Writing Non-Fiction 2023

Is there a story you’d love to tell? Would you like to emulate the authors you most admire and tell a story with power and persuasiveness? Are you ready to develop your understanding of your own life and the lives of others?

Join Lara Feigel, an award-winning writer of memoir, history and group biography, for this online course that requires just two hours of your time each week. Comprising stimulating workshops, discussion, practical exercises and guest speaker slots, across five weeks students will explore essential elements of writing non-fiction: how to take an initial idea and develop it into a story that others will want to read; how to craft scenes and characters in non-fiction using the techniques of the novel; and how to develop a voice both as a memoirist and a storyteller. All attendees will gain an understanding of how the non-fiction book market works and learn how to make their book proposal stand out. In the final session, Lara will share extracts of her own successful book proposals and a leading editor of non-fiction will discuss what they look for in a proposal.

The course is for a maximum of 20 students, and has been designed to welcome authors at all stages of their writing journey so, whether you have an initial idea and want to know where to start, or have a full draft and need help with revising and making it the best it can possibly be, your work stands to benefit.  Each evening session will run from 7-9pm, making it ideal for those with full-time jobs and other commitments. All participants will also have the chance to stay in touch beyond Week 5, with software used throughout the course remaining available to those who'd like to stay in touch and continue sharing work.

Optional extra: All course participants will have the exclusive opportunity to submit up to 5,000 words of original writing and receive a critique from Lara. This is entirely optional and comes at an additional cost of £50, with more details to be circulated ahead of Week 5.

Course Benefits:

- 10 hours of expert tutoring and advice from Lara, as well as guest speakers

- Practical sessions with hands-on exercises based around your own writing each week

- A written review of a section of original writing up to 5,000 words (optional extra)

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

- Deadlines issued for homework exercises

- Course materials available to view ahead of each session, plus catch-up audio recordings

- Exclusive discounts on W&A products including editing services and books

- Access to your course writing community beyond Week 5

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

Schedule

Week 1: Tuesday 11th October

Identifying and telling a story 

- You’ve found an interesting area but how do you know what the story is? 

- What’s the difference between an argument and a story and can you have both?

- How do you create an arc with a beginning, middle and end?

- How can you incorporate the techniques of the novel in a piece of non-fiction?

Week 2: Tuesday 18th October

Writing history and biography

Lara will be joined by a commissioning editor (speaker TBC).

- How can you tell the story of a life without going from cradle to grave?

 Why write a group biography and how do you decide who to include and how to structure it?

- How can you create novelistic characters when writing about real people?

- How can you bring history alive?

Week 3: Tuesday 25th October

Writing memoir: finding a voice and turning yourself into a character

- How do you decide which part of your story to tell and how to give it a beginning, middle and end?

- How do you turn yourself into a character? - What kind of voice does your story need? Do you want to be appealing or challenging?

- How much is your own story the story of others, and how do you negotiate this? Week 4: Tuesday 1st November Writing the beginning of the book

- How do you decide where to begin the story?

- How do you establish the voice quickly?

- How do you capture the reader’s attention?

Week 5: Tuesday 8th November

Writing a book proposal

Lara will be joined by a leading literary agent (speaker TBC).

- What do agents and editors want to hear?

- How do you identify why your story matters and why we need to hear it now?

- How to write a good overview and a good chapter summary - How should you identify the right agent to send your work to and how should you approach them?

This is an online course presented via video-conferencing software.

 

Joining instructions and full guidance will be emailed to you at least a week in advance of the course start date. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out!

 

Please join using the following link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YzIzZjI2OTgtY2QzNi00NTc0LWFhMGItNDdkZjFkNDk1ZDVi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2230141112-9deb-40f3-be1c-af76b07d7a06%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22ec52b752-c032-4c17-9cc9-a0d83b2d82ae%22%7d