Live Workshops
Apart from the teaching I do for Oxford University’s Department of Continuing Education, I run in-person Focus Workshops in Oxford from time to time. Keep checking this page for announcements of future workshops or join my mailing list below to be the first to hear! (You can unsubscribe at any time.)
Online Classes
NEW! Storytelling Skills for Non-Fiction Writers is now available. Scroll down for full details!
Also available: Create your Writer’s Prompt Box - click here to find out more.
Create your Home Writing Retreat: self-study mini-course: details below or click the title.
Scroll down or click on the title to find out about my previous online masterclass, How to be a Happy Writer – book at any time.
Storytelling Skills for Non-fiction Writers
Learn how to craft your story to attract clients, customers and fans
Course, additional materials and lifetime access to upgrades
$49
Your story is your showcase …
You want to be heard in the world. You want to grow your audience. You have a message to share, a vision, a passion, a mission.
If you have a business, the best way to promote it is to write a book that’s as individual as you are. A book that:
reaches out to readers, making them want to spend time in your world
shares your hard-won expertise and knowledge
blends authority with enticement
gives them valuable insights but in your unique voice
has a powerful, compelling approach that keeps them hooked
You need storytelling skills!
Welcome to
Storytelling Skills for Non-fiction Writers
Storytelling Skills for Non-fiction Writers will teach you the methods fiction-writers use to attract readers, creating an emotional response and a lasting connection.
How can story techniques do that? Storytelling is one of the oldest human connections there is. Long before we started scratching pictographs on stone walls, we told each other stories. Those stories comforted us, kept the dark at bay, made us laugh, made us gasp. Stories taught us how to stay safe and deal with the world. Stories gave us meaning. Stories brought us together. They still do.
By tapping into the key skills I’ll teach you, you’ll gain the confidence to weave a spell of words which will hold your readers transfixed and eager to know what happens next! You’ll learn how to structure your story, bring events and people to life and discover the uniquely compelling voice your reader needs to hear.
“No other animal tells stories in order to understand itself. The telling of stories is absolutely what we are.”
This training is for you if …
You want to write a non-fiction book. That includes memoir, autobiography, biography, history, science and business. All of these genres thrive on story!
You need to write engaging human-centred copy, structured to make a reader curious and keep them interested, whether you’re writing a full-length book or just a few pages.
You want your style to be vibrant and memorable.
You’re not sure how to go about shaping your narrative.
You’re new to this writing game - or you’ve been stopped in your tracks by overwhelm and loss of confidence.
You’ve struggled with writing up to now - your argument gets lost, your words are flat, there’s no energy, no shape, no pace. Worst of all - there’s no you!
(If you want to write fiction, by the way, these techniques are for you too!)
“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.”
Here’s what Storytelling Skills for Non-fiction Writers covers
Clarifying your intentions, whatever the form of non-fiction you’re writing.
How storytelling works when you want to add a business book to your business ecosystem.
Why you may think you don’t have any storytelling talent - and why you’re wrong!
The key techniques writers use for crafting a compelling story, from structure to characters, dialogue, setting, tone - and much more.
How to find your voice and make it individual and irresistible. (This is crucial.)
What the training includes:
A 90 minute recorded presentation, packed with practical advice and inspiration, split into separate lessons too for ease of consumption.
Downloadable presentation slides.
Specially designed worksheets so that you can take notes and start to put my advice to practical use straight away.
A bonus recording of a live Q & A session after the course was first launched.
You will also have lifetime access to any future upgrades and additions to this training. Over time, the price of the course will increase so now is the best time to buy!
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make but the stories you tell.”
Why have I created this masterclass?
I’m a story-addict myself and I’ve spent my professional life helping writers create, shape and refine their stories, whether they are writing an academic essay, a biography, a self-help book, a business book – or a novel.
I’m an award-winning short story writer, published novelist, editor, speaker and writing coach. I founded Fictionfire Literary Consultancy thirteen years ago but I have two decades of creative writing teaching under my belt. I know what works. I know why writing matters, in the wider world and for the personal fulfilment of those who dream of doing it.
