SCBWI – Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Posted on 25 July, 2010 by Susan K Franklin

British SCBWI is celebrating 10 years of supporting and encouraging Children’s book writers and illustrators with their third conference.

This year the conference is being held between the 13 -14 November 2010, at The Stripe complex, King Alfred Campus, University of Winchester, SO22 4NR. This is also the venue for the regular Winchester Writers Conference which has now been supporting writers for 30 years and the university offers degrees and MA’s in creative writing.

The SCBWI conference is for writers or illustrators focusing on children’s writing. There are opportunities to have work critiqued, talk to agents, and editors and attend workshops as well as networking with established authors and illustrators.

Not a member of SCBWI? Well that doesn’t matter, the conference is open to anyone working or wanting to develop their work in the children’s genre. Check out the official British SCBWI website for more details and how to book your place.

If you are serious about writing for children this is a brilliant place to start. If you become a member, not expensive, there are many benefits: professional series, networking parties, retreats and much, much more.

If you do go, why not drop us a line and let us know how you got on?

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Winchester 2010

Posted on 10 July, 2010 by Susan K Franklin

Winchester 2010 with Plenary Speaker Sir Terry Pratchett OBE

This year the Winchester Writers’ Conference was celebrating 30 years of inspiring, encouraging and educating aspiring authors. The conference ran over three days. During this time workshops, seminars, networking, midnight reads and the all-important one-to-one appointments with agents, editors and authors were held. Not forgetting the book shop where first time authors can see their books beside established writers.

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Web power rules!

Posted on 7 July, 2010 by Kevin Bennett

Who needs Facebook to keep in touch, eh? Get you own site, and see what pops up from the past. Check out this.

Posted in Inspiration, Passing fancies | 2 Comments

Knowing why we cry

Posted on 3 July, 2010 by Ian Cundell

I have been thinking about last week’s finale of Dr Who (or rather the last two weeks, it was a two parter). I know what you’re thinking: a) you sad git and b) what’s that got to do with crying?

Trust me. I am not a doctor.

The show has probably gone from iPlayer now, so if you still have not seen it then treat yourselves to the DVDs when they come out, because the last two episodes in particular are a story telling masterclass. “What?” I hear you cry, “SciFi giving a masterclass in anything. Don’t be an ass.” Let me explain. Hear be spoilers.

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Posted in Analysis, Film and TV scriptwriting, Inspiration, Technique | Leave a comment

17.5 Things To Buy With £17.50

Posted on 27 June, 2010 by Steve Barley

The responsibility for holding the beer kitty money proves too much for Steve. It’s amazing what you can spend £17.50 on these days.

Find out exactly what in his Desperate Househusband blog.

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Operational note

Posted on 26 June, 2010 by Ian Cundell

We now haz mobile capabilities. Innit.

Check it out on your iPhone Droid-y thing.

Posted in Passing fancies | 2 Comments

“gross negligence or wilful misconduct”

Posted on 19 June, 2010 by Jes Guy

I see that the BP bosses are now facing charges of “gross negligence or wilful misconduct” – does the same apply to Eng-er-land Manager Fabio Capello.

After last night’s lacklustre performance (the poor souls are only paid £160K per week) as the “importance of being earnest and ethnically northern” commentator intoned; “they’re frustrated; they look haunted by the England shirts; they’re playing poor club football in international shirts” I’m now looking to Lord David Young to look into my ‘Elf & safety.

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Oh, sod off

Posted on 7 June, 2010 by Ian Cundell

It is because we don’t have one of these that English is the global language. In the English language, the rules are, as often as not, more honor’d in the breach than the observance.

Posted in Analysis, Pet Peeve | 1 Comment

Memo to fans: let the storyteller tell it

Posted on 25 May, 2010 by Ian Cundell

The past week has seen the conclusion of two popular (probably influential, arguably seminal) TV series, the BBC’s Life on Mars/ Ashes to Ashes and ABC’s Lost.

Both series dealt with strikingly similar themes (I’ll put them under the broad heading of “letting go”) and both have, in their respective runs, exhibited many of the strengths and weakness of the TV cultures in which they were created. For me, the end of Ashes to Ashes was, mostly, a model of taut economy in the handling of emotion, while Lost slightly slapped the emotion on with a trowel, but both were satisfying conclusions to their shows – well, for all but a certain type of fan. Continue reading →

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A short dilemma

Posted on 17 May, 2010 by Jenny Barden

A short story is ‘a world seen in a quick glancing light,’ so said Alice Munro. It’s a ‘glance at the miraculous,’ according to Joseph O’Connor (in his introduction to the 1997 Fish Anthology). It allows ‘a glimpse into the moment of a life,’ says literary agent Lucy Luck on The Story Website. Glances and glimpses – are these what make a short story really work?

I’ve been pondering on this recently, not least because the VWC’s champion of the form, Jon Pinnock, has nobly accepted the challenge to compile a VWC anthology, and has called on members for submissions. So what’s he looking for?: poems and short stories of no more than 2500 words that are ‘good enough’. I’m reminded of Zadie Smith’s plea, on announcing her decision not to award a prize for the 2008 Willesden Herald International Short Story Competition: ‘We have only one principle here: MAKE IT GOOD.’ But what’s good? Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Technique, The hard slog | 4 Comments