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2019 One-Hour Workshops

The 2020 One-Hour Workshops will appear here in Spring 2020
Details of the 2019 One-Hour Workshops are retained below to give you an idea of what you might expect

Sunday

Page to Stage Briefing in the MCH - Cathy Grimmer and Jonathan Higgs
See the Page to Stage pages for more details and just turn up at the Main Conference Hall at 16:00.
Writing for Competitions - Ingrid Jendrzejewski

​This session is designed to help you move from the competition slush pile into the shortlist - and beyond - no matter what your starting point.

It will cover the dos and don'ts of contest submissions, strategies for both themed and non-themed contests, tips on how to find the right competitions for your work, and practical advice that will help you plan, draft edit and polish your contest entries. There will even be a mini competition for you to enter should you wish. ​

Monday

Getting your Readers in a Twist - Colin Ward
Do you want your readers to gasp as they exclaim: “Well, I didn’t see that coming”? Perhaps you want them to be blindsided by an unexpected emotional sledgehammer.

Capturing that ultimate twist is not for the faint-hearted, especially not in world where our readers are getting smarter to our tricks and conventions. The simple “who-dunnit” reveal in a long, drawn-out denouement is not always what readers want. Sometimes the twists leading up to the finale are just as important.
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In an exploration on misdirection, red-herrings, and double-twists, this workshop aims to whet your appetite even more to delve into this exciting skill in writing.
Colin Ward is an author, poet and self-publisher with a special interest in the Crime Thriller genre. He has nearly twenty years’ experience in writing, directing and producing theatre with people of all ages, in addition to being a former teacher. Creating a great story is always the main focus of his work, as he enjoys the process of shaping, researching and exploring as much as the frantic hammering of thousands of words. Having worked in everything from improvisation to crafting a complex story arc, he loves taking readers on a journey into the…well…wait and see
Photography for Writers - Simon Hall
Do you take photographs as you go about your writing? If not, you’re missing out on a great opportunity.

Photos are important for social media posts, blogs, news articles, your website, and all your promotional work.

They’re also a living record of everywhere you’ve been, the people you’ve met, and the things you have done.

Learn how to take high-quality and memorable photos using just a smart phone or tablet in this highly interactive workshop. ​

You will also have the opportunity to see your photos published, as Swanwick’s own newspaper, the Standard, returns for another year, but this time in photojournalism form!

Tuesday - 09:30-10:30

The Four Ps of storytelling: Problem, Plot, People and Place - Steve Hartley
A back to basics refresher course that examines how the fundamental elements of a story work together to create tension, and how an idea can be changed drastically by focusing more on one element than the others
Writing Fillers - Maggie Cobbett
Many publications invite - and, more crucially, reward - contributions from readers. Written in 200 words at the most and usually far fewer, your observations, reminiscences, anecdotes, queries, tips, cuttings and photographs can result in a very useful extra income stream. 

Maggie has been doing this for years and generally uses the proceeds to pay for her place at Swanwick. (This will be her 14th consecutive year.)  ​

Easy Money for Writers & Wannabes, the little handbook she was encouraged to write after the first workshop she ran on the subject, is Maggie's best seller to date.
​Inspired Writing - Daniela Norris
Inspired Writing is writing which draws on inspiration from what is greater than ourselves to create a story that speaks about everyday events in an uplifting, sometimes life-changing way. A life-long fan of authors such as Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist and many more), Benjamin Hoff (The Tao of Pooh) and Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), Daniela believes that inspiration is all around us - we just need to learn how to connect to it, for our writing to flow.

Daniela Norris is a former diplomat and political writer, turned inspirational author and speaker. She is the author of three books of non-fiction, two novels and a collection of short stories. When she doesn't write, read or sleep, she can usually be found at an airport or a fencing salle.
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Her latest novel, Premonitions, was published in June 2019.
Self-publishing - Gerald Hornsby and ​Anita Belli
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s your book flying high out there in print and e-book! 

Is self-publishing a viable solution to seeing your work in print?
What’s the difference between self-publishing and vanity publishing, and why would someone choose to self-publish over trying for a traditional publishing deal? Or perhaps you can you do both and be a hybrid published Author?

