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As novelists we try to create a credible illusion of reality: things happen because things happen, a causal chain of events along an imaginary timeline. And after many years of arranging narrative plot we begin to believe that’s the way things really do happen. That effort leads to success, that good habits lead to better…
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The Faber Academy‘s six-month ‘Writing a Novel’ courses have never been more sought after or heavily oversubscribed. Think now about applying for October 2023, when the next series of selective courses begins. Shelley’s daytime courses run each Tuesday and Thursday, offering a chance for committed and ambitious new novelists to: Benefit from the structure of regular…
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So you’re on the brink of signing up for a writing course – and, as you’re about to take the plunge, are nervously wondering what the best possible outcome can be?   A brilliant novel and/or sparkling short story, obviously. We all want that. And in my work as a tutor/mentor, I have isolated SEVEN…
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Once upon a time a writer wrote a book that somehow found its way to being published and then, miracle of miracles, it was among the minute percentage chosen for review. In awe and terror, said writer would wait for the august verdict from on high. Would the venerable Telegraph reviewer, for instance, give the…
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‘I still can’t believe what we achieved in a week,’ said Louise – one of the participants in last summer’s FIVE DAY SHORT STORY course. In five stimulating days you’ll have hands-on experience at turning theory into practical effect. Learn from the greats – from Chekhov, Hemingway, Munro and others – while being nurtured and…
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So you’re on the brink of signing up for a weekend Masterclass – or a Five Day Fiction Booster – or a two-month Start to Write course – or any of the multitude of creative writing courses on offer? Or thinking about it anyway? And while one part of you – confident and decisive –…
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A limited number of spaces are available for dedicated writers, serious about their fiction, to experience the individual attention, advice and inspiration provided by Shelley under the auspices of the prestigious Gold Dust Mentoring Scheme. An invaluable resource for new and emerging novelists and authors of non-fiction, Gold Dust offers eight hours of face-to-face meetings with…
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Do you believe that you have the ability to write a novel, but little idea where to start? Do you yearn to write a perfect short story? Shelley Weiner’s two pithy and informative Guardian Masterclass eBooks offer the perfect mix of practical guidance and friendly support. The prospect of embarking on a novel can feel…
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All fired up and ready to write, write, write – members of the lively group who attended last summer’s Fiction Booster are forging ahead to make this the most creative, productive summer ever.  And for those who couldn’t make this course, watch this space for another chance to have Shelley’s intensive tuition for five full days at the Faber Academy’s home…
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Shelley’s collaborative venture with The Literary Consultancy, the UK’s leading editorial advice service for writers, concluded with the last of her three day-long masterclasses collectively entitled YOUR NOVEL INSIDE OUT.  The day-long session on 28 March, called MAKING IT HAPPEN, looked at the writing process – style, revision, and what to do with your novel once you’re…
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Once upon a time, in my way-back incarnation as a jobbing journalist employed (illegally) in a Fleet Street features agency, one of my tasks was to provide a regular advice column for dissemination to the far flung outposts serviced by the agency. Readers, probably not that many, in places like Kowloon or Easter Island or…
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When Tight Wilma’s dilemma lands in my ASK SHELLEY tray, I’m in a quandary. Does she know I have an interest in this area? Am I the best person to respond to her plea without prejudice? Here’s what she writes: Dear Shelley, I’m a new writer and wondering how best to get ahead. Alone and…
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Yet another literary dilemma comes crashing onto my desk or, rather, pinging into my inbox. Then another. And another. The whole world, it seems, is wanting to ASK SHELLEY for advice about writing issues they’d rather not talk about to anyone else. Well, perhaps not the whole world. And perhaps the problem is that most…
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… And yet another literary problem lands on my overflowing desk. This time it’s from a writer with a bent for irony and an uncontainable desire to prematurely spill out her story. Poor Idina Closet (I assume Idina rhymes with Irina?) – if only there were a drug on the market with the verbal impact…
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There seems no end to the writerly travails that land on my desk, into my inbox and even on the streets, as I’m waylaid with tearful scribes in need of help. They’re tangled in plot-twists. Their characters stink. They’re stuck for the right words to describe their setting. Some are just stuck. Blocked. And while…
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Another literary dilemma lands on my desk! And, as the Peirene Press problem solver and masterclass deliverer, I’m duty bound to give my considered response. Here goes: Dear Shelley, I’ve just typed ‘THE END’ to my first novel – hooray! But now I suddenly see that one of my main characters, not a nice one,…
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So you signed up  … or almost did … to the latest Faber Academy six-month Writing a Novel’ course? Or joined me in Spain for the Literary Consultancy’s Literary Adventure? Or emerged triumphant from one of the summer Five Day Short Story courses? Well done – even for that moment of serious consideration. Out of all…
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