This workshop is no longer available to purchase
In Middle Grade and YA fantasy fiction, how you create your world and introduce your characters are essential elements of your story.
In this practical workshop, which comes as part of our online Children's & YA Fiction Festival 2022, author Aisling Fowler explores these essential components of writing fantastic fantasy fiction, and also offers advice on how to find the balance between world-building and pace and plot.
Attendees can expect the opportunity to participate in writing exercises, while 30 minutes will be reserved for Q&A.
We are partnering with The Little Bookshop Leeds and attendees will have the opportunity to purchase all festival books directly with them.
Exclusive content
All attendees reserving a place at this event also receive free access to An Introduction to Children's Publishing in 2022, a video interview with Alysoun Owen, Editor of the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook and the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook. A link to the interview will be circulated by email ahead of the festival, and remain available to view for one week.
Selection of testimonials from our 2021 festival
"I thought the festival was wonderful - so upbeat and positive which is exactly what you want to hear when there's such a strong stigma of 'the chances of you getting published are about as high as you winning the lottery'." Grace Ball
"What a pleasure to hear from professionals in the field. Each of the workshops have given me some valuable 'take away' advice to work with." Lindsey Franklin
"Encouraging, informative, confident-boosting, enjoyable, very helpful." Carrie Steer
"Excellent. Full of insightful and practical information, giving inspiration to get plotting, writing and submitting." Lou Graham
"Professional, inspiring and totally engrossing. So much information packed into such a small time frame." Bedina
"Excellent. Very informative events with practical advice and encouragement." Sarah Giordano
Aisling Fowler’s love of stories started when she was very small and would read anything she could get her hands on. Often, when sleeping over at her cousins’ house, she’d make up stories for them at bedtime and soon she was writing them down. She even sent one off to a publisher when she was 11 (it was very politely declined). Sadly, those early good habits faded when she hit her teenage years – it wasn’t until she was training as a nurse and befriended another writer that she rediscovered her love of writing. Perhaps strangely, it was never a conscious decision to write fantasy, or for children, both just felt like such a natural fit that they were the obvious choices.
Aisling’s first idea for Fireborn came to her when she was watching her husband play a computer game. The main character struck her as a brilliant heroine, reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer who she’d loved as a girl. She wondered why she wasn’t writing characters like them and almost immediately, Twelve popped into her head. Initially, all Aisling knew about her was that she was a young girl who fought monsters with her axes and that she was full of a fiery anger. It was in wondering where that anger came from that the world of Ember and the Hunting Lodge unfurled.
For the last few years, Aisling has moved between the UK, the US and Australia with her husband, but can be currently found in her flat in London, in danger of being crushed by her tottering ‘To Read’ pile!
All workshops are available to purchase separately but come as part of our Children's & YA Fiction Festival 2022.
The workshop fee of £30 (inc. VAT) is payable in full online.
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.
Event materials will be made available to attendees for a time-limited period after the event at the author's discretion.
Please note that payment instalment plans are available for all W&A events, writing courses and editing services. Contact W&A Admin on writersandartists@bloomsbury.com so that we can find a payment schedule that works for you.
If you would like to book three workshops, you can do this at a special combined price of £70. W&A Admin will contact all customers booking at this special price w/c 14th February 2022 to confirm their workshop choices.
Accessible to All
It’s of real importance to Writers & Artists that our events and courses remain accessible to all.
- Writers & Artists has made up to five bursary places available for this event as part of our accessibility scheme. Please visit our bursaries page for further information about how to apply. All bursary applications must have been submitted for consideration by 7th February 2022
- At the author’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
