Write a Novel - Workshop Cape Town

Schedule

Fri, 21 Feb, 2025 at 09:00 am

UTC+02:00

Location

3 Tiverton Rd, Cape Town, 7800, South Africa | Cape Town, WC

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About the event
Dates: February 21 2025
Venue: Plumstead
Times: 9am - 4pm

Host: The Writing Room

This is a full-day structured writing workshop for writers of all levels who want to tell their own story or write a memoir or non-fiction. You will be in a group of between 10 participants, and together, we travel the journey of memory and writing as well as planning your book content. Expect a combination of technical writing techniques and finding a way to structure and tell your story. This is ideal if you want to write a memoir or non-fiction. This is a clear and structured writing process that will get you to create, plan, write and schedule your book.

Sarah Bullen is a multi-published author, international writing coach and literary agent. Founder of The Writing Room and Kent Literary, she has had over 180 books published by writers she has mentored and has 17 years working with authors.

MODULES WE COVER

What works? Exploring Different Approaches to Writing
Discover a variety of novel-writing techniques and experiment with different methods to find the approach that best suits your creative process.

Choosing Your Genre: Identifying Where Your Story Fits
Find your story's place in the literary world and make sure it hits the conventions and requirement

Plotting Basic: Structuring Your Novel and Crafting a Compelling Synopsis
Learn how to plot out key events in your novel and create a gripping synopsis that hooks agents and readers alike.

The Hero and Point of View (POV): Finding the Best Protagonist
Dive into the different narrative perspectives and determine which best serves your story’s voice and theme.

The Elements of Fiction: Understanding What Makes Good Stories
We explore the Hero's Journey and the core beats of the story that make a story truly resonate with readers—plot, character, setting, theme, and style—and how to weave them together.

The Cast: Character & Plot Development
Create fully realized characters and challenge them with scenarios that push your story forward and keep readers engaged.

Setting: Building Your Novel’s World and Mood
Learn how to build a believable world for your story and define the tone, style, and underlying themes that give it depth.

Beginnings Middles and Endings: Building to the Big Moments in Plot
Understand how to drive your plot toward powerful climaxes and critical scenes, and explore the cause-and-effect relationships that make your story's events feel inevitable.

Dialogue & Exposition: Writing Realistic Dialogue
Perfect the balance between natural, authentic dialogue and informative exposition to keep your story moving without bogging it down.

Polishing: Refining Your Plot
Learn the art of editing and refining your prose to ensure a clean, compelling narrative that reads effortlessly.

Manuscript Formatting: Getting Your Manuscript Ready for Submission
Master the professional formatting standards for submitting your manuscript to agents, publishers, or self-publishing platforms.

Final Checklist: Reflecting Before You Move Forward
Go through a series of questions to make sure every aspect of your story is solid before you take the next steps.

Publishing Options: Preparing to Submit Your Work to the Publishing World
Get ready to submit your manuscript by learning the ins and outs of the publishing process, from preparation to submission.

THE PLACES A WRITER CAN GET STUCK
1. The idea
It is so easy to get stuck on just the IDEA of your book. So many possible stories swirling in your head….. Should he be a banker, werewolf or a lawyer? Should it be a crime or a romance? Should it take place in the future or present day? Chicago or Germiston? Should you actually write about yourself? All writers have so many choices. Let’s get some focus. Your very first choice and task is to move what is simply AN IDEA into a PLOT. You have to make some very clear decisions and stick to them. I always say, “that all stories are just a series of thumb sucks”. That means you just come up with an idea… and run with it. Yes, he’s banker, it’s crime novel set in the future and the book starts as he lands a big client but knows he is going to pay in blood money. Now plot THAT BOOK. Do the work to make a plot and stick to it.

2. The first few chapters

And here so many writers get stuck. Some for years! Chances are it will all change in your second draft so just do your best in the first round and move forward.

3. 20,000 words

You reach 20,000 words and you have told your whole story. So common. But a book needs to be longer and you can see that now. What happened? Plotting needs to happen! A book is a long form and that is why we require a certain number of plot points to take your story to the correct length. We do the plotting / outlining upfront so you can't go wrong.
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Where is it happening?

3 Tiverton Rd, Cape Town, 7800, South Africa

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Sarah Bullen -  The Book Mentor

Host or Publisher Sarah Bullen - The Book Mentor

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