Workshops & Talks
If you’d like me to run a workshop or talk for your writer’s circle (depending upon your location – I’m based in Shropshire), please click on the ‘Contact Me’ link to email me. Details of my popular talks and workshops are as follows:
TALKS
THE POSITIVELY PRODUCTIVE WRITER
Reject rejection! This motivational talk gives listeners a good kick up the rear end and tells it straight. The only way to be a published writer is to be a productive writer. And the only way to be a productive writer is to be a positive writer. (Negative writers don’t get any writing done.) So, learn how to banish those negative thoughts, turn them all into positive ones and then succeed as a writer!
(This talk can be turned into a workshop for smaller groups.)
Taking a tea break during the Grace Dieu Workshops (photo credit: Grace Dieu Writers' Circle)
IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN TO AN OUTDOOR WRITER!
There’s more to writing up walking descriptions than telling readers to turn right at the third daffodil. This talk takes a wander through the fields of outdoor writing, demonstrating that the outdoor writing life isn’t always a walk in the park.
WORKSHOPS
WRITING FOR THE MAGAZINE MARKET
Whether you write articles, short stories or even poems, you need to know how to write suitable material for the magazine you are targeting. This workshop shows how to analyse a magazine to identify who its readers are, and where the best ‘freelance’ slots are in a magazine.
WRITING A NON-FICTION BOOK
We all have a book inside us apparently, so let’s hope it’s a non-fiction one because for every novel published, 5 non-fiction books are published. This workshop will show you how to increase your chances of publication by finding a suitable market for your book, and then writing a decent proposal.
Workshopping in action at Caerleon 2007
FULL-TIME FREELANCE WRITING
Don’t! Well okay, if you want to give it a go, find out where I went wrong and be prepared to accept that your image of a writer sitting in an oak-panelled study gazing out across an enchanting view just doesn’t exist!
MY KINGDOM FOR A COUNTY
County magazines offer a good market for local writers to target. After all, you live in the area, you’re already the expert. Find out what sort of subjects they publish and how to break into them.
JEREMY PAXMAN GETS CREATIVE
Quotes add life to a piece of text, so this workshop shows you what sort of questions to ask to get information from people. With plenty of interaction between workshoppers, we’ll explore how to get creative with the information you’ve gathered to discover that interviews are not all they may seem to be.
COME FLY WITH ME!
Travel writing is a writer’s dream job. But it’s not all lounging in the sun with cocktail in one hand, whilst you type up your latest feature on the laptop with the other. That’s pure fantasy! You stand more chance of success writing about the Seven Wonders of Wigan! Let’s whizz around the world and find out how to write ANY travel feature, even if you’ve never set foot further than the Isle of Wight!
Reading is also workshopping at times!
THAT’S BL*?DY C*!P!
Constructive criticism is a skill. Destructive comments hurt, but a plethora of positive plaudits from other writing group members isn’t helpful either. Writers need guidance, not insults. In this practical workshop we’ll judge some competition entries, allowing us to be impartial, and from this, discover ten top tips for giving or receiving criticism.
ARTICLE WRITING
Does the Earth Move For You? When writing articles you need to knock your readers off their feet with an earth shattering title and a pulsating first paragraph. Then all you have to do is keep them on their toes with the rest of your seismic offerings. From a tectonic strategy of producing saleable articles, to creating a tsunami of ideas, this workshop will have your enthusiasm registering off the Richter Scale!
Workshopping the Swanwick way in 2010
DISGUSTED OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS!
Dear Writer. One of the quickest routes to publication is to write a letter or filler. Financially, it can be a useful too, paying up to £200 for a top tip or even £15 for a joke you heard down the pub! Disgusted that you’re missing out? This workshop will rekindle your love affair with letter writing – guaranteed. Yours sincerely, Simon Whaley.
© Simon Whaley
