When you write fiction you are in control of the parameters of your world. What happens to these storytelling instincts when it comes to narrating tales from your own life? In this workshop we will see how the skills of a fiction writer are useful to the life writer. Also, we will test the tension between truth and lies, examine extracts of published memoirs and you will write a piece to put your skills to the test. Whether you are interested in writing a memoir, personal essays or just exploring your life though writing, this workshop is for you.

About the tutor

Paul Dodgson has written 19 plays and stories for BBC Radio 4, drama documentaries for BBC2 and Eastenders for BBC1. He’s also written plays for young people and music and lyrics for five musicals.

He is best known for his radio memoir plays, and as a producer Paul has made 400 programmes for all BBC radio networks, helping people tell the stories of their lives. He is currently exec producing the New Creatives project for the BBC/Arts Council, developing new writing and broadcasting talent.

Paul has taught life writing workshops at universities and literary festivals across the UK, Europe and Canada, including at Arvon and Ty Newedd writing centres. He was writer-in-residence at Exeter University in 2009, where he developed the life writing and memoir workshops he has taught around the world. He is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Bristol University.

Paul’s book On the Road Not Taken: A memoir about the power of music (Unbound) was published in 2019.

Life Writing Workshop with Paul Dodgson

£ £

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