Interested in writing short stories? Struggling to know where to start? Wondering how and when to end your story?
This interactive two hour course facilitated by Belfast based writer Jan Carson will guide you through the basics of writing imaginative and engaging short stories. The session will focus upon key themes such as developing ideas, writing believable characters and convincing dialogue, plot, structure, pacing and concision. It will also look at how to engage your readers from the first line and hold their attention through to the final word. This workshop will be engaging, fun and packed full of useful tips and exercises. It’s suitable for beginning writers. All you need is a notebook, a pen and a fully functioning imagination.
Book your ticket here. (All tickets include a £4 voucher redeemable in our online shop.)
This ticket gives you access to the 2 hour live masterclass, the recording of the event, and any materials shared, for one month after the event.
*If you are unable to attend live, you can email us any questions you’d like to ask Jan during the Q&A.*
We have 3 free/pay what you can spaces for low-income writers. If the ticket price means you are unable to attend this class, please select this option (no need to email to request one).
About Jan Carson:
Jan Carson is a writer and community arts facilitator based in Belfast. Her first novel, Malcolm Orange Disappears, was published in 2014 to critical acclaim, followed by a short-story collection, Children’s Children (2016), and two flash fiction anthologies, Postcard Stories (2017) and Postcard Stories 2 (2020). Her second novel, The Fire Starters (2019), won the EU Prize for Literature and was shortlisted for the Dalkey Novel of the Year Award and her third novel, The Raptures (2022) was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year and the Kerry Group Novel of the Year. Her work has appeared in numerous journals and on BBC Radio 3 and 4. She has won the Harper’s Bazaar short-story competition and has been shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award, the An Post Irish Short Story of the Year, and the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize. Jan’s writing has been translated into over a dozen different languages. She specializes in running arts projects and events with older people, especially those living with dementia. Her short story collection, Quickly, While They Still Have Horses is forthcoming from Doubleday in Spring 2024.