How to structure stories that keep readers turning the page

What makes us turn the page?

Often it isn't simply a dramatic event. It's the promise of an answer, the discovery of a question, a change in circumstances, a secret withheld, or the feeling that something is about to happen. Are you worried your story meanders into soggy territory at times, with the potential for the reader to lose interest?

In this practical workshop, we’ll demystify story structure and explore how writers can create and maintain momentum without relying on formula. We’ll examine the relationship between tension and release, escalation and pause, revelation and concealment, and discover how structure can become a creative tool rather than a set of rules.

Drawing on techniques from screenwriting, theatre and fiction, we’ll explore different ways of organising a story and consider what makes an audience or reader want to continue. We’ll also look at how apparently quiet moments can be just as important as moments of high drama.

Using your own project as a starting point, you’ll build a clear structural framework that identifies the major turns, revelations and emotional shifts in your story.

You’ll leave with a practical structural blueprint for your next project and a clearer sense of exactly what is pulling your reader forward.

The workshop is 2 hours long, but there will be an (optional) half an hour extra at the end to ask any questions, or get advice about any individual projects you're working on. Please be aware that places are limited, so we recommend that you don't delay booking your place.

Description supplied by the event organiser.