Swanwick Writers' Summer School
7-13 August 2021
  • Home
  • About
    • Why attend Swanwick?
    • Venue/Location
    • Committee
    • FAQs
    • Policies & Procedures
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Programme
    • Full Programme
    • Speakers
    • Specialist Courses
    • Short Courses
    • One-Hour Workshops 2021
    • One-to-One Sessions
    • And There's More! >
      • Page to Stage >
        • P2S Guidelines
        • Play-writing Tips
      • Lift Up Your Pens
      • Book Room
      • Unwind Your Mind
      • Lift Up Your Hearts
      • Morning Meditation
      • Evening Events
  • Book
    • Book a Place
    • Pay Online
    • TopWrite
    • Assisted Places
    • Win a Place
    • Swanwick Gift Vouchers
  • Resources
    • Resources for Writers
    • Swanwick Connections
    • Downloads >
      • Course Notes 2019
    • Feedback Form
    • Photos
    • Page to Stage Videos
  • Pitch a Course
  • Support Us
  • Contact

The Perfect Crime Novel – #AskSwanwick with Kate Griffin

19/7/2015

0 Comments

 
From the foggy streets of Victorian London where dancing girls mysteriously disappear, novelist Kate Griffin, author of the Kitty Peck mysteries, joined us on Friday, 10th July 2015, to talk about her first break into writing fiction and the journey that lead her there.

Kate had written for a living, first as a ‘journo’ and then as a press officer. However, she felt that novel writing was “something I thought others did, until I tried entering a writing competition which was the spur I needed. I like a deadline!” It was the Faber & Stylist Magazine that provided her first big break, but she had also entered the Times/Chicken House competition the year before and, amazingly, was shortlisted which encouraged her to keep trying.

Being a journalist helped Kate as a novelist. “Writing is like a muscle,” she told us. “If you do it - in some way every day, it gets stronger. The worst thing is procrastination. Never put it off - if you feel you have something to write, do it!” She writes in the basement of her house (during the twitter chat there was “a tempting smell of curry wafting from the kitchen”), although she confesses “oddly, now I've started writing in a particular place it's very hard to work anywhere else. I’ve become a creature of habit.”

  • On the perfect crime novel: “For me a great crime novel has two elements, one, characters you care about and, two, careful, meticulous plotting.” 
  • On dealing the less savoury aspects of Victoriana - eg. Opium: “Research is key! Dickens is fabulous on this #EdwinDrood.”
  • On savoury elements when writing for children: “My Victorian books are for adults. When I write for children, I am more careful, but kids are quite 'hard core'. Obviously there are some places you NEVER go when writing for kids, but they can smell a 'message' and being patronised a mile off! As a child, I hated the thought someone didn't think I was sophisticated enough to think for myself.”
  • On tricks to create atmosphere and setting: “I try to visit the places I write about if they still exist (i.e. Wiltons Music hall, Whitechapel). I've changed elements of my books after visiting places like Limehouse. Walking is always good. I always try to go where I take my characters. I also think you have to use your imagination: 'my' Victorian world is probably unique to me.”
  • On editing: “To be honest, it's always a mad dash to deadline. I try to edit as I go along. If I have time at the end I tweak. I can only get motivated when I'm scared. It's a legacy of writing against the clock. I need a deadline.”
  • On planning and characters: “I'm a total 'pantser' (good word!). As I write the story tells itself to me. My characters sort of walk into my head fully formed. I really love writing the minor ones.”
  • On Procrastination: “Procrastination can be as much a part of the process - like the 'over the yard arm' G&T which is part of my writing process (but it's not essential). Procrastination can also be very creative, until you realise you've procrastinated your writing time away.”
Towards the end of the chat, Kate Griffin offered some words of advice to fellow writers: “My top tip is be true to yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not.” And, for those working to the early hours or against a tight deadline, “never underestimate the creative kick of a packet of Haribo Starmix.”


We’d like to thank Kate Griffin for giving up her time to share her thoughts with us for the #AskSwanwick Twitter chat. Please do follower her @KateAGriffin on Twitter and follow us @Swanwickwriters. Thank you to Benjamin Scott for moderating the chat.

