That Killer First Page

That Killer First Page at Birmingham Lit Fest

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That Killer First Page – with Paul McVeigh

8th October, 10am-12noon, The Exchange.

“Short stories are where a lot of writers start, and short story competitions are enormously valuable to an emerging writer.

You’ll find out what competition judges and journal editors look for in a short story and how to avoid the rejection pile. In a form where every word counts, get tips on staying focused on your story and where to start the action.

You’ll also look at submission opportunities; how to find them and where you should be sending your stories.

Paul McVeigh is co-founder of London Short Story Festival and Associate Director at Word Factory. He’s been a reader and judge for national and international literary competitions and prizes. He had also edited four anthologies and reviews for the Irish Times and the TLS.”

Book here.

You can still listen to my short story ‘Dady Christmas’ on BBC Radio 4 here.

The Good Son 3rd Editon
You can buy here

Winner of The Polari First Novel Prize

‘A triumph of storytelling. An absolute gem.’ Donal Ryan

‘Raw, funny and endlessly entertaining’. Jonathan Coe

That Killer First Page

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At Birmingham Literature Festival

“Learn from short story writer and champion, Paul McVeigh.

You’ll find out what competition judges and journal editors look for in a short story and how to avoid the rejection pile. Get tips on where to start the action and how to grab the reader. You’ll also look at submission opportunities; how to find them and where you should be sending your stories.”

Biography:
Paul McVeigh’s short fiction has been published in journals and anthologies, and been read on BBC Radio 3,4 & 5. He was shortlisted for Irish Short Story of the Year 2017 at the Irish Book Awards. His short story blog shares writing opportunities and advice has reached 2.5 million views. Paul co-founded London Short Story Festival and is Associate Director at Word Factory, the UK’s national centre for excellence in the short story. He is a reader and judge for national and international short story competitions. He has edited Southword Journal and three anthologies, commissioning work from Kevin Barry, Roddy Doyle and Deborah Levy.

Event Details

Sat 17th October 2020 2:00PM

Price

Place price
£30.00*

*booking fee applies

16th International Conference On The Short Story In English

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I’m attending the 16th International Conference On The Short Story In English in Calabria, Italy, 24-27 June 2020. This will be my third conference (following Vienna and Lisbon) and this time around I’m honored to be asked to teach a class. The details are below.

That Killer First Page

Paul will share what editors, first readers and judges look for in a short story. He will discuss how to get your story published, onto that shortlist and how to avoid the rejection pile. Paul will take you behind the scenes of anthologies, competitions and journals, explaining the psychology of the decision-making process and the importance of ‘That Killer First Page’. He will highlight the essential ingredients to create that crucial story opening. In a form and genre where every word counts, you will get tips on staying focused on your story and where to start the action; you will also get clues on when to stop. For the workshop, you write an opening and get feedback on that. We will look at submission opportunities; how to find them and where you should be sending your stories.

PaulMcVeigh short story

Teaching My First Class in Dublin

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DATE AND TIME

Sat 13 October 2018 10:30am – 4:30pm

LOCATION

Brooks Hotel, 62 Drury Street, Dublin

That Killer First Page

 

You’ll find out what competition judges and journal editors look for in a short story and how to avoid the rejection pile. You’ll write a short piece and get feedback on that crucial story opening. In a form where every word counts, get tips on staying focused on your story and where to start the action. You’ll also look at submission opportunities; how to find them and where you should be sending your stories.

Focus:
How to get the attention of competition judges and editors
Writing fiction with emotional impact
Writing that killer first page
How to edit your story
Where to send your work

Paul McVeigh’s short fiction has been published in anthologies and journals inc. The Stinging Fly and Faber’s ‘Modern Irish Writing’. Stories have been commissioned by BBC Radio 3, 4 & 5 and Sky Arts TV. He was shortlisted for Irish Short Story of the Year 2017 at the Irish Book Awards. His short story blog shares writing opportunities and advice and gets 40,000 hits a month and has had over 2 million views. He’s interviewed short story masters like Kevin Barry, Elizabeth McCracken and George Saunders for The Irish Times. Paul co-founded the London Short Story Festival and is Associate Director at Word Factory, the UK’s national centre for excellence in the short story. He is a reader and judge for national and international short story competitions including, in 2018, the Sean O’Faolain Prize, the Edge Hill Prize and the International Dylan Thomas Prize. He is also the current fiction editor at Southword Journal where he recently commissioned Kit de Waal and twice Booker shortlisted Deborah Levy.

