From Scene Structure to Story Structure: Writing Workshop with Ashley Kalagian Blunt

Award-winning and best-selling crime author, Ashley Kalagian Blunt, is admired for her clever crafting of masterful crime novels. Join her when she shares her writing secrets in an exclusive workshop to celebrate ten years of BAD Sydney. In Ashley’s workshop, From Scene Structure to Story Structure, you’ll learn a set of practical tools and techniques to help you shape stronger scenes in your early drafts and troubleshoot your scenes-in-progress as you revise. By the end of the morning, you’ll have a template that will help you envision attention-grabbing scenes and revise both your existing scenes and your overall story structure.

You’ll be welcomed to BAD Sydney’s venue partner Ardency Trebartha at Elizabeth Bay, ready to dive straight into the workshop at 10am. For three hours – with time out for a delicious morning tea, of course – Ashley will take you deep into narrative drive and story structure. Along the way, you’ll discover the seven elements every scene needs, how to use victories and defeats in scene and at the macro story level, why decisions are the crux of story and how to use them to shape your scenes.

Requirements: You’ll want a draft of one of your scenes handy, either printed or on-screen, for your own reference during exercises (choose a scene of at least 1200 words).

****This is a workshop suitable for anyone working on a novel, memoir or narrative-based non-fiction manuscript, whether you’re early in your first draft or deep in revisions.

Ashley Kalagian Blunt is the number one bestselling author of Dark Mode, which was released in multiple territories and languages and shortlisted for the 2024 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Novel, the Danger Award for Best Crime Debut and the ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year. Her earlier books include How to Be Australian, a memoir, and My Name Is Revenge, collected fiction and essays – which was a finalist in the 2018 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award. Her second thriller, Cold Truth, was also shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Novel, and her latest, Like, Follow, Die, is out now both in print and on Audible starring Claudia Karvan. A sought-after creative writing teacher, Ashley co-hosts James and Ashley Stay at Home, a podcast about writing, creativity and health.

Date: Friday August 21

Start time: 9.45am, with the workshop commencing at 10am and finishing at 1pm

Meeting point: Outside Shuk Café Elizabeth Bay

Location: 61-69 Roslyn Gardens, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011

Cost: $150 ($125 for concession)

Morning tea included.

Note: all attendees must arrive at the location by 9.45am to be escorted in one group to the Trebartha venue for the workshop and morning tea.

With thanks to our sponsors:

Venue and Catering Partner: Ardency Trebartha at Elizabeth Bay

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