Full of ideas and tons of enthusiasm but don’t know where to start? Here are a few simple guides to get you going and keep you on track.
Set up a poetry group
On a sunny spring morning I stepped off the tube at Oakwood station, near the end of London’s Piccadilly Line, and made my way to the local library,...
Set up a reading group
Setting up a reading group There could be as many as 500,000 people in reading groups in the UK. Their popularity has spread to all walks of life,...
Set up a writing club
Setting up your own writing club A writing club might just be you and a neighbour getting together every now and then and talking about your writing over...
Research your ancestors
What’s your story? Truth is stranger than fiction, they say. So if creative writing isn’t your thing, why not do some detective work into your own family story?...
Research local history
Where to start Your local library is a great place to start. Many have collections of local historical documents, newspaper articles and photographs. You might have to arrange...
Read poetry
Some people read poetry regularly, but most of us tend to hear it read out on special occasions. You can probably think of a wedding, funeral or other...
Writing your first short story
By Anna McKerrow Some writers say that when they write, they have no idea what will happen next: they just put the character in a tight situation and...
First steps to your story
By Anna McKerrow Our own lives and experience are a huge source of stories that we can draw on and write about. The saying goes that everyone has...
Write for children
Joyce Dunbar’s twelve point guide to writing picture books Although you may not be interested in writing a picture book – perhaps because you can’t illustrate – they...