About Kate Griffin

After studying English at university Kate's first job was as an assistant to an antiques dealer, but she quickly realised that although she liked being surrounded by beautiful objects, she liked being surrounded by people who talked to her much more. Kate never quite shook off her love of old things, however, and historical settings play an important role in her stories. Her first book, Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders (winner of the 2012 Faber and Faber / Stylist Magazine crime fiction writing competition) was published in July 2013. The sequel, Kitty Peck and the Child of Ill Fortune, was published on July 3rd this year. She is currently working on two more books in the series. Under the name Cate Cain, she has also published two books for children, The Jade Boy and The Moon Child (both published by Templar).

 Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders was shortlisted for the CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger in 2014. The Jade Boy was shortlisted for The Booktrust’s ‘Book of the Year’ award for readers aged 9-13. She can be found on Twitter @KateAGriffin.

 

0 Comments

Meet Masters of Horror, Fantasy and SF on Twitter

17/7/2015

0 Comments

 
PictureAlex Davis
In our last #AskSwanwick before this year's summer school, we're going spooky. Get out your axes, swords and laser pistols for our #AskSwanwick Chat on Tuesday, 4 August at 8pm UK time, when SF, Fantasy and Horror agent John Jarrold and author, editor and publisher of the same genres Alex Davis will be our #AskSwanwick Twitter Chat guests. Grab the chance to ask John and Alex everything you'd like to know about the latest trends in SF, Fantasy and Horror. Both have been speakers and/or tutors at Swanwick, and know the market and quirks of their genres inside out.  So, if you want to know how to tear into the horror market like a werewolf, or want to add rocket boosters to your sci-fi success, this is the Twitter chat to tune into.

John Jarrold has worked in book publishing since January 1988 following fifteen years working in public libraries. As an editor and editorial director specialising in SF and Fantasy with Orbit at Macdonald Futura (the forerunner to Little Brown UK), Random House and Simon & Schuster between 1988 and 2002, he published bestselling novelists including Iain Banks, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, David Gemmell, Arthur C Clarke and Michael Moorcock.

Since 2004, he has run the John Jarrold Literary Agency, which specialises entirely in SF, Fantasy and Horror. He has around forty clients – and has turned down over 9,000 submissions to the agency. The agency had over 50 books released by major publishers in the UK and US in 2013 alone, many others in translation across the world. It has also clinched multi-book deals for over 20 debut novelists. Four of his clients won major awards in 2013, including the Arthur C Clarke Award and the British SF Association Award for Short Fiction.

Alex Davis is an author, editor, publisher, creative writing tutor and event organiser based in Derby. His debut novel, THE LAST WAR, came out in July from Tickety Boo Press, and is the first in a science-fiction trilogy following the aliens of the Noukari. He is co-ordinator for Derby's annual Edge-Lit event – that ran this year on the 11th July – and part of the management committee for this year's Derby Book Festival. He also runs Boo Books, Derby's independent press, aiming to promote regional talent along internationally known authors. Their latest release is The Electric, available in paperback for the first time. For more information visit http://boobooks.net/.

What better way to prepare for another fabulous Swanwick week than to tune in on Twitter with those Masters of Horror? So prepare your questions, gird your loins and ignore the eerie noises and the screams. If you'd like to participate, just search #AskSwanwick (selection “Live”) on 4 August between 8 and 9pm UK time. Once the chat has started, you can simply ask a question by using the hashtag #AskSwanwick on your tweet. You can find detailed guidelines on our chats here: http://www.swanwickwritersschool.org.uk/twitter-chat.html#.VZOFzunALcs


Picture
John Jarrold
0 Comments

    Archives

    April 2018
    August 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013

    RSS Feed

Contact us
Sign up for our newsletter
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Picture
Swanwick Writers' Summer School
Registered Charity No. 1168531 
Address:
The Hayes Conference Centre
Swanwick, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 1AU
Did you know you can now help us raise funds by just shopping online?
It won't cost you a penny! Find out more
Copyright © Swanwick Writers' Summer School 2020  -  Photo Credits  -  Contact the webmaster  - Policies