We will outline what self-publishing is, and what it isn’t, and highlight the advantages of choosing self-publishing over traditional publishing. We will show you what makes a professional book, and what doesn’t, and we’ll show you a simple, 3-step system to move from manuscript rough draft to published book. Plus, we will outline the various ‘outlets’ for self-published work (i.e. not just Amazon!).
Gerald Hornsby is a prolific writer of Political Thrillers and Crime novels. He has also written hundreds of pieces of short and micro fiction. He has been active in independent publishing since 2010, and has published several works for charity, as well as a collection of his own short fiction and four writing craft books (with more books slated for publication during 2019). He has been a co-host of the Literary Roadhouse podcast for over 3 years and is an avid fan of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.)
Anita Belli is a Hybrid publisher of 20th Century Historical Women’s Fiction and Contemporary Romance. She has three novels published so far plus a collection of short stories. In addition, she works with schools and community groups to get others hooked on writing and publishing their own work. She has published seven books of short stories, poetry and memoir with groups and individuals and published a writing manual to accompany her workshops. 
She is shortlisted for the inaugural Selfie Awards from Book Brunch at London Film Festival.
Together, Gerald and Anita are two thirds of TheNovelMakers.
Social Media Tips For Writers - Jennifer C Wilson
There’s no avoiding social media these days, so make it a friend, not a foe, and potentially your greatest source of readers or writing buddies (second to Swanwick for the latter, of course). In this hour-long session, we’ll have a whistle-stop tour of tips to stay on top of your timeline, and avoid feeding the trolls. There’ll also be the chance for discussion, and feedback on personal plans.
Jennifer C. Wilson is a marine biologist by training, who developed an equal passion for history and historical fiction whilst stalking Mary, Queen of Scots on childhood holidays (she has since moved on to Richard III). Enrolling on an adult education workshop on her return to the north-east of England for work reignited her pastime of creative writing, and she has been filling notebooks ever since. In 2014, Jennifer won the Story Tyne short story competition, and has been working on a number of projects since, including co-hosting the North Tyneside Writers’ Circle. Her Kindred Spirits novels are published by Crooked Cat Books and her timeslip novella, The Last Plantagenet?, by Ocelot Press. She lives in North Tyneside, and is very proud of her approximately 2-inch view of the North Sea.

Tuesday - 11:15-12:15

Making Sense of Independent Publishing - Kate McCormick
Many writers are turning to independent publishing (or self-publishing) as an alternative to pursuing the traditional route. There is range of questions to be asked, and decisions to be made when following this option. The advice available is confusing and in some cases, deliberately misleading.  The aim of this workshop is to remove the confusion and present a clear route towards the desired result. It will be presented from the point of view of business decision-making, rather than as a technical how-to session, and will cover: options for ebooks, including exclusivity versus ‘going wide’; options for physical books, including POD versus short run presses; audio books; ISBNs; VAT implications for direct digital sales.
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​There will be plenty of opportunity for Q&A.

​Kate McCormick writes as Elizabeth Ducie and independently publishes both fiction and non-fiction under the Chudleigh Phoenix Publications imprint. She is the author of The Business of Writing  series and regularly presents workshops at Swanwick on business skills for authors. Since 2011, she has published 17 titles in nearly 40 formats. Her knowledge and systems have evolved with the independent publishing industry and she has a clear view of the requirements
The Natural Storyteller- How To Write With Less Effort - Bridget Holding
As human beings we are naturally great storytellers. Telling stories is not a luxury for human beings, it is vital to our survival and flourishing. We do it whenever we’re not involved in an immediate task, which is most of the time. In fact, human beings have more trouble not telling stories, than telling stories. What’s more, our stories often come out structurally sound even without much intervention from the thinking mind.

So why is it, when we sit down to use this natural ability consciously, we sometimes struggle, find it hard work, or feel blocked?​

Referencing the work of Jonathan Gottschall (The Storytelling Animal), and American Psychotherapist Peter Levine, amongst others, this talk explains that writing can be far less effortful that we think it can be, if we can just learn to stop sabotaging the natural storyteller.
Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society - Colette Scourse and De'Anne Jean-Jacques
​About the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society: The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) is a not-for-profit organisation started by writers for the benefit of all types of writers. Owned by its members, ALCS collects money due for secondary uses of writers’ work. It is designed to support authors and their creativity, ensure they receive fair payment and see their rights are respected. It promotes and teaches the principles of copyright and campaigns for a fair deal. Representing over 100,000 members, since 1977 ALCS has paid around £500 million to writers.
In this session Colette Scourse and De’Anne Jean-Jacques take you through:
·         The history of ALCS
·         What we do
·         Secondary royalties
·         Where the money comes from
·         Why you should join ALCS
·         How to join
Colette Scourse is the Membership Services Manager and has worked at the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society for just over 15 years. A lot has changed in that time. With the help of a dedicated team of researchers, ALCS membership has increased from 30,000 in 2003 to 100,000 in November 2018.
De’Anne Jean-Jacques is the Distributions Manager and has worked at the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society for 19 years. ALCS collects money from 40 countries worldwide and in its 42 year history have distributed over £500 million to its writer members.

