NAWGfest
Annual Festival of Writing
NAWGFest 2024...
We're online from 6th to 8th September
Our festival of writing is held in the first week of September
Only £20 registration per person (for members of NAWG) secures a place on any or all sessions!
Full details below - Please register before 3rd September
(A Members session Booking form is available on the Members' page)
- the new password is in the latest edition of Link magazine -
## SPECIAL OFFER £39 for new members - 10 months membership plus this year's festival - booking form at the foot of this page ##
<< Zoom links will be issued ~ a week before the sessions >>
FRIDAY Day SESSIONS
A. 24 Hour Flash Fiction
A competition running from 12 Noon until 12 Noon on Saturday.
B. 24 Hour Flash Poetry
A competition running from 12 Noon until 12 Noon on Saturday.
WORKSHOP SESSIONS:
C. 18:00 Early Bird Workshop
with Gary Carr (One Hour)
Gary says: "I’ve just had a big anniversary and a birthday. There have been lots of cards all wishing me/us a long and (occasionally) happy life. Looking at the cards they also give an insight into what kind of friends I have and what they think of me. Several would have been considered deeply offensive just a decade or two ago.
What if cards existed to express real thoughts and emotions, rather than the bland optimistic things out there?
How theraputic would it be just to buy the card? What would the “cute" rhyming couplets be? What kind of society would permit or encourage them? What do they say about the sender/receiver/our society?
A very tongue in cheek workshop, but with a view to the kind of details you might consider for world/character building within a novel, or writing poetry in a less child oriented “ruthless rhymes” vein.
D. 19:15 WELCOME!
with Chris Huck (Half Hour)
A short welcome meeting to bring us all together for NAWGfest
E. 20:00 Open Mic
with Henry Curry (One Hour +)
Join this popular session to read or just listen to contributions from NAWG members - make sure to email and let us know what you'd like to read or perform.
SATURDAY Morning SESSIONS
A.M. WORKSHOP SESSIONS:
(Repeated at 14:30)
F1. 10:00 Scriptwriting Workshop
with Ian Pike (1.5 Hours)
Ian brings a great sense of play learning about screen-writing. For several years he has delivered practical film workshops. Ian has a master class session during the workshop where he artfully (and with no small dose of humour) breaks down storytelling and how to capture audience through setting up narrative. Ian’s open and fun-loving approach to writing good stories breaks down any fear that a participant may have. He is generous with his knowledge and time and elevates peoples work by offering them very real and practical tools that they can start using immediately.
G1. 10:00 Researching and Writing your Family Story Workshop
with Ellie Stevenson (1.5 Hours) Researching and Writing your Family Story: where to start.
This workshop will explore writing your family story including:
- Who to start with, and why. The meaning behind your story
- The family resources which will inform your research and how to tap into them
- The use of online tools such as Ancestry and FindmyPast
- Ethical and legal issues
- Developing your plan
H1. 10:00 Fiction Workshop
Sue Johnson (1.5 Hours)
Creating Believable Characters
includes three or four short writing exercises that will give writers a toolkit for developing their own unforgettable characters. Make sure you have pen and paper ready! Participants will be invited to submit a 100 word piece after the workshop.
BIOGRAPHIES
Sue Johnson is a poet, novelist and playwright. She is a Writing Magazine Home Study Tutor and also runs her own workshops and critique service. Sue's work is inspired by the natural world, fairytales and eavesdropping in cafes. Her other interests include reading, walking and yoga. Further details of her work can be found at www.writers-toolkit.co.uk
Julian Fellowes is the Emmy Award-winning writer and creator of Downton Abbey and the winner of the 2001 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Gosford Park. He also wrote the screenplays for Vanity Fair and The Young Victoria. He is the bestselling author of Snobs and Past Imperfect. His other works include The Curious Adventure of the Abandoned Toys and the book for the Disney stage musical of Mary Poppins.
