Swanwick Writers Summer School 2019

Monday Morning

Weariness keeps me in bed beyond the alarm this morning.  Tiredness is always my downfall on organised events keeping me away from things I'd like to do but which my body tells me 'now, now, you're not as young as you used to be' and I have learnt to listen to my natural rhymn rather than push on regardless then 'crash'.

So my first session was at 9.30 am and I was ready for part 2 of 4 with the lovely Della Galton, author of two of my favourite books (Ice and Slice & The Morning After) as well as short story writer for magazines.  We (about 50 delegates) looked at Characters - who are they, what are they like, where do they live etc.  We were given a Character Development Sheet with lots of questions to answer about our main character then to sum up in a sentence and read out aloud to the group if you wanted to.  This is mine and again I would value your opinion:

Sheila's life is cluttered to the max making her feel edgy

at home, bored at work and her dream far out of

reach.

I will do the exercise again when I get home and probably come up with something different but for now time is pressing.  Della gave us the idea to draw up a family tree as a helping aid to keep track of characters, which although I know in my head, it will be useful to see on paper, so another exercise to do at home sometime.

Also useful to me was the importance of your setting.  Naming your Town and County is ok but roads and names of pubs, cafes etc need to be fictitious names, so I was on track with that too.   Good to be affirmed in what I have done already. 

After a short coffee break the next session was session 1 of  2: Dream Author by Sophie Hannah.  Wow what an amazing woman and this course was SO right for me.  Sophie has a Coaching Programme and supports would be and already published authors.  She said stuff that I know about positive thinking but in a way that makes some of the things we think after rejections, disappointments etc seeming really daft.  Her examples of how to look at things from a different prospective were both funny and so true that I am sure everyone gained something.  She used the CTFAR Model which I will look up again at a later date.

I know you are interested in food so here's today's lunch delights - Chicken and Mushroom strogonoff with rice or pasta or chips with sweetcorn; there was a gluten free choice and salad or soup too.  Deserts were Blackberry fool; slices of watermelon and pineapple; strawberry ice cream and fruit salad.  I sat with a mother and daughter attending for the first time and heard about their writing, workshops attended and where on the complex they were.  Thankfully all 3 of us were in the Lakeside building which is some way from the Main building which had been disturbed in the early hours by the fire alarm ringing and occupants had to be evacuate into the Hall.  This brought back memories of when I was at this Conference Centre 30+ years ago with a different set of circumstances and the fire alarm went off TWICE and all residents had to get out of their rooms and assemble in the cold night air in their night wear.  This time however I was not disturbed and slept unaware of their adventure.

Part 2 of Dream Author was just as inspiring, comical and informative.  I liked the idea of a Thought Ladder and wrote very quickly in my notebook how my process has been towards being a published author so far:

Not good enough
I've finished a manuscript
Is it good enough
I've edited it and others have too
"If I get published...."
"I will get published one way or another, one day"
"When I get published"
"I will be published soon"

These thoughts are not ideal, we are our own worst critic, and delay the action needed.

Sophie told us "Optimism is not enough - hope is great but determination and action will make it happen."  And I heard the phrase "massive action may be needed" and it gave me an idea for where I am at now.

Monday's one hour afternoon short course I chose to attend was 'Photography for Writers' with Simon Hall.  Having been to other workshops he led in previous years I knew it would be interesting and as I use photos on this blog any improvement to my knowledge and technique would be a bonus.  Using our phones he led us through various steps giving us chance to practise on him or on each other.  I know now what the various symbols on the camera setting mean and how to use them and, rather than editing the picture after I have taken it, how to get a good picture first time.

These are not the best examples but practice makes perfect lol 

After such a full day I walked out of the building into the sunshine and sat on a bench deciding that was  enough for today.  An elderly man joined me and we chatted in the sunshine before dinner.  At 8pm it was the Swanwick Chat Show which Simon Hall hosted asking questions and getting surprising answers from the 3 celebrities - Alison Chisholm, Poet; Amit Dhand, Crime Writer; and Sophie Hannah, Crime Writer and Coach.  It was very entertaining with much laughter.  

And so to bed. zzzzzzzzzz