How many epic stories have you started, only to lose your way, get bogged down or run out of steam part way through? Fantasy author Jo Spurrier will guide you through the process and share tips from her writer's toolbox that should set you back on track in your fantastical world.

‘A dead witch. A bitter curse. A battle of magic. Some people knit socks by the fire at night. Gyssha Blackbone made monsters.’ A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier.

How many epic story ideas are floating around in your head about witches or goblins or the hazards of lessons in magic? How many weird and wonderful characters do you have waiting to tell their stories? If it’s all active in your mind but evaporates when you sit down to write, this workshop will help you by taking a deep examination of the tools and raw materials used in the craft of fantasy writing with the author of The Blackbone Witches series, Jo Spurrier.

We will explore the elements of storytelling: interconnected characters with depth and complexity; the rhythms and landscapes of story structure; and the influence of settings on both characters and atmosphere but also on the path and movement of the story itself. We will also delve into the nuts and bolts of story-crafting: how to put your ideas together and weave them into a cohesive plot, how to roll with your tropes and when to subvert them, and how to forge a path into the unknown.

Participants will learn:

• New methods of assessing and approaching flaws within your story structure.
• A deeper understanding of how protagonists, antagonists and supporting characters interconnect and interact with the story.
• Different approaches to generating ideas for stories and story elements.
• New approaches to addressing writer’s block and other interruptions to the writing process.
• A deeper understanding of story structure and how to use it in your creative process.

Please come along with a willingness to be creatively engaged and share inspiration and ideas. Participation will take the form of working in small groups to collaborate in brainstorming sessions as we play with and explore the ideas and methods we examine. Prompts and starting-points will be supplied but attendees may certainly bring their own ideas and focus to the session.

About Jo Spurrier

Jo Spurrier was born in 1980 and has a Bachelor of Science, but turned to writing because people tend to get upset when scientists make things up. Her interests include knitting, spinning, cooking and research. She lives in Adelaide and spends a lot of time daydreaming about snow.

WSA Member $88 / Non-member $140

Venue: TBA - Adelaide CBD

—All staff, speakers, and attendees of in-person events must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or hold a current medical exemption, in order to attend; and must comply with any precautionary measures Writers SA puts in place. We may request proof of your vaccination status or medical exemption upon entry. See our full policy here.

—Writers SA members must be logged in to receive the member discount. If you would like to use a workshop credit to book in, please contact [email protected] at least five working days before the workshop commencement date. Our staff don’t work full time and we don’t want you to miss out!