a week that lasts for years

These are very informal and relaxed sessions and usually last about an hour of an afternoon.

Are you talking to me? go
Beginners go
Collective writing – strength in numbers go
Comicscripting go
Confessions of a restaurant reviewer go
Curiosity makes authors make books go
Creating fantasy landscapes go
Diamond moments at Swanwick go
Drama workshop go
How to make your writers' group work go
Just the facts ma'am go
Let's write a radio play go
Life with the toons go
Lucrative letters go
A lyrical challenge go
Poetry that performs go
Researching character authenticity go

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How to make your writers' group work
Martin Brocklebank

Fantastic title, but how on earth will it work?

So many writers’ groups start with a flourish and end up with a few ‘friends’ sitting in someone’s front room. Good intentions are all very well but without structure your group is doomed to failure.

Martin Brocklebank is a ‘committee animal’. Chairman of Speakeasy – Milton Keynes Writers’ Group for the past 15 years he has seen the group grow, shrink, grow, shrink and grow. Is there a formula to running a successful writers’ group? The answer is plain and simple – NO. Come and learn from Martin’s mistakes and contribute your successes or failures. Not so much a talk but more of a self help group. If you want your writers group to succeed then this could be the best hour of the week for you.

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Diamond moments at Swanwick
Mike Brewer
our archivist

Please write up your Swanwick Diamond Moment, pop it into an A4 plastic pocket and bring it along to read out for a maximum of three minutes.
If you are not called upon, or aren’t able to finish your piece in the stipulated time, don’t worry.
Place your pocket and words in our ring binder entitled DIAMOND MOMENTS so other members will be able to read it at leisure later on.

Mike Brewer has never been officially appointed as the School’s archivist, so doesn’t know when he became it. He sort of emerged.
Mike has attended the School since 1966, with few absences, and is an inveterate hoarder.
Having agreed to take care of material inherited by Brenda Courtie when she was Secretary, Mike felt it to be of interest to the Derbyshire Records Office in Matlock.
Minutes of meetings of the Steering Committee which set up the School are available for inspection there, as well as all the programmes and lots more.
Mike is always happy to accept suitable material.
He will mount an exhibition of Swanwick memorabilia for the Diamond Anniversary.

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Curiosity makes authors make books
Tony Corley

It is only by studying what other people are like, and observing their behaviour in every kind of circumstance, that authors in their writings can create credible characters that their readers can relate to.

Tony Corley has written many non-fiction books and shorter pieces, mainly on historical subjects, including biographies. Having completed nearly 100 entries for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, on famous British men and women, ranging from highly gifted entrepreneurs to crooks and charlatans, in his discussion group he will suggest the value to authors of fiction as well as non-fiction of delving as deeply as possible into their characters' behaviour, and backgrounds. As a committee member of the Jane Austen Society, Tony's researches have shown that her curiosity was so highly developed that only one-tenth of what she knew about her characters appear on the page, giving that much greater authority to almost every sentence she wrote.

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Confessions of a restaurant reviewer
Della Galton

In this light hearted talk we will look at the art of writing restaurant reviews. Is this really the dream job it appears, or is it true that there is no such thing as a free lunch? Come along and find out.

Della Galton has sold more than a thousand short stories to magazines and has had two novels published. Her first non fiction book, How to Write and Sell Short Stories, comes out in October 08 and is published by Accent Press.

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A lyrical challenge
Maria Hunt

Stuck for ideas? Can't seem to think of ANYTHING to write? Well, With A Little Help From My Friends you'll be writing in no time!
If you know where to look, many song lyrics can offer the writer a wealth of great characters, fabulous settings, evocative dialogue or even whole mini-plots! All of which are just aching to be explored and developed. In this fun and easy workshop we'll be looking at kickstarting your imagination, just by listening to some great songs!
Bring along a note pad, a pen - and don't forget your ears!

Maria has been writing for more than 20 years. She worked on several different magazines before spending 13 years with TTG UK (Travel Trade Gazette) before moving onto the travel team at the Daily Express. Now a freelance copy and features writer, specializing in the travel market, Maria has written holiday brochures and promotional copy for a variety of top clients.
However, her real passion in writing is short stories. Over the years she has been widely published in the women’s magazine market.

