So here I am. Sat in my cosy studio (it’s October ok? I’m allowed the heating on), and I realise I need to face facts. No, not that I am a ridiculous heat-hound, and fantastic procrastinator, but that I need something. I have five pieces of furniture which cannot be finished until I write them a story. They have been sat on my workbench, eyeing me menacingly for a few weeks. But something is missing as I sit here at my ancient laptop waiting for inspiration and looking out of the window. What’s becoming ragingly obvious is that most of my best work has been written in a group. For some reason, the combined energy of a creative writing group spurs me on to produce very good stories. So I look around my studio again and realise yes, that’s what’s missing. People.
There are certain people I can’t write with (sorry). I don’t like horror or gory styles, and I don’t enjoy sob-fiction (think “A Child Called It”, or perhaps don’t). That’s not to say that these genres do not have their place in the world, they just don’t float my creative boat, as it were.
I have exercises which I do by myself, designed to make me think outside my cosy box and flex my creative muscles, but they tend to fall flat when I’m by myself. Well, it’s high time I pulled my socks up and did something about this. Due to a trillion after school clubs (who’d be a mum eh?), my usual writing group isn’t going to work for me this side of Christmas, so I decided *FANFARE* to make my own.
Yep. I am going to lead a band of pen wielding lovelies through the alphabet and hopefully help them (and me) to create some lovely works of fiction.
Fancy it? Well I’m going to run these groups out of my studio at Victoria Works in Chalford, just outside Stroud. They will run for six weeks on a Monday and a Thursday and will focus on developing writing practice and character development. Details below. See you there.
Monday Group
Monday 3rd November - Monday 8th December
12.30pm - 2.30pm
Thursday Group
Thursday 6th November - Thursday 11th December
9.30am - 11.30am
£55
Booking is essential (mainly so I know how much tea to buy)
All ages and abilities welcome
Clever Monty
