The Festival of Writing in York was once again alive with creativity.
Those new to writing, those in the throes of the writing process and others
having been published this year or just received their first publishing deal.
I'm in a fortunate place within the festival where I get to
see and hear the amazing stories coming out of the One-to-One sessions. I think
this year more people than ever have been asked to submit complete manuscripts
on the back of their submission to the agents. The buzz around the ‘Spaceship’,
or central hall for those unaware of York University, from agents, book doctors, editors and
publishers was that the majority of the writing this year has once again
improved across all genre. Unfortunately I don’t get to attend any of the
workshops but I've been told that they inspired and the delegates were engaged.
I had a brief conversation with a delegate who attended Julie Cohen’s workshop
on ‘Learning Story Structure from Pixar Films’ she told me it was very
interesting and inspiring.
One of the most exciting parts of the festival comes when
delegates, agents and all sit together for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is
a very important part of the networking process. You get to talk, question and
discuss all that is writing in a delightful social situation.
If you've never been to this festival and you have a passion
for writing, or have always thought you could write then why not start saving
up for next year – it is really worth the money you invest to help you along
the road to publication.
This year I actually managed to do a little writing during
the weekend – a first for me. I've started a new WIP and managed to take it
over the 10,000 mark whilst I was there. I'm loving working on this piece and
can’t wait to get to the end. If I continue writing at this pace, I’ll be on target
for Christmas.
I have been honoured to hear a few chapters from a friend
and writer, whom I'm sure will soon be represented and published. I can’t wait
to read the whole thing. Exciting times.
I would like you to use some of the images in this blog to
inspire a piece of writing from you. There is no theme. Just look at an image
and start to write.
No comments:
Post a Comment