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Collective Writing – Strength in Numbers

Hoping to inspire and help other writers, four members of Jeeve Publishing, Julie, Eileen, Vera and Eve, will talk about how they met, became friends and collectively wrote, published and sold Fish Pie and Laughter and The Guilty Suitcase. Their third book is in progress! Time will be left for questions.
left to right: Vera Morris - Eileen Dickson - Eve Wibberley - Julie Roberts

Vera Morris looked forward to a relaxing retirement; but two novels and many short stories put paid to that idea. She plans to write about her large garden.

Eileen Dickson works for the Witness Service at a magistrates’ court. Her novel and its characters nag to be finished, and she wishes the daily bus ride were longer …

Eve Wibberley (aka Jennifer Smith) campaigned for the recognition of dyslexia. She helps produce her community newspaper and enjoys writing short stories.

Julie Roberts was nominated for the Oxfordshire Learner Award, five poems published, runner-up in a short story competition, historical novel completed, another in progress.

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Lucrative letters
Colin Kilpatrick

Few forms of writing command such a high rate of payment per word, can be completed in a very short time and offer a fairly wide range of markets for submissions.

Colin Kilpatrick's writing career has spanned more than forty years and covered articles and short stories in a number of publications in UK and abroad and on the BBC Morning Story.
He is a past winner of the Mills and Boon Romantic Novel competition, has taught creative writing for examination purposes in a further education college, to women's groups and to prisoners in Craiginches Prison in Aberdeen.
He has also sent several hundred letters to a variety of publications with payment ranging from 50p to £200.

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Researching Character Authenticity
Elizabeth Lord

Bringing your characters to life. Getting to know them; studying people; listening to conversations; watching body language; interpreting what is being said. We will look at ways of researching the location and time in which your characters exist; methods of research; how to find sources other than the internet. How to find one-to-one experts to help create your scenes, locations, dress, manners.

Elizabeth is author of 20 published novels, including family saga and historical. Her books sell in the the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Greece, Italy and Germany. Her novels are in hardback, paperback, large print, audio and CD. Elizabeth Lord runs a writers group, was on the committee of the Romantic Writers Association and is a member of SWWJ.

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Drama workshop
Structure, structure, structure
Peter Lyons

The commonest fault with inexperienced playwrights is that they fail to structure their work to bring out the best of the dramatic potential hidden in their idea or material.
Using examples of already published storylines, we'll explore ways and means of overcoming this problem.
Pen and paper necessary, along with an open mind.

Peter Lyons has had nine plays performed, from London to Stornoway, five professionally, ranging from a monologue, to a play featuring 11 actors, the only prop being a black box. Has also won playwriting competitions, and this year adjudicated the Scottish Association of Writers One Act competition.
Peter is a founder member of Swan Playwrights - a Worcester based partnership with the Swan Theatre there, enabling greater opportunity for writers to obtain professional exposure. Currently the school's treasurer.

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Beginners
Tactics and tips for success
Chriss McCallum

A 2-part session:

1, How to maximise your chances by being professional from the start, writing as well as you can, selecting, studying and approaching the most suitable markets.

2, A 'Question & Answer' session, dealing with specific concerns and problems, from which everyone can benefit.

Since the blissful day she joined Collins (now HarperCollins) as a junior editorial reader, Chriss McCallum has spent her working life in publishing, both in-house and freelance, as editor, 'agony aunt', markets correspondent, ghostwriter and published author of articles, interviews, short stories and non-fiction books.

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Just the facts ma'am
getting to the point
Brendan Nolan

Researching on the internet, or in libraries, is fine; but sooner or later you need to speak to a real human being in interview. We look at ways to prepare for interview, from either side. You will leave with new insight into how to get to the point, succinctly, sweetly and successfully.

