Workshop your manuscript's first chapter over nine weeks with author and book mentor, MH Salter, and get excited about your writing!
Runs from July 27 to September 21, 2025
Choose to enrol week by week, or book the full term to receive a FREE First Chapter Assessment and 20% off the total price.
Join author and book-mentor, MH Salter, for an inspiring and interactive workshop that will keep you excited about your writing, whether you have completed a first draft, or are still in the planning stages.
For all full-term enrolments, you will receive a brief first chapter assessment by Melanie which will highlight the strengths of your opening, and ways to improve the first chapter, which will be workshopped over the following term.
Over nine weeks, you will focus on your work-in-progress, studying:
Concept, Premise, Theme
What Makes a Great Title
First Paragraph and Last Paragraph
Page-turning Empathy
Page-turning Conflict
Symbolism and Metaphor
Backstory and Prologue
Setting
Your Writing Voice
Concept, Premise and Theme
These are the three things that will come together to form the solid foundation of your novel, upon which everything else will be built. Together, they will create the first impressions that you, the author, will have of your novel as it transcends from wispy strands of thought into a full-blown completed book. This is what you will draw upon whenever anyone asks you: “So, what is your book about?” It will allow you to pitch your story with clarity and focus when needed, as well as to stay in the right lane throughout the writing stages.
This week, we will strengthened your core idea, and look at ways you will transform this into a golden thread to weave throughout every aspect of your work.
What Makes a Great Title
Your book title is usually the first thing a reader will see, and this is therefore the first impression that they will have of your book. This week we look at the different points to consider when deciding on a title: audience and genre, length, originality, literary devices, theme, fiction vs non fiction, cognitive fluency, clever phrases
First Paragraph (and Last Paragraph)
The first line and paragraph is the first impression a reader gets, both of your story and of your writing. This week we will look at ways to hook the reader instantly, how to subconsciously pose a question in the reader’s mind, how to use different techniques to hint at the journey to come and the lessons the characters will learn.
We will then use these same principles for the chapter ending in order to ensure the reader keeps reading.
Page-Turning Empathy
Empathy is what connects the reader to the humanity of your character. This week we will look at how to draw a reader into the story by introducing your character’s core wounds, looking at the six Primary Emotions and how to use them, and how to use theme and your core values to create a great hook.
Page-Turning Conflict
Conflict is what really keeps the reader invested in your book. This week we will insert both personal and public conflict, into your opening scenes using moral and emotional dilemmas.
Symbolism and Metaphor
This week we will look at the different symbols and metaphors you can create based on your book's theme, and how these can lift up your first chapter, and your book, to a whole new level.
Backstory and Prologue
Backstory is everything that has happened to your character prior to your first chapter. This week we will look at the ways a prologue and backstory should, and should not, be used, how they can keep your story moving forward, and the mistakes to avoid that can sometimes cause your story to move backwards.
Setting
How to use your setting (and what to avoid) to create a memorable opening paragraph.
Your Writing Voice and What Now?
This week we look at your personal writing voice, as well as the style you are using to narrate your book, and how we can enhance these factors to make your book stand out from the crowd.
We will introduce the topic of next term's class: Endings and Beyond, looking at what to do once you've completed your manuscript, editing techniques, creating a pitch and synopsis, and the different publishing options.
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The event will be held at the Cove Civic Centre in Hallett Cove, SA, or ONLINE via WHATSAPP, every Sunday during the school term.
Choose to enrol week by week, or book the full term to receive a FREE First Chapter Assessment and 20% off the total price.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to get excited about your manuscript, and learn how to stay in the creative flow!
Also check out other Arts events in Reynella, Literary Art events in Reynella, Workshops in Reynella.
