Franc's art

Upcoming events

How to write unlikeable characters and make them irresistible

25/04/2026 14.00
Bournemouth Writing Festival
SOLD OUT!
If you missed the chance to attend this, please get in touch to hear when I’ll be repeating this talk.

Enquiry about the next date
Build unforgettable characters via backstories

21/05/2026 19.30
Online
In this hands-on workshop, Francesco examines the importance of backstories to highlight narrative thematic resonance, analysing novels and films in depth to understand what can undermine an otherwise engaging story.
Beginning with a word of warning against backstories revealed like clues in a murder mystery, Francesco will dive deep into the importance of connecting characters' backstories to their thematic universe of choice, using examples spanning from Madame Bovary to Spiderman.
He will then analyse Pi Patel's poignant backstory in the novel 'Life of Pi', showing how the screen adaptation loses most of its emotional force by tweaking the theme ever so slightly.
It will follow a brief exposition of the 'Trauma Trope', and how to use it effectively (or not so much) showing examples from the tv show 'The Boys'.
Francesco will close with a display of what a writer can conjure with words, using 'Stories of your life' by Ted Chiang and its screen adaptation 'Arrival' to show the endless possibilities of writing craft.
4 thought provoking exercises are intertwined with the above sections, suitable for both authors looking to improve their work in progress and writers thinking about their first draft.

More Info
How to write spine-chilling villains

18/06/2026 19.30
Online
This 90‑minute workshop invites writers to step into the shadowed territory where antagonists stop being clichés and start becoming disturbingly human.
Writers will explore how every villain carries a private instruction manual for how the world works; a manual shaped by early fractures, defence mechanisms, and the desperate need to feel safe, loved, or simply intact. By tracing that inner logic, you’ll learn to craft baddies whose darkness is rooted in psychological truth rather than trope.
Across this session, we’ll examine the evolution of the villain from myth to cinema, map shadow archetypes, and study how trauma, shame, and self‑sabotage can become narrative engines. We’ll look at the villain as the protagonist’s distorted mirror, and we’ll explore the ethics of writing evil: how to portray harm without flattening it, and how to make readers feel the unsettling pull of dark empathy.
By the end, you’ll know how to build antagonists who are complex, contradictory, and frighteningly alive.

Save your spot

Fancy a discount on my future courses?

Subscribe to my Newsletter

All my subscribers benefit from a significant discount on my online and face to face workshops and courses. Plus, by subscribing you get a free PDF with the best 30 prompts to get your creativity flowing.

Subscribe to get your discount

Testimonials

Francesco was a charming and engaging tutor with lots of practical advice for budding SFF writers. The course was nicely paced and did not overwhelm and I am told the feedback from him was constructive and challenging which is just what you want. It was a pleasure to attend even if I do not intend to write an SFF novel I certainly know a lot of useful tips which I can apply to other genres

SM
Francesco is clearly a brilliant author and someone who is very passionate about what they do but is also committed to helping new authors learn how to become great writers themselves. His 7 week writing course demonstrates this thoroughly in the way he guides new writers through the steps to creating a great first novel. I found his advice to be invaluable as an aspiring writer and I have already made many improvements to my work with the things he has taught me during his lessons. I would recommended his courses to any new writers struggling to figure out how to write a great book without hesitation.

BM
As a young writer (who's been chipping away at the same old manuscript for ten years) I've been in real need of external guidance and suggestion. I count myself very lucky to have heard about Francesco’s class at this stage in my writing journey – he’s a brilliant teacher, who takes a genuine interest in your own work, and listens to your unique needs as much as he expounds about universal literary concepts and practises. I have been particularly impressed with his ability to answer on-the-fly questions relating theories on plot or character to my own manuscript, and pluck an example from popular culture to back up his input (from Harry Potter, to The Hunger Games, to more classical texts). I’ve come away from his class full of ideas, and with a revitalised passion to put them down on the page.

JW
Francesco is an engaging speaker and clearly a very talented individual when it comes to creative writing. Hearing his story has inspired me to continue pushing to be the best writer I can be. His tenacity in achieving his own dream makes me want to pursue my own even more. I would highly recommend attending some of his courses and workshops.

DF