Jacana Literary Foundation presents online masterclasses for April

11 April 2025 - 09:37 By Jacana Literary Foundation
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Learn from the experts this April by signing up for the Jacana Literary Foundation's online masterclasses on short stories and fiction.
Learn from the experts this April by signing up for the Jacana Literary Foundation's online masterclasses on short stories and fiction.
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This April the Jacana Literary Foundation brings you a line-up of online masterclasses, crafted for writers of all levels. Engage with local experts who will inspire and motivate you to learn new skills and help you follow your writing dreams.

Monday April 14 at 7pm-8.30pm

Discover the key to bringing your characters to life in short stories with the expert guidance of Karen Jennings.

The Art of Creating Authentic Characters for Short Stories

In this one and a half hour masterclass, Jennings will discuss the challenging process of creating authentic and believable characters for short stories, including:

  • Planning versus spontaneity;
  • Round and flat characters;
  • Word choice and dialogue;
  • The link between place and character;
  • Writing the other: navigating appropriation; and
  • Purpose and focus.

Jennings has published novels such as the Booker Prize-longlisted An Island and Crooked Seeds and a collection of short stories Away from the Dead. Jennings also co-runs the annual Island Prize for a Debut Novel from Africa and has co-written Words on the Page: A Workbook for African Writers.

Monday April 28 at 7pm-8.30pm

Master the art of building, shaping and polishing your novel with the invaluable insights of Ashraf Kagee.

How to Construct, Develop and Refine Your Novel

In this one-and-a-half-hour online masterclass, Kagee will discuss how to develop your novel. The masterclass will offer ways to construct, develop and refine the story. You will also learn ways to create tension in the story and ways to resolve that tension. Much of writing a novel requires creativity and this will be discussed, as well as the process of taking a creative idea and moulding it into a publishable book.

Kagee is a psychologist, academic and writer. His first novel Khalil’s Journey won the European Union Literary Award and the South African Literary Award. His second novel By the Fading Light was nominated for the SA Literary Award for Youth Literature. His most recent novel Song of the Slave Girl is a love story set in the time of slavery in the Cape Colony. Kagee lives in Cape Town and is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Stellenbosch University.

Click here to sign-up.

Article provided by Jacana Literary Foundation


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