Character Building with Gerard Stembridge
CHARACTER BUILDING: How to use the voices and language of characters in fiction to create humour, irony, mystery and drama with Gerard Stembridge
Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th September,
Class runs from 2.00pm-5.00pm each day
Venue: County Hall, Marine Rd, Dun Laoghaire
Tutor Biography:
Gerard Stembridge was born in Limerick in 1958. He is a writer and a director who has worked extensively in theatre, film, TV and radio, first coming to prominence with the RTÉ radio comedy series 'Scrap Saturday' in the early 1990s. He has written two novels and several films, including the hit 'About Adam' (2000) which he also directed and 'Nora' (Directed by Pat Murphy, 1999). His new novel, Unspoken, will be published in June 2011 by Old Street Publishing.
Course Theme:
Who is telling the story? It is one of the most important decisions a writer will make in constructing a novel. 1st person or 3rd person?(even 2nd person is not unknown). How present is the author's own voice, commenting and shaping the novel like a God? Perhaps the narrative is carried by several characters, dipping in and out of their heads, taking on their attitudes, prejudice and linguistic traits. How does your story change if it is told via a child or an adult, a woman or a man, a character peripheral to events or someone right at the heart of the matter? Such decisions can radically alter the nature of your story. The same basic plot can become humorous or tragic; it might crackle with tension or shimmer with romance, wrap up neatly or glory in uncertainty. This course will analyse the voice or voices of a novel and show how narrative choices can make all the difference. Participants will be encouraged to bring along their own work
Places are limited to 15 per workshop
Admission will be by selection based on submitted work. Submissions are now being accepted.
You should submit a piece of not less than 1000 words by August 5th (?): short story or novel chapter
In practice, we will have been accepting submissions since the first posting on the website in May. Think that we need to keep the pretence of accepting submissions for at least three weeks after publication of the brochure.
FAO: TIM CAREY, Festival Director, Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival, County Hall, Marine Rd,
Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin. Please mark the package WORKSHOP SUBMISSION. Include e-mail address and contact numbers. Should we have a downloadable application form to capture all the info?
If your application is successful you will be notified within two weeks. Sorry, we will not be able to return your submissions to you. The workshop Fee of €95 may then be paid;
• by cheque payable to DLRCOCO (?) and sent to to Tim Carey at the address above
• by credit card via The Pavilion Box Office at (01) 231 2929 between ....relevant hours
Workshop refunds will not be permitted after the 19th August 2011
STILL A FEW PLACES AVAILABLE - BOOK NOW AT THE PAVILION THEATRE or phone 01-2312929.
Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th September, from 2.00pm to 5.00pm each day
Venue: County Hall, Marine Rd, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin.
Course Fee: €95.00
Tutor Biography
Gerard Stembridge was born in Limerick in 1958. He is a writer and a director who has worked extensively in theatre, film, TV and radio, first coming to prominence with the RTÉ radio comedy series Scrap Saturday in the early 1990s. He has written two novels and several films, including the hit About Adam (2000) which he also directed, and Nora (directed by Pat Murphy, 1999). His new novel, Unspoken, will be published in June 2011 by Old Street Publishing.
Course Description
How to use the voices and language of characters in fiction to create humour, irony, mystery and drama
Who is telling the story? It is one of the most important decisions a writer will make in constructing a novel. 1st person or 3rd person? How present is the author's own voice? Perhaps the narrative is carried by several characters. How does your story change if it is told via a child or an adult, a woman or a man, a character peripheral to events or someone right at the heart of the matter? Such decisions can radically alter the nature of your story. The same basic plot can become humorous or tragic; it might crackle with tension or shimmer with romance, wrap up neatly or glory in uncertainty. This course will analyse the voice or voices of a novel and show how narrative choices can make all the difference. Participants will be encouraged to bring along their own work
English
French
Polish
Chinese 
Russian
Spanish