I’ve just had a short story published 18 months after submitting to Aquila children’s magazine. It’s the first of a two-parter. I submitted it as a three-parter (as per their contributors’ guidelines) but then the editor asked me to cut it by 1000 words and make it a two-parter. Yes ma’am! I said. What does this tell you about magazines? Continue reading ‘Magazine ‘lead times’’
Archive for the 'Courses' Category Page 2 of 3
We at the Crafty Writer are proud to have such talented and experienced writing tutors on our team. Apart from the services they offer on this site, they run a variety of courses in Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounds. So if you’re in the area, why not sign up for one of them? All courses are being held at Centre for Lifelong Learning; check out their website for costs and enrolment details.
‘Creative Writing’ with Kathleen Kenny
- 8 meetings starting Tuesday 29 April (9.45 – 12.15)
‘Reading and Writing Short Stories’ with Kathleen Kenny
- 10 meetings starting Tuesday 24 April (7pm – 9pm).
‘Reading and Writing Contemporary Poetry’ with Kathleen Kenny
- 8 meetings starting Wednesday 30 April (1pm – 3.30).
‘Non-fiction Writing with Fiona Veitch Smith
- 10 meetings starting Friday 2 May (10am – 12.00)
‘How to Write a Novel’ with Joan Johnston
- 10 meetings starting Wednesday 23 April (2pm – 4pm)
The Crafty Writer’s Kathleen Kenny will be hosting weekly writing sessions at the Cumberland Arms in Byker, Newcastle, UK, starting 7 February. Every Thursday, avid writers will gather to share ideas, advice and constructive criticism of their ongoing work. £6/£4 concessions. No experience necessary. All welcome. 7.30 – 9.30pm. The Cumberland Arms, Ouseburn, Byker. Tel: (0191) 265 6151
Update 22/02/2008
Unfortunately this won’t be happening for the next while, but we’ll let you know when the bar opens again. Cheers!
This is the seventh installment in my eight week course on non-fiction writing. Last week we looked at how to write a feature article for magazines; this week we will be discussing:
My stage play, The Idol of Sarajevo, has been shortlisted for the People’s Play Award. Winner to be announced at the end of December. If I win, I shall be blogging about my experiences in the run-up to the staging of the play in May 2008. So wish me well and watch this space! I developed this play on my MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria University.
For more free resources on writing for theatre visit:
- Writernet – free information and subsidised critiquing for UK-based writers
- Open University – free course on approaching plays plus excellent, value-for-money short courses for everyone.
- New Dramatists – resources for US-based writers.
Books I can reccommend include:
- Val Taylor’s Stage Writing
- Alan Ayckbourn’s The Crafty Art of Playmaking
- Stuart Spencer’s The Playwright’s Guidebook
- Jeffrey Hatcher’s The Art and Craft of Playwriting
We write because we were created to. Ever since the first scratchings on cave walls, people have tried to communicate their thoughts, stories and ideas through the written word. People of faith are no different. Writing as Worship and Witness is a six-week course, hosted on the Crafy Writer’s sister site, www.veitchsmith.com, and is aimed at people who want to explore writing as part of their Christian walk.
I’ve just come across these FREE writing courses from Email College, Birmingham, UK. There are courses on dozens of writing topics including horror, romance, memoir, comedy, poetry, magazine writing, children’s writing, Science Fiction, e-book publishing and many, many more. They are open to people worldwide. http://www.emailcollege.co.uk/category.php?id=14
You may also want to check out their Creative Pathway website which gives advice and services to artists, film makers, writers and publishers.
I am delighted to be invited to give a workshop on Writing for the Magazine Market at the Tynedale Writers’ Festival in Hexham. The festival runs from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 November and offers a plethora of talks, workshops and shows on writing, music and theatre. Check out the full programme at Tynedale Writers’ Festival. Don’t forget to sign up to my free workshop on Sunday 4th, 10.30 – 12.30. We will be looking at how to find out if a magazine takes freelance work and how to put a proposal together.
For all my regular online visitors and students, the Introduction to Creative Writing Course is taking a break for half term. We’ll be back next week with characterisation. In its place I’ve asked Science Fiction author Simon Morden to write a guest blog on using feedback to improve your work. You may also want to check out this Friday’s blog on non-fiction writing which will be all about writing autobiographies.
For new writers living in the Blyth / Seaton Deleval area of Northumberland, I will be running an 8-week course introducing the basics of creative writing, starting on Wednesday 26 September 2007. Continue reading ‘Introduction to Creative Writing Course’
Welcome to The Crafty Writer, published by Fiona Veitch Smith, a freelance journalist, editor, author, playwright, screenwriter and writing teacher. This site is full of information and resources to help you to become a better writer. 
