The Inaugural National Writers’ Forum, 16 – 18 September: “Building Fantastic Worlds”
I was delighted to be invited to deliver a masterclass on worldbuilding as part of the inaugural National Writers’ Forum, to be held in Auckland on 17-18 September — and now it is just a week and a half away.
The Forum will commence with the Janet Frame Memorial Lecture, delivered by Joan Rosier-Jones, President of Honour for the NZ Society of Authors. The keynote address on the Saturday is from Chris Cleave, acclaimed author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Incendiary and The Other Hand (a.k.a. Little Bee, number one on The New York Times Best Seller list).
Overall a review of the programme shows a fabulous lineup of overseas and New Zealand-based writers, publishers, and book industry people, including Kate Pullinger and Stephen Daisley, Nalini Singh and Patricia Grace, Paul Morris and Toby Manhire.
Events cover editing and pitches, short fiction, autobiography and keeping going in the industry — and yes, Building Fantastic Worlds:
“Establishing ambiance and milieu is part of all fiction, but the art of creating worlds that are other to what we know is integral to Fantasy literature — and mastering it is essential to the “craft” of those writing in this genre. In this session, award-winning fantasy author, Helen Lowe, will examine the building blocks for “fantastic” world-building, including how to “make it real” for readers. If you’re keen to explore the territory of JK Rowling and George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman and Ursula Le Guin, this is the session for you. At least one hands-on exercise will be included, with more depending on time and numbers.”
If you haven’t checked out the programme yet, it’s here: NWF programme
Bookings are here: Tickets
I look forward to seeing some of you there. 🙂