It’s my mission to inspire writers with self-belief, help them nurture their craft and enable them to take action on their writing dreams.
“She is one of the best instructors I’ve ever had, sharing a depth of understanding that I could immediately apply to my own stories. She combines her mastery with a hearty sense of humour that makes learning easy, rewarding and fun.”
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is this a live training?
The course began as a pre-recorded training, now split into separate lessons, followed by a live Q & A session, the recording of which has been added to the course as an extra resource.
I’m a fiction writer and haven’t even thought of writing non-fiction. Is this training suitable for me?
First, you write more non-fiction than you know! Do you have a blog or a newsletter? Have you ever written articles or reports? The techniques I teach in the course work, no matter whether you’re writing a high-octane thriller, an article for the local magazine, a memoir for your kids or the book that will act as a shop-window for your business.
Got another question?
Contact me at info@fictionfire.co.uk and I’ll do my best to help.
Are you ready to write your story?
Click the button below to be taken to my online school where you can enrol for the course. The course costs $49, which is approximately £40. (Please note that EU VAT tax will be applied if you are in a relevant territory and this will alter the price you see.)
“Lorna was an absolutely amazing teacher. I left this course feeling encouraged and challenged. It was a truly great experience.”
My self-study mini-course, Create your Home Writing Retreat is available at only $37 (approx £30). This course was born out of the free online writing retreats I ran during lockdown in 2020. It gives you all the guidance and the inspirational prompts you need to run your own creative writing retreat at home. Find out more by clicking the button below.
“It has worked brilliantly. I know I can go back to them at any time and choose a different prompt if I’m stuck for an idea. Thank you so much for putting this together. I have loved it.”
With my online self-study guide Create your Writer’s Prompt Box you can create a store of inspiration for those days when you want to write but you can’t think what to write.
how to be a happy writer is available for self-study in my online school, along with bonus materials
Have you always dreamed of being a writer but find yourself stuck in dither and doubt?
Have you been writing for a while but somehow you’ve lost the joy?
How to be a Happy Writer shows you the quick and easy route to confidence and renewed fulfilment. This training will help you clear your blocks, clarify your intentions and reclaim your purpose. You’ll learn practical ways to rediscover your creative energy, silence that inner critic and revive both imagination and intention. This inspiring class will help you dump that dither and doubt so that you can create a focused, joyous writing life.
This live masterclass is now available in my online school, along with special extra resources I’ve created for it.
“The depth of your knowledge and love of your subject comes shining through in your sessions and always there is that gentle nudge of encouragement for us to stretch ourselves that bit further in our writing, to become more skilled in our chosen craft.”
What will You learn?
This class will show you:
how to reframe your relationship with writing
how to accept and move on from the negatives
how to view your writing aims with clarity
how to relate your creative life to the commitments and demands of your daily life
how to discover – or rediscover – pride in your individual talent
how to celebrate your dreams and achievements
Is this class right for you?
Do you want to feel happy as a writer? Then, yes, it’s for you! I design all my classes and courses with the needs of both newbies and more advanced or experienced writers in mind. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written a short story or twelve books in a series – if you’re a writer you’ll have encountered those long dark nights of the soul, where you question your purpose and your ability to carry out your plans. This class will help you to reclaim the joy.
important note about the cost of the class
How to be a Happy Writer is $57 (approx £46). If you live in the EU, please remember that digital sales tax will be added to the fee, according to the rate prevailing in your country. This is a legal obligation. The sales tax added price will appear when you click through to make your payment.
How do I make my booking for any of your courses or classes?
Recorded classes: click the button and it will take you to my Teachable school. You can click to buy the class there and gain access to the recordings and downloadable materials.
Live webinars: there will be a booking button on this page to take you to my Acuity booking page. (For live webinars, choose the class, and your time zone, and Acuity will take you through the process, using PayPal. Important: you don’t need to have a PayPal account to pay! You can use your debit or credit card.) After the live version, the class will appear in my online school and you’ll have access to it.
If you have any questions, email me at info[at]fictionfire.co.uk or use the Contact form.
“I’ve replaced desperation with determination! These courses simply could not have been better.”