This event sold out in Adelaide, Bali, Bath, Belfast, Cork, Galway, Kuala Lumpur, Lancaster, London, Melbourne & Singapore.

“I emerged from the sleepy hamlet of my writing infancy last Saturday and was sky-rocketed, hurricaned, tsunamied, autobahned and g-forced out of my head by Paul McVeigh’s “That Killer First Page” Masterclass at Waterstones, Piccadilly. He’s on top of his game, gives instinctive, constructive criticism and in a few short hours, had conveyed the essence of how to make a story compelling and unputdownable from the first few lines. Get on one of his courses if you can.”

Reviews for his short stories:
“Beautiful and very moving.” Booker shortlisted Alison Moore
“How moving and stunning that story is. It’s so raw and incredibly human.” Costa shortlisted Jess Richards
“(one of) Ireland’s most exciting and talented writers. Incredibly moving; poignant but utterly real, funny and beautifully observant.” BBC Radio 4
“Paul McVeigh’s story stands out. Funny, moving, poignant. Brilliant.” Metro Newspaper

Paul’s debut novel The Good Son’ won 2 awards and was shortlisted for a further 5.

‘A work of genius…’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Robert Olen Butler

“Both dancing and disquieting, complex and vivid, I devoured it in a day, but I’ve thought about it for many, many more.” Bailey Prize-winner Lisa McInerney The Glorious Heresies’

‘A triumph of storytelling. An absolute gem.’ Donal Ryan

PaulMcVeigh short story

A Writer’s Life For Me

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It’s been quite a week!

I flew to London last Thursday to teach a class The Author & Social Media and to read at an event A Novel Affair, both at the Irish Cultural Centre. It was a great class, and the event went really well – after readings from the authors, there was a long and interesting Q&A from the audience made up of writers.

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Alan McMonagle and me

On Friday I interviewed Booker-winner Anne Enright at the biggest bookshop in Europe, Waterstones Piccadilly. The packed event was a real insight to Enright’s writing process and I’ve never heard her read so well.

Anne Enright and me

After a sold-out class in Lewes on Saturday I went to Brighton where The Good Son was the City Reads and to see old friends.

I was back in London on Monday for meetings with my old pal and BBC National Short Story Award-winner KJ Orr and my agent Carrie Kania.

On Tuesday I went Swansea in Wales for the shortlisting meeting for the Dylan Thomas Prize and got to meet some of the panel. The next day I taught at Swansea University before flying back to Belfast.

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It’s wonderful traveling around doing interesting work and meeting fascinating people but there are times when a night in your own bed is priceless. So, after a day at home I’m heading off now to Dublin for the weekend. I’m delighted to be reading at The Franco-Irish Literary Festival with events taking place at the Alliance Francaise and Dublin Castle. You can download the programme and come along to see Rob Doyle, Lisa McInerney and Anne Enright – the events are free!

You can check my other upcoming events in the flyer below. Come up and say hello!

March-June 2018

Teaching: ‘That Killer First Page’, Lewes. 17 March – St. Patrick’s Day

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We are thrilled to have award-winning novel and short story writer Paul McVeigh join us on Saturday 17 March in Lewes for a two-hour session exploring ‘that killer first page’. Many of you will know Paul from his novel ‘The Good Son‘, from his hugely popular website sharing writing advice and opportunities, and from his work with organisations like London Short Story Festival and Word Factory.
About the Session
We will explore what goes into writing that perfect first page to keep readers (and judges, agents and editors) hooked. How can we create emotional impact? What works and what doesn’t? We’ll find out what competition judges and journal editors look for in a short story. How can we keep their attention and avoid the rejection pile? We will look at editing techniques, from how to know where to begin your story to taking it to the depths it needs. Finally, the session will also look at submission opportunities; how to find them and where you should be sending your work.
Note: Paul’s masterclass starts at 2pm, but we are opening the room from 1pm for anyone who would like an hour working on their first pages (or any other work) in preparation for the session.
About Paul
Paul McVeigh’s short fiction has appeared in journals, anthologies and on BBC Radio 3, 4 & 5. ‘Hollow’ was shortlisted for Short Story of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2017. Paul’s short story blog, which shares writing opportunities and advice, is about to reach 2 million visits. His debut novel, The Good Son, has won 2 awards in the UK and his writing has been translated into 7 languages. He is the co-founder of London Short Story Festival, associate director at Word Factory, the UK’s national organisation for excellence in the short story, and he judges international short story competitions. Paul interviews short story writers such as Kevin Barry and George Saunders for The Irish Times.
Practicalities
The masterclass will be held in the Quaker Meeting House in Lewes, by the Library. Some of you will know this from our Thursday writing sessions. There is a kitchen in the room and refreshments will be available. The venue is a short 5-10 min walk from both Lewes Train Station and Bus Station. You can park for two hours in the car park behind Premier Inn, or three hours for free in Tesco (10 min walk). There are plenty of cafes and shops around if you need anything before we begin. The room has wheelchair access – let us know in advance so we can make sure the ramp is down.

