FICTION WRITING DAY 8 OCTOBER 2011

I attended this fantastic writing day as part of the Calderdale Writers Roadshow.  The morning began with an informative talk by Lorna Ferguson, who inspired me with her 6 essential conditions for getting that story written and rekindled my self-belief.  Then I attended Laura Wilson's 'Murder for Fun and Profit' workshop which was both encouraging and constructive - I hope I now can harness the power of a shout line and in-depth characterisation.  She broke down the crime sub-genres and how useful a 200-word blurb is when working on your manuscript (to avoid well-worn mistakes in continuity and keeping on track with the plot). After a delicious lunch, Deborah Gaye of Avalanche Press gave an interactive 'How to be Published' session, where she shared the do's and don'ts of submitting and the role of the literary agent.  She also gave other sources of help including Epublishing and self-publishing details and ended with a lively question and answer session.  I then attended the Jane Rogers workshop 'Who is telling the Story' where she broke down the choices of first person, second person, third person and unrestricted narrator.  This was an excellent day as always.