SWLF Programme 2024

There’s a long tradition of poets finding inspiration in other artists’ work. Originally denoting the vivid description of a scene, ekphrastic poetry has developed to encompass any personal response to a work of art. Whatever your previous poetic experience, this workshop offers a chance to explore voice and point of view, to touch on unfamiliar subjects and situations and to create the groundwork for new poems. 

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Author website: https://gwynethbox.com/ 

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Have you ever dreamed of writing a novel? Have you started and abandoned story ideas over the years? Maybe you loved to write as a child and you long to get back to it? Maybe you have a complete manuscript in a drawer and don't quite know what to do next? Whereever you are on your writing journey, if you'd love to write and publish a novel, then this workshop is for you.

 

Alison May is a best-selling novelist, editor and writing mentor who has worked with authors who've gone on to be published by Avon, Headline, HQ, Bookouture and many others. In this workshop she'll break novel writing down into its basic building blocks of character, plot and place, and help you create the beginnings of a story you can take away, develop and complete.

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Alison is a published commercial fiction author writing short stories, novels and novellas. She also writes modern inclusive romcoms as Ally Sinclair, and darker stories as Juliet Bell in collaboration with Janet Gover. 

 

Author website: https://alison-may.co.uk/

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Best selling travel writer Simon Whaley will show you how to turn your holidays into cash by writing inspirational travel features.

This workshop is ideal for anyone interested in writing travel articles and draws upon Simon's experience producing travel features for publications including Coast, BBC Countryfile magazine, Britain, and The People's Friend.

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Author website: https://www.simonwhaley.co.uk/

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Sophie is an internationally bestselling crime writer and course director of University of Cambridge's new Master's degree in Crime & Thriller Writing. In this workshop for writers and aspiring writing, Sophie will teach participants:

• how to massively increase your chances of success

• how to change incorrect, unhelpful and limiting beliefs

• how to retain full control over your writing dreams and journey, instead of giving your power away to the first agent or editor who shows an interest in you

• how to make sure your dreams, and your definitions of success and failure, aren’t working against you

• how to be your own best and most powerful ally and advocate, throughout your writing life

• how to make brilliant, regret-proof decisions using The Double Best Method

• and how to use Sophie's amazing invention, the Literary Diagnostics method (which is very different from editing), to take your writing to the next level. 

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Award winning screenwriter William Ivory (Made in Dagenham, The Great Escaper, Burton and Taylor) will explore the fundamental building blocks of how to write a script for TV or film. How does the medium differ from the stage, or prose work? How is it best to structure a piece of filmic writing, and above all, what is the KEY element in creating any successful screenplay? Using examples from his own work and those from many films and TV shows you will have seen yourself, Billy will take you on a condensed and rapid fire tour of THE most prolific scripted form. As he puts it: "This is Screenwriting 101!" The session is suitable for those with some experience or none at all, those with intent to be the next Aaron Sorkin, or those who are just curious.

 

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