Writing Fiction
Learn about characterisation, setting, dramatic arcs and emotional arcs. You'll come away with a concrete understanding of what makes fiction work on the page.
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Sat 16 Aug
- $220.00 incl. GST
Sessions
Session 1
Sat 16 Aug 10:00 - Sat 16 Aug 16:00At Selwyn College, Auckland.Session 2
Sun 17 Aug 10:00 - Sun 17 Aug 16:00At Selwyn College, Auckland.Please note there is NO refund or transfer if you cancel less than 5 working days in advance of a class starting. Our refund policy can be read in full here.
Description
This course will cover everything you never knew about point of view. It will teach you how to get deep inside your protagonist’s perspective, and give nuts and bolts advice about characterisation, setting, dramatic arcs and emotional arcs. It will teach you how to make your language more specific, and more vivid. The first half will entail craft lessons and associated writing exercises, while the second half will be run on a workshop model, giving you access to direct, constructive feedback on your own writing. Participants will come away with a concrete understanding of what makes fiction work on the page.
Who should attend?
Anyone interested in taking their writing to the next level.
What to bring?
Pen and paper or your device. For the weekend workshops, bring your lunch and waterbottle.
About your tutor, Ruby
Ruby Porter is a writer, artist and teacher. She tutors creative writing at the University of Auckland, and in high schools. Ruby was the winner of the Wallace Foundation Short Fiction Award in 2017, and the inaugural winner of the Michael Gifkins Prize in 2018, with her debut novel Attraction. Attraction was written during her Masters of Creative Writing at the University of Auckland, and published in 2019 by Melbourne-based Text Publishing. It is distributed throughout Australia, New Zealand and North America.
Opening Address 16 August 2025
You are invited to attend our opening address at 9am on Saturday 16 August 2025. Carole Beu from The Women's Bookshop will fire up the day with an early morning talk on her raves and faves. Have a cuppa, listen to Carole and meet others. Please register here so we know how many to expect.
Testimonials
The course, overall, was an incredible experience. I enjoyed the way Ruby broke down the technical aspects of writing into digestible guidelines without it being overwhelming. The course not only afforded me the opportunity to understand enough about the craft of writing to know that I don't know nearly enough about the craft of writing but got me really excited to learn more with even more enthusiasm than I had before. Had a blast meeting all the talented and diverse members who signed up for the course along with me which is another positive that came out of this past weekend. August 2023
