Masterclasses---Researching your novel

When it comes to fiction, research skills are as important as writing skills. Whatever your theme or setting, research skills are an invaluable resource for any writer.

On this course, novelist Alex Preston will show you how to use various research sources to write convincing , powerful stories. You’ll explore online horizons far beyond Wikipedia, and access vast resources of the un-sohuable.

Course description

Through a mix of talks and practical exercises, you’ll learn how to weave

professional-standard research into the fiction writing process to improve all aspects of your work.

Topics include

Resources for research ---using the Internet , libraries and media to enrich your story

Backgrounds---how to use your research to make your story interesting

Shortcuts ---how to research on a tight budget

Writing the past and the present --- how to use detail to bring the world of your story to life

Theories of research--- from Laurent Binet to Hilary Mantel, looking at how the masters work

Practical exercises--- a series of writing exercises designed to inspire and instruct

This course is for you if …

You are an experienced writer currently writing or planning a novel which requires more research than you’ve previously undertaken

You are a new fiction writer struggling with building a convincing world.

You are currently having plotting or structural problems with a novel

Tutor profile

Alex Preston is a prize-winning novelist and journalist. He appears regularly on BBC television and radio and writes for The Observer and GQ Magazine

Details

Date: 21 December 2015

Times: 10 am-5 pm. Check-in begins 30 minutes before the start time.

Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU

Price:

Early bird special￡199 ( limited in number)

Regular price ￡229

( all prices include VAT, booking fee, lunch and refreshments)

Event capacity: 16

Tickets may be paid back if you contact us at least 7 days before the course start date.

Book now and join our masterclasses ASAP!

1.If you want to make your story real and vivid, you should focus on “_______”

A. Backgrounds

B. Practical exercises

C. Resources for research

D. Writing the past and the present

2.The course is targeted at those who _________

A. are trying their best to work out ideal characters in a story

B. are popular writers with several works completed

C. write for famous magazines regularly

D. lack enough persuasive writing skills

3.Which of the following is Not true according to “Details” ?

A. Only less than twenty people can be admitted into the course.

B. The favourable price includes lunch and desserts.

C. Those who book in advance can get a 15% discount

D. The whole course lasts seven hours.

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【小題1 】Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

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B. Ways of Sending Message.

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B. To provide protection against bad weather.

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A. Age. B. Dress. C. Status. D. Gender.

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“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”

“Two full inches in the first three days!”

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Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.

To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA (Food Drug Administration) can require proof under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.

One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that was dangerous to health and life.

Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律訴訟), and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.

1.It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are_____.

A. objective B. costly

C. unbelievable D. illegal

2.The Relaxacisor is mentioned as______.

A. a product which was designed to produce electricity

B. a successful advertisement of a beauty product

C. an example of a quality beauty product

D. a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case

3.The author intends to______.

A. make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promise

B. show the weakness of the law on product safety

C. give advice on how to keep young and beautiful

D. introduce the organization of FDA

4.Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. The court is in charge of removing dangerous products.

B. The promoters usually just care about profits.

C. New products are more likely to be questionable.

D. The production of a device must be approved by FDA.

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