9th - 14th August 2025
workshops
There are 16 one hour Workhops on the timetable, scattered throughout the week. These short sessions are often fun and interactive - bring a notebook and a pen and enhance your writing skills!
AI FOR AUTHORS
Artificial intelligence is the hot topic of our time, and it can be very useful for writers.
But!
You have to know how to use it - and how very much not to use it - to create content.
As we’ll discover in this workshop, with the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of generative AI for authors.
WRITERS THAT MOVE
T'ai Chi, qigong & creativity
Writers often sit for long hours.
A relaxed posture is important as this can prevent repetitive strain injuries for anyone spending a great deal of time at the computer, but……..movement is just as important.
Mobilising and maintaining energy plays a vital part in a writer’s success and the process of writing can take tremendous concentration and perseverance. Some days this is harder than others.
Short, simple T’ai Chi (and Qigong) exercises can enhance energy that is flagging whilst at the same time inducing a pleasant state of relaxation that allows for flow.
T’ai Chi leads to the integration of complementary things – left brain (logic) and right brain (intuition), form and function, body and mind and the increased creativity is derived from this.. Many people who practice T’ai Chi are also involved in the creative arts.
WRITERLY WELL-BEING
The aim of this workshop is to bring harmony and joy to your writing practice, and balance both the physical and emotional sides to our lives, and therefore our writing.
By assessing, recognising and understanding how our brains work, we can use this knowledge to our advantage so that we can start to work as a team with our brain. This then enables us to overcome procrastination.
You'll be given tools to learn how to let go of unimportant things, events and thoughts so we can concentrate on the project in hand. We will be using CBT Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, some EFT Emotional Freedom Technique (Also known as Tapping) to understand how we can move away from the constant and distracting chatter in our brains to have a more focussed and creative approach to our writing and also our life.
Understanding and learning the benefits of our physical health while spending so long sitting and using our minds and hands to create our writing projects. Learn how writing is also a physical challenge and the impact this has on our body and posture.
Tutor: Katherine Bolton
COSY FANTASY
Cosy fantasy is having a moment. Titles like Legends & Lattes and Dallergut Dream
Department Store are giving us a gentle escape from everyday life, where the adventure is
all about the friends you make along the way.
Join veteran Swanwicker Elizabeth Hopkinson for a cosy fantasy workshop using prompts
from Wanderhome by Jay Dragon - a pastoral fantasy role-playing game about travelling
animal folk.
Will you be a crocodile peddler of clouds and dreams, your fingers adorned with rings? Or a
donkey accompanied by a beetle, carrying fish, pearls and a small, forgotten god on its
back? Maybe you’ll arrive in a university for dormice, with a witchy professor of the healing
arts. Or an island monastery of hermit crabs that knit jumpers from seaweed. You might run into an old friend in an unexpected place. Or find the perfect spot to finally settle down.
Join us around the virtual campfire as we create characters and settings that can travel
home with you.
CONVERSATIONAL POETRY
Not many people seem to read and enjoy poetry nowadays and some complain that the language and/or structure used can be incomprehensible.
This workshop will, therefore, discuss 'conversational' poetry, which uses everyday language and images in a poetic way.
The session will start off by looking at 'conversation' poetry as written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, and then at the 'conversational' style employed by such poets as Robert Frost. 'Conversational' poetry can have a hidden theme or idea within it but every reader should, nevertheless, be able to read and enjoy it even if they do not get the hidden idea.
Those attending will be encouraged to attempt a conversational style poem written as to a friend who is not a poet, using everyday language and images that the 'recipient' would understand.
Tutor: Glenis Moore
the comedy TOUR
In this workshop Phil Collins will act as your tour guide as we take a ride through the basics of comedy and ask: how do I write something funny?
We’ll start off with puns and have a go at creating some ourselves. We’ll look at the structure of jokes, how we use misdirection and punch lines as well as the magic of three. We’ll look at the importance of delivery and test out what works best.
Then open the comedy toolbox and see what else we can use other than dialogue. We’ll look at characters, what traits make for good comedy and generate ideas to create some of our own.
If you have an interest in how comedy works, or you want to inject a little humour into your writing, then come along for the ride with some laughs along the way.
Tutor: Phil Collins
flash fiction FUNDAMENTALS
So, what is flash fiction, and how does it differ to other types of short story? We’ll take a
look at what it is, together with some examples of very short flash fiction.
The emphasis is on fun and you’ll be able to have a go at writing a few of your own stories.
Then we’ll delve into some longer flash fiction pieces, before going into them in more depth.
Even though it’s flash fiction, you still need to pull the reader in at the beginning, build
tension through the middle as you head towards the climax and then finish with a bang.
Lots of tips will be offered along the way to guide you in creating a flash fiction masterpiece.
There will be an opportunity to share your work with other course participants, with prizes on
offer, as well as a Q&A session.
Tutor: Esther Chilton
competitions
Catching the Judges' Eye
There is a lot more to writing competitions than writers realise.
What kind of competitions are there? Why should you enter? What are the typical rules? Why is there a fee? What kind of prizes are there? What are the judges looking for? What should you avoid? What makes a great competition story?
Join competition judge, columnist and entrant Morgen Bailey who shares her experiences of competitions from both sides.
Tutor: Morgen Bailey
writing for performance & drama
Want to know where to start with writing for film, theatre or performance art? Then step this way and discover the endless possibilities of drama and performing today!
This course has been designed to bring to life and demystify what it “might” actually mean to write for performance and how the spheres of writing and performing are connected.
Can writing a book be an act of performance? What makes something performative? Can performance help to heal the world? Where does performance end and reality begin? Is reality the same as truth?
This workshop offers a thoughtful and accessible journey through the meaning and making of performance from multiple perspectives.
Tutor: Bear Stephenson
BECOMING A FREELANCE EDITOR
Are you fed up with the corporate 9-5?
Do you resent the time you spend at work because you’d rather be doing something else?
Have you thought about a change of career into a creative life?
Freelance editing and/or proofreading might well be the change you’re looking for.
Join freelance editor, Liz Hurst, as she teaches you all the tips and tricks of the trade such as is freelance editing right for you? What training and qualifications do you need? Setting up your business and finding clients, as well as marketing, rates, and how to follow a client brief.
The workshop will also include resources, overcoming challenges and taking care of yourself
Tutor: Liz Hurst
reviewing the situation
Ever wanted to try your hand as an Arts Reviewer?
Back in 2001 I was asked by one of the journalists at my local paper, The Pocklington Post if I’d like to review plays occasionally in York, as she was often not able to attend, and I haven’t looked back since.
Come along to this workshop