The Joy of Writing Events by Allison Symes

Image Credits:- 

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Photo of The Hayes, Swanwick and screenshot were taken by me, Allison Symes.

I’ve just returned from a major highlight of my writing year, having spent six days at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick in lovely Derbyshire, immersed in the wonderful world of writing.

I’ve learned so much from the courses, caught up with many friends whom I only see online for the rest of the year, and I was glad to be running a two part course. 

 

My course was on Editing as an Author, Editing as a Competition Judge. I wear both hats and will be judging again soon. Seeing how something is done and why is invaluable, which was my approach for this course. 

The great joy of writing events is being with like-minded people who understand your drive to write, who know what it is to have to handle rejections as well as acceptances, and to not have to explain why you write. You just do. So do they. 

 

I’ve been grateful for so much useful information from events I’ve gone to over the years. I met my now publisher at one many moons ago. Neither of us could’ve foreseen that.

 

What I like about Swanwick is the freedom to choose from what is on offer. You can go to as many or as few courses as you want. The evening entertainment is fun too. I like the quizzes and the Open Prose Mic Nights and have sometimes taken part in the latter.

Flash fiction is great for reading out at such things. I can read two or three different tales in the allotted time span. It is a good opportunity to show what flash can be in terms of moods, where you set your characters and so on.

Writing events can also be a good boost to your esteem if you are facing the dreaded Imposter Syndrome. You are at a writing event because you are a writer, when all is said and done.

Getting to talk to other writers in between courses is (a) a fabulous way to make more writing friends and (b) it is amazing what you can learn from each other.

Someone at an event told me about The Society of Authors, for instance. Glad about that as the Society confirmed a contract I’d been offered years ago was a vanity publishing one. I backed out promptly. Yes, I did get my manuscript back and I joined the Society as an Associate Member. Later, when I’d had enough short stories published, I became and remain a Full Member, but all thanks to a tip from a fellow writer at a writing event.

I host monthly workshops on Zoom for The Association of Christian Writers. Online events are also a fabulous way of staying in contact with other writers and developing your craft. They were a lifeline in lockdown and remain helpful.

Whatever type of writing event you’re going to this year,  I hope you have a fabulous time and come back with something you know will take your writing on further.