11am-5pm, 21 October
Ashton Court Mansion, £10 per workshop or £25 for entry to all workshops
Join Bristol Festival of Literature for our first Writer’s Retreat; series of incredible workshops designed to help you write, polish and publicise your writing. Expect a full day of workshops from writers and publishers, along with plenty of opportunities to chat to fellow writers over coffee.
Buy a day pass for the entire retreat, or purchase individual tickets below.
Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy with Gareth L. Powell (11am-12pm)
Award-winning author, Gareth L. Powell discusses the unique challenges of writing science fiction and fantasy. He will also answer your questions on the craft and business of writing genre.Gareth L. Powell has won the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel, and been shortlisted for the Seiun Awards in Japan. He has written eight novels and two collections of short fiction, and has been hailed by Barnes & Noble as a “mad genius.” He has run workshops and given lectures on creative writing at several UK universities and SFF conventions.
Refine Your First Draft with Alice Jolly (12:20pm-1:20pm)
So you have got a draft of your story but you know that it doesn’t quite work. How do you set about turning that rather ordinary first draft into something extra-ordinary? This workshop will teach you how to cut, polish, refine, focus and tighten your text so that the writing shines and the reader is gripped. Suitable for beginners and more experienced writers. Leave with an invaluable tool box of editing techniques.
Alice Jolly is a novelist and playwright. She has won the Pen Ackerley Prize for memoir and also the V.S.Pritchett Prize awarded by the Royal Society of Literature. She teaches creative writing on the Masters at Oxford University and her fourth novel ‘Mary Ann Sate, Imbecile’ was published by Unbound in June 2018.
How to Promote Your Writing Online with Tom Mason (2:15pm – 3:15pm)
Promote your writing more effectively online. In this workshop, digital marketing expert Tom Mason will showcase ways for writers to make the most of the internet to promote their work. During the session, attendees will discover how to write effective blog posts, learn how to network with agents and publishers online and explore ways to grow their online fanbase.
Tom Mason is a writer and marketing manager. His writing has appeared in collections from Bad Language, the 3Hundredand65 Project and Watch, an anthology of short stories, released in America. Tom has frequently performed his own work at literature events and festivals, including Bad Language, Sounds from the Other City, Lancaster Literary Festival and National Flash Fiction Day.
Choose Your Publishing Path Panel (3:30pm – 4:30pm)
In the digital age, you have more options than ever before to get your book out into the world. Respected self-published and traditionally published writers, a literary agent and an independent publisher give you their top tips.
Radio journalist, coach and writer Michael MacMahon; traditionally published crime writer Jane Shemilt, whose books have featured in the Richard & Judy Book Club and Sunday Times Bestseller list; Kate Frost, self-published writer of Amazon No 1 “The Butterfly Storm” and other women’s and children’s fiction; publisher Richard Jones of Tangent Books; literary agent Katie Greenstreet of London agency C&W.
Address: Ashton Court Mansion, Ashton Court Estate, Long Ashton, Bristol, BS41 9JN