As an actor, his roles include Lord Kilwillie in the BBC Television series Monarch of the Glen and the 2nd Duke of Richmond in Aristocrats, as well as appearances in the films Shadowlands, Damage, and Tomorrow Never Dies. He is the President and a Patron of NAWG.
Ellie Stevenson: is a book coach and author. She also provides editing and proofreading services. Ellie coaches writers and aspiring writers, on a one-to-one basis and also as part of her Motivation to Publication and Beyond workshops. .She is the author of four novels, one collection of short stories and a non-fiction booklet. Her website is HERE
Ian Pike: Ian has been a full time writer for 25 years working in both children’s publishing and television. He authored two books in the Me and My Monsters series (published by Puffin), and has written a Hollyoaks tie-in novel for Puffin.
His television work includes writing six years for Hollyoaks, writing original comedy drama for Armstrong and Miller, the BBC3 series The Fear, and he’s currently working on the new series of Have I Got News For You.
Simon Whaley: Simon Whaley is the author of over a dozen books and nearly a thousand published magazine articles. He has two columns in Writing Magazine: The Business of Writing and Ask The Agent. He’s both traditionally published (the bestselling author of One Hundred Ways For A Dog To Train Its Human) and self-published, and he no longer writes postcards home from holiday, choosing instead to let the BBC Weather presenters share his weather photos with the nation (under the pseudonym, Snapper Simon).
Violet Rook: has self-published on Amazon since 2009. She has been writing for pleasure since she was five years old, and her first poem was entitled “The Moon”. Since then she has had some success with short stories and poems in local magazines. She read an article about self- publishing on Amazon and decided to give it a try. She now has twelve books on the website, both as e-books and paperbacks. Two are of poetry, and the others are mainly collections of her short stories. Violet's topics are mainly concerned with the social history of the 20th century, family stories and ghost stories.
SATURDAY Afternoon
SESSIONS
X. 12:00 Noon AGM
with the Committee (1.0 Hour)
Annual General Meeting
P.M. WORKSHOP SESSIONS:
F2. 14:30 Scriptwriting Workshop
with Ian Pike (1.5 Hours)
G2. 14:30 Researching and Writing your Family Story Workshop
with Ellie Stevenson (1.5 Hours)
Researching and Writing your Family History
H2. 14:30 Fiction Workshop
Sue Johnson (1.5 Hours)
Creating Believable Characters
SATURDAY
Evening
SESSIONS
J. 18.00 Awards Ceremony
with Chris Huck (1 hour)
X. 19.00 Keynote Speaker
with Julian Fellowes (1 hour)
(Author & Playwright)
K. 20.00 Quiz Nite
by Carlisle Writers Group
- chaired by John Grieve (1.5 hours)
SUNDAY : SESSIONS
PRESENTATIONS:
(Repeated at 11:30 am)
L1. 10:00 Presentation
with Violet Rook (One Hour)
Self-publishing I hope to encourage everyone to have a go and show how you can publish your own work . I will show you how to download the software and put your manuscript together then upload it to the Kindle website. Then chose a style for your book and its cover. You can also decide on the method of royalty. It can be a legacy for your family in more ways than one. I hope you will join me.
M1. 10:00 Presentation
with Simon Whaley (One Hour)
Writing: Hobby or Side Hustle?
Is your writing a hobby or a side hustle? Why do we need to know? Well, have you had anything published? Have you won a writing competition? (All prize money is tax free, isn’t it? Or is it?) If you’ve had an article, or a book published, have you claimed your free money? (Does that short story you had published in an anthology count? What about that NAWG members-only competition win that got included in the NAWG anthology?) And who are you leaving your short stories to when the final chapter of your life ends?
Writing: Hobby or Side Hustle explores the answers to these questions and may even improve your bank balance in the long run!
L2. 11:30 Presentation
with Violet Rook (One Hour)
Self-publishing
M2. 11:30 Presentation
with Simon Whaley (One Hour)
Writing: Hobby or Side Hustle?
N. 13:00 Wind Up & Farewell
with Chris Huck (Half Hour +)