what the characters motivations are. 

Week Four

18.00-19.00: Writing Scenes – the scene is the building block of your novel. William will discuss how to start a scene, how to end it and ways in which to enhance its dramatic complexity and appeal.

19.05-20.30: Workshop on a submission of a dramatic scene which changes the course of your novel, together with a brief description of where this fits into your story and what the characters motivations are.

This is an online course which will be presented using video conferencing software. Joining instructions and full guidance will be provided before the course start-date.