More details of ALCS can be found on their website: ​https://www.alcs.co.uk/
How to Create an Audio Book - Toni Bunnell

Sales of audio books are on the increase and are a realistic way of increasing revenue obtained from your writing. The session will focus on how to create an audio book. It will deal with the process involved in recording and uploading the recorded book to ACX Audible, and subsequently to ITunes and Amazon. Choosing a narrator and the use of incidental music will also be covered. In addition you will be shown how to create a cover for your audio book, within the specifications dictated by ACX. During the course there will be the opportunity for participants to discuss the kind of cover they could use.

Creating an audio book is a great way of increasing your readership and is another way of disseminating your work apart from as an E-book or a paperback.

Participants will learn about the processes involved and how to sequence the actions necessary to prepare an audio book that is acceptable for submission. They will also learn about potential pitfalls and hence save time and money.

​At the end of the course you will be in a position to head for a recording studio, record your work, upload it to ACX Audible and promote it online.
Dr Toni Bunnell is a singer-songwriter, musician, broadcaster, author, hedgehog rehabilitator and a wildlife biologist with a PhD in polecat behaviour. She has run York Hedgehog Rescue for 28 years. In 2017 she was awarded an Animal Action Award by IFAWUK for outstanding achievement in the field of hedgehog care and conservation. She lectured at Hull University for 16 years and has appeared many times on radio and television including Love Your Garden, Countryfile and The One Show.

Toni recently successfully recorded and launched an audio book on ACX Audible. Room Between the Floorboards is also self-published as a paperback.

As a singer-songwriter on the folk scene Toni has performed many times at folk clubs and festivals throughout the UK and Germany. She continues to perform on a regular basis.
Toni spent five years running music therapy sessions for people with learning difficulties, resulting in the traditionally published book: Music Makes a Difference. She has self-published eight novels as paperbacks, and two non-fiction books about hedgehogs. All are available from her website: www.tonibunnell.com.
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Toni has been commissioned three times, by Eden UKTV television channel, to write reports concerning endangered species etc. In each instance, the remit involved a day spent in a London studio giving twenty live radio interviews, followed by significant media coverage in the national press.
NaNoWriMo - what and, more importantly, why?
Each year, tens of thousands of aspiring and experienced authors across the globe sign up for National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. The challenge is to write 50,000 words of a novel during the 30 days of November.

But what is it? Why would anyone want to do it, and what would you hope to gain from it? Is fast writing bad writing? Will you have a novel at the end of the month?​

We take you through a brief history, the idea, and how we approach it. We will discuss coping mechanisms, and hints and tips on writing quickly. We will discuss why you should do it, and also why you shouldn’t do it! 

​Gerald Hornsby first took on the challenge of NaNoWriMo in 2003. By the end of that November he was hooked. Every year since then, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness has brought a growing excitement as November approaches. 
2018 saw his 15th sign-up and a 14th win, which means 15 novels in various stages of completion, some published!

​Vikki Thompson first took part in NaNoWriMo in 2010 and has successfully completed the challenge every year since. She was an ML (Municipal Liason) for the Kent region for 3 years and creator of the Nano Kent FaceBook group. She has used it to write 4 novels, 2 novellas and hundreds of short stories. Preferring, in recent years, to complete the challenge by writing longhand

Wednesday

​Prize-Winning Readings - Chaired by Ingrid ​Jendrzejewsk

​Every year, in association with Writing Magazine, we award three free places at the Swanwick Writers' Summer School to the winners of our short story, poetry and children's writing competitions.

If you entered this year, or are thinking of doing so next year, join Ingrid as she hosts the prize-winning readings, read by the authors themselves.
Yoga for Writers - Maria Hennings Hunt
Every writer knows that the creative process can take its toll on the body. 

Stiff necks, rounded shoulders, headaches, lower back ache and even wrist ache can all be caused by spending long hours hunched over a keyboard or gripping a pen.

But it’s not just the body that can suffer in this scenario – so can the creative mind.  How can your thoughts flow freely when your lungs are all scrunched up or your back aches so much – that’s all you can think about?​

In this Yoga for Writers Workshop we will look at how just a few simple postures and stretching exercises can help loosen up your body AND your mind, enabling the breath to flow and the mind to reconnect with the creative process.  

Maria Hennings Hunt is a fully qualified 200YA Yoga teacher and has been practising Yoga for over 30 years.  She currently runs her own successful SE London based dance school called Dance Generation as well as being the Vice Chairman of the Swanwick Writers Summer School.  See the committee page for more info.