Supporting Local Creators

New Workshop! Strangely Familiar: Language and Worldbuilding for Creative Writers
Feeling stuck? Looking for inspiration? Want to try something different? This workshop may
be just what you need.
What Will You Learn?
With an explicit focus on language and the chance to do some intentional writing
experiments, you’ll experience an approach to worldbuilding that goes beyond terrain,
culture, and lore. You’ll focus on:
 Noticing patterns in language you’ve never thought to look for before
 Understanding why they matter to your craft
 Harnessing this knowledge to achieve the results you want
What Will We Do?
We’ll look at short examples of fiction, discovering how patterns in language affect. You’ll
engage in a series of guided writing experiments, trying out language-aware ways of writing
for yourself. There’s space for discussion, but no pressure to produce anything polished. The
emphasis is on noticing, experimenting, and learning new tools.
Is This for You?
The workshop is suitable for adult writers at any level, from aspiring to expert. We
concentrate on prose fiction, particularly science fiction and fantasy, but poets, dramatists,
and screenwriters are most welcome, as are writers in any genre.
Will This Be Grammar Heavy?
Absolutely not. I use a discovery-based approach that makes linguistics engaging and
accessible for audiences with no prior knowledge. We start with your own intuitions about
language and you get only the technical knowledge you need.
Interested? If you want to:
 Expand your creative range
 Experiment with style as a deliberate choice
 Sharpen your revising and editing skills
Join me for Strangely Familiar: Language and Worldbuilding for Creative Writers.
Where, When and How Much?
��Online via Zoom
�� Tuesday, 24 March
�� 18:00-20:00 (GMT, UK Time)
��️ £30 per person

Book Your Place Now Through Eventbrite

Who Is Your Workshop Facilitator?

Hello! I’m Susan Mandala. I hold a PhD from the University of Cambridge and was for many
years an academic at the University of Sunderland, where my research area was the
language of fiction. I’ve written two books on language and style: Language in Science
Fiction and Fantasy and Twentieth-Century Drama Dialogue as Ordinary Talk, and I’ve also
published on weird -y suffixes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer; dialect in Sheila Quigley’s Bad
Moon Rising; and Seven-of-Nine’s language in Star Trek Voyager.
I bring to this workshop 30 years of experience in workshop delivery and a lifelong love of
language and story.
Questions Before You Sign Up?
 Book a FREE video chat: https://calendar.app.google/kwKTRArFjJxhu27r7
 Visit my website: www.writingworksconsulting.co.uk
 Connect and DM me: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-mandala-phd-6a94b7290
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“Such a fun workshop with plenty of learnings and interesting exercises … Highly
recommended” - Jo Long, Jo Long Consulting