Workshops by Allison Symes

Image Credits:-  

Some images from The Writers’ Summer School 2023 taken by Allison Symes. One photo taken on my behalf by Julia Pattison. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

My annual writing event is to spend a few days at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, which is held at The Hayes Conference Centre. Many of you will know the venue for other events. 

At the school, I catch up with friends and make new ones. Outside of the school contact is via social media. Some of us meet regularly on Zoom but there is something special about getting together in person. Writers buzz creatively off each other. It was encouraging to see a good contingent from ACW at Swanwick. Let’s see more of you there next year!

The school has a wide range of four part and two part courses and one hour workshops. The four parters are usually split into two sections and held over two days. The two parters are usually held either side of a break on the same day. The workshops are stand alone items and usually fill the afternoon programme. The topics covered are good. 

I’d find it difficult to name a writer who wouldn’t benefit from what was on offer here. And you choose your own programme and go to as many or as few of these things as you want. 

I was privileged to run a one hour workshop called Editing - The View From Both Sides of the Fence. Back in 2020, I was being edited on my second book (Tripping the Flash Fantastic). At the same time I was editing someone for a small publisher. 

This gave me the idea for my workshop given I can speak about editing from the viewpoint of author and editor. I also shared thoughts about editing from the viewpoint of a competition judge. Can a judge tell how well or otherwise someone has edited their submission? Oh yes. So it was good to share some tips there.

What I treasured was getting feedback from those who found the course useful and from those who shared tips on how I can make things better. I always appreciate both kinds of feedback but the latter is vital to professional development.

Editing is a timeless topic. When I’ve been to workshops, I’ve appreciated listening to the workshop leader’s personal experiences so you know where they are coming from on the topic they share. I do this. It also gives reassurance to those on the other side of the desk this workshop leader does know what they’re talking about. 

I’ve been grateful for all I have learned from many workshops over the years. I’ve applied what I’ve learned too and seen improvements in my writing as a result.

Now I know it is not always possible to get to an event in person for all sorts of reasons but this is where technology is useful.The rise in Zoom workshops does give writers more options for accessing useful information. 

I’ve loved seeing the rising use of Zoom groups and workshops and am glad ACW is tapping into this. It gives more options to writers. That is a good thing.