BPA Editing Your Novel event 24 November 2022

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Editing Your Novel A Craft Tutorial with Emma Darwin – Nov 24 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. GMT Location: Zoom All writers know that the most important stage of writing is actually the re-write. Most know that it’s about a whole lot more than tidying up the sentences – but what does that actually mean? What should you be looking for and what do you do about it? In this two hour tutorial Emma will start with ways to think about your plot and structure, and then drill in to explore how to bring your characters to more vivid, story-driving life. The crucial issue of your narrative’s voices and dialogue comes next, then we’ll explore the power of psychic distance, before finishing with a close-up to look at how all this plays out at the sentence level.     Sign Up       Mapping Your Story Arc: The Story Goal Advice on Structure in the BPA Blog A story goal – often called a quest or mission – is a key component of any novel’s story arc. It is what drives the narrative forward and keeps the reader turning pages. Most stories open with a stasis (a sense of what the protagonist’s life is like ordinarily) and an inciting incident or trigger (an event that comes to upset the balance of the protagonist’s life). This trigger will leave the protagonist wanting something.  Nigel Watts, who created the 8-point story arc, explains: ‘In the case of an unpleasant trigger, the quest is often to return to the original stasis; in that of a pleasant trigger the quest is often to maintain or increase the pleasure.’ Of course, it’s not always this simple. The trigger in Girl A by Abigail Dean comes when Lex’s mother passes away and she is made executor of the will; this forces her to face up to the horrors of her past but also presents an opportunity to do something positive with the old family home. Her goal is to get permission from each of her siblings to turn the house into a community centre. Find out how to identify your novel's story goal and maximise its impact by visiting the BPA blog at the link below.     Read 'The Story Goal'     Autumn Away Day READ OUR HIGHLIGHTS IN THE WRITE-UP   This year’s Autumn Away Day took place on October 15th in Kintbury, Berkshire. We were excited to welcome writers working in almost every genre, some writing their first novel and others with more experience. The day included a characterisation workshop with author Emma Darwin and a submissions Q&A with literary agent Joanna Swainson. Both tutors shared some brilliant advice: 'Red looks more red next to green. If you want to bring a character to life, try putting them next to a character who is the opposite.’ – Emma Darwin ‘What I want to see in the synopsis is that there’s a character arc, there’s tension, and it’s going to make me feel anxious.’ –  Joanna Swainson     Away Day Highlights