Any other questions don’t hesitate to email us lewesshortstoryclub@gmail.com or visit our website www.lewesshortstory.co.ukWe look forward to seeing you there!

Date and Time: Sat 17 March. 2pm – 4pm.

Location:  The Classroom, Quaker Meeting House, 8-15 Friars Walk, Lewes, BN7 2LE, View Map

PaulMcVeigh short story

Buy Here

Winner of The Polari Prize
“Pungently funny and shot through with streaks of aching sadness.” Patrick Gale
“I devoured it in a day, but I’ve thought about it for many, many more.” Lisa McInerney
“Funny, raw and endlessly entertaining.” Johnathan Coe

Teaching in Kuala Lumpur Dec 2/3

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I will teaching at the British Council in Kuala Lumpur on December 2nd and 3rd. If you are town it would be wonderful if you could come or if you know any writers in KL please let them know. (I’ll also be doing some events… more on that later.)

Thanks to Sharon Baker for organising it, and Grey Yeoh and British Council Malaysia for their generous support. Thanks also to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Culture Ireland for helping my travel around the region.

PaulMcVeigh short story

The class on December 2 ‘Short Sharp Shock’ is for 15-19 year olds. On December I teach my ‘That Killer First Page’ workshop that has already sold out in Bali and Mebourne so grab your tickets quick. Here’s more on that class…

That Killer First Page

“Northern Irish author Paul McVeigh leads this fiction workshop aimed at writers who are writing short fiction and looking to improve their craft.

You’ll find out what competition judges and journal editors look for in a short story and how to avoid the rejection pile. In a form where every word counts, get tips on where to start your story and how to keep the reader glued to the page. You’ll also look at submission opportunities; how to find them and where you should be sending your stories.
Focus:
How to get the attention of competition judges and editors
Writing fiction with emotional impact
Writing that killer first page
How to edit your story
Where to send your work
Reviews for Paul’s writing:
“A work of genius.” Pulitzer Prize-winning short story writer Robert Olen Butler.
“A wildly impotent new talent.” Laura van den Berg.
“One of Ireland’s most exciting and talented writers.” BBC Radio 4”

Date and Time

Sun, December 3, 2017

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Malaysia

Venue

British Council Malaysia

Ground Floor, Jalan Ampang, Malaysia

West Block Wisma Selangor Dredging 142C, Jalan Ampang

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan 50450

Malaysia

View Map 

Print

Sold Out – Nov 2, Singapore Writing Workshop

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WRITING WORKSHOP WITH PAUL McVEIGH

by The Singapore Writers’ Group

 

I’m very excited to be teaching this workshop, hosted by The Singapore Writers’ Group, just before my appearance at the Singapore Writers Festival.

At the moment 12 of the 25 spaces have already been filled before any promotion – so grab your tickets quick!

Here’s the blurb…

That Killer First Page

You’ll find out what competition judges and journal editors look for in a short story and how to avoid the rejection pile. In a form where every word counts, get tips on where to start your story and how to keep the reader glued to the page. You’ll also look at submission opportunities; how to find them and where you should be sending your stories.

Focus:

How to get the attention of competition judges and editors
Writing fiction with emotional impact
Writing that killer first page
How to edit your story
Where to send your work

Paul McVeigh’s short fiction has appeared in journals, anthologies and on BBC Radio 3,4 & 5. Paul’s short story blog which shares writing opportunities and advice is about to reach 2 million visits. His debut novel has won 2 awards in the UK. He is the co-founder of London Short Story Festival, associate director at Word Factory the UK’s national organisation for excellence in the short story and he judges international short story competitions. Paul interviews short story writers like Cate Kennedy and George Saunders for The Irish Times and has represented the short story form for the British Council in Mexico and Turkey.

Reviews for Paul’s writing:

“A work of genius.” Pulitzer Prize-winning short story writer Robert Olen Butler.

“A wildly important new talent.” Laura van den Berg.

“One of Ireland’s most exciting and talented writers.” BBC Radio 4
PaulMcVeigh short story