Telling Tales: How to Write Sensational Short Stories
Lynne Barrett-Lee

The passing on of stories is as old as mankind, and the urge to tell them, for many of us, runs deep. Those of us who find ourselves afflicted by what many writers liken to a disease, will know only too well that the true writer can’t NOT write – many of us tend to do so compulsively. And even if we’re not all scribbling furiously in cafes, a la the fabled J K Rowling, then we’re often to be found, miles away, staring into space, while engaged in doing likewise in our heads. 

This step-by-step course on creating sensational short fiction is for everyone. Written by bestselling author Lynne Barrett-Lee, and based on her face-to-face course of the same name, Telling Tales will guide you through the whole writing process, from the basics - where to start, how to create characters, how to plot and to write sparkling dialogue - to the business of polishing and editing your fiction, before taking the next step - getting it out there in the world. It assumes nothing: it doesn’t matter whether you already have some experience or are a complete novice, because writing fiction, at any level, requires just three vital things: a desire to create stories (that disease mentioned earlier), an imagination (if it’s rusty, no matter; it will be nurtured) and most of all, a sense of adventure. In other words, nothing the average person can’t muster, if telling tales looks like becoming an affliction for you too… 

"A fantastic, supportive course: just what I needed when I was setting out to become a professional writer. Constructive advice and feedback on what I was writing, combined with practical help on negotiating the world of markets, agents and publishers. Lynne shares her successful experience generously." - Peter Higgins 
Peter Higgins' first novel, Wolfhound Century, is published by Gollancz in the UK and Orbit in the US, and in translation in France, Germany, Poland and Finland. The sequel, Truth and Fear, comes out in early 2014. 

"Before Lynne’s course, I was a revved up sports car after a three gin lunch, full of ideas, ambition and passion, but prone to crashing into a central reservation of procrastination and improbability. The content of the course was the steadying hand that transformed my desire into direction and eventual publication. I owe Lynne a lifetime of three gin lunches as thanks." 
Dan Tyte, author of ‘Half Plus Seven’, published by Parthian Books, spring 2014. 

"Lynne's classes are fun and friendly and her expertise covers many different aspects of writing. If you can't be there in person then the chance to read her notes has to be the next best thing." 
Evonne Wareham, award-winning author of romantic suspense.