Brendan Nolan is a freelance trainer, writer and journalist of many years experience. The author of two books, Brendan is a columnist with Writing Magazine and webmaster for the internationally recognised websites www.askaboutwriting.net and www.writingclub.org. In his speakeasy training programme Brendan shows speakers and authors how to read or speak in public with equanimity.

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Did you hear my poem?
Pennant Roberts
How best to present your verses in public. The dos and don'ts.

We consider how to approach different venues; from formal recitation delivered from memory, to open-mic performance in a pub or at a slam.
We look at the contrasts between reading your poems to a group of serious poetry lovers and successfully working an audience to achieve maximum laughter - or a warm smile - with your humorous verse.
We will initiate a discussion arising from short illustrations of the very worst habits we have all witnessed...How not to do it.

Pennant Roberts (Penn) is a prize-winning public speaker, raconteur, performance poet and published writer.

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Are you talking to me?
Faith with attitude
Rev. Jill Swallow

This workshop will look at types of stories and deal with finding new angles for familiar stories. It will also touch on how to use ideas from radio, television, and over-heard conversation in talks and sermons. We shall look at writing for the typical parish magazine and for Sunday morning local radio, and deal with some basic rules of how to 'read aloud' in front of an audience or congregation.

Jill Swallow was educated in Yorkshire and read theology at Birmingham University. After teaching in Lancashire and Yorkshire, she moved to Northumberland, and it was in Durham where she trained for ministry in the Church of England.
She was among the first women to be ordained priest in1994.
For almost twenty five years, Jill has worked in parishes in Northumberland, the Midlands, Lancashire and Yorkshire. As a curate and parish priest, she has also ministered among deaf people, worked as a hospital chaplain, helped run a diocesan conference house, and been an assistant vocations advisor.
As well as being a priest, wife and mother Jill is now an author and a speaker and a regular contributor to local radio. Her first book ”Days Before Dibley” was published in 2007.

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Life with the 'toons
Writing animation
Roger Stennett

A talk about writing animation, and an opportunity for questions and answers. Everything you've ever wanted to know about 'Toons, but were afraid to ask !

Roger Stennett is an award winning professional writer with 30 years experience writing for Film, TV, Theatre and Radio. He is one of Europe's most experienced writers of Animation, writing for companies such as Disney, Hanna-Barber, Ragdoll Films, Cosgrove Hall and France Animation. He is the only 'living being' to have written for both Sooty and The Royal Shakespeare Company.

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Comicscripting
Writing picture stories
Gordon Wells

After a quick run-through of the history of picture-stories, from the Bayeux Tapestry to today's graphic novels there will be similarly brief advice on how to script both fiction and non-fiction comic strips. You don't have to draw anything and comic strips aren't necessarily humorous or fantasy.

Gordon Wells has published about sixty books and hundreds of articles. The books include textbooks, how-to-write books – recently, Writing: The Hobby That Pays – children's non-fiction books and eleven children's novels. He has a regular column in Writing Magazine.

He has also scripted thirty-plus book-length commando picture stories and more than two hundred non-fiction picture-features in Kids Alive!

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Let's write a radio play
Stella Whitelaw

Radio devours millions of words. If you can write a good short story, you can write a radio play. The technique is different but the premise is the same.

Stella Whitelaw has three plays and a TV game show under consideration by the BBC.
Her track record is 42 books published, 270 short stories in national magazines and several top national prizes.

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Creating fantasy landscapes
Dr Val Williamson

The session will pick up on some issues arising from the Speculative Fiction course last year and perhaps extend them into other genres.

We will look at how particular locales/settings have inspired authors of bestsellers and think about how speculative fiction creates its own landscapes or delivers recognizable ones with a twist.

Val Williamson has been publishing short fiction for more than 20 years.
in a variety of genres in anthologies, magazines, and on radio. She
lectures undergraduate film and animation students on narrative and
genre, helping them to become good storytellers. Her PhD thesis and
various published academic essays take an interest in how locale
functions as an aspect of character in fiction.

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Daily ‘Freestyle ’ Themed Workshops 2008 here
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Swanwick 2008 August 09 to August 15
Diamond Anniversary Year