Byron Writers Festival 2021

Humans are hardwired to value storytelling. We seek stories the same way we seek out meaning; in the events that happen to us, in history and in the daily news. How do we bring those stories to life? And how do we make the completely imagined story have that ‘ring of truth’?

In this webinar, award-winning novelist and memoirist Kathryn Heyman (Fury) shows you how an author might take a kernel of truth and turn it into a work of art: a novel, memoir or captivating work of narrative non-fiction. At the same time, you’ll discover how to bring your imagined worlds to life and make them feel more truthful. Whether you’re working on a novel inspired by true events, a memoir, or the completely imagined world, you’ll discover how to find the right voice for your work, how to create compelling scenes, how to find the drama in the truth.

Using a mixture of example and carefully selected exercises, developed over almost two decades of coaching writers, Kathryn Heyman will show you how to discover the truth of in any story. This session is co-hosted by author Sarah Armstrong.

Webinar Format

• 1 hour 15 minutes – Introduction by Sarah Armstrong followed by presentation by Kathryn Heyman with writing exercises
• 10 minute break
• 35 minutes audience Q&A facilitated by Sarah Armstrong (note – there is no direct interaction between audience members and speakers)

Details

Date: Wednesday 1 September
Time: 10am – 12pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Who is it for: Beginner and intermediate writers
Cost:  $40 General / $30 Members

About the Presenters

Dr Kathryn Heyman‘s sixth novel, Storm and Grace, was published to critical acclaim in 2017. She has written several radio dramas for the BBC, including adaptations of her own fiction. Her previous work has won the Wingate, Southern Arts and Arts Council of England Writing Awards in the UK and been nominated for awards including the Scottish Writer of the Year, the Orange Prize (now the Baileys) and the Kibble Prize and the West Australian Premier’s Literary Awards. She received the CAL Author Fellowship for her seventh book, Fury, a memoir of recovery and transformation.

An Honorary Professor of Humanities at the University of Newcastle, Kathryn Heyman is the director of the Australian Writers Mentoring Program and has helped scores of writers move from idea to publication.

Sarah Armstrong was a journalist at the ABC, where she won a Walkley Award. She now lives in Mullumbimby, which is the setting for her three adult novels. Her first novel for readers aged 8 – 12 (also partly set in this area), BIG MAGIC, will be published by Hardie Grant next year. Sarah teaches creative writing in schools, for the Byron Writers Festival and at Southern Cross University.