PLOTTING AND WRITING
CRIME FICTION
Crime
fiction is the most popular literary genre on the planet. The fascination with
murder on the page has long been recognised by authors and critics, and has
been demonstrated by the stratospheric sales of many crime novels. But how do the successful crime novelists
create plot, structure and pace? How do they create believable victims,
perpetrators and investigators? How do they get in the head of a killer?
The
Writers’ Academy from Random House are holding a creative writing workshop at
the beautiful Hotel du Vin Harrogate (home to
the famous Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival) to aid participants
in the writing process. Over the course
of two days, Henry Sutton, crime author, Senior Lecturer in Creative
Writing and Co-Director of UEA’s flagship MA in Prose Fiction, will draw on the
past and the present, critics and authors, to teach the key skills needed to
create gripping plots, convincing characters, sharp dialogue, startling
settings, and suspense. From the police procedural to the psychological
thriller, what’s always crucial is the writing – exactly how you tell the
story.
Participants
will be taught, through a series of examples and exercises, how to control the
flow of information and develop pace, how to create cliff-hangers, how to
structure their novel, how and where to break convention, when to deploy
unreliable narration and devices to tease the reader, what research needs to be
done and how, understanding the uses and abuses of violence, humour, and
sympathy, and ways of avoiding cliché and being original.
The course
is open to people who have made a start on their novel, or are about to. Henry
Sutton will read a 1000 words of each participants’ work ahead of the course in
order to familiarise himself with each participant’s writing style. Up-to-date market information will also be
highlighted, and advice given on the best next steps to publication.
Henry will
be aided by guest tutor S J Watson, author of the bestselling thriller Before
I Go to Sleep.
Places on the course are limited to 14 and cost £375 each to
include Hotel du Vin Bistro lunch and refreshments over the two days and a
rewarding glass of wine! Preferential
rates at Hotel du Vin Harrogate are offered
for the dates of the course alongside the purchase of a place.
For further information please contact
Chloë Johnson-Hill on 020 7840 8490 or cjohnson-hill@randomhouse.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
Event details:
Date: Friday
20th and Saturday 21st September 2013
Time: 10am
to 5pm daily
Venue: Hotel
du Vin Harrogate
Tickets: £375
(limited to 14 places)
Website: www.thewritersacademy.co.uk
Tel: 020 7840 8490
My Criminal World
by Henry Sutton is published by Harvill Secker, price £12.99. Henry Sutton is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at
UEA and Co-Director of UEA’s flagship MA in Prose Fiction.
Before I Go To Sleep
by S J Watson is published by Black Swan, price £7.99. The book was the bestselling literary debut
of 2012 and spent 10 weeks at number one.
It has been translated into over 30 languages and a film of the book,
starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth and directed by Rowan Joffe, will be
released in March 2014.
Harvill Secker is an imprint of Vintage Publishing and Black
Swan is an imprint of Transworld Publishers, both divisions of the Random House
Group.
Harvill Secker and the Telegraph are currently running a
competition to find an unpublished crime writing star. The winner will receive
a book deal and a £5000 advance.
Deadline 30th November.
Full details can be found at: www.telegraph.co.uk/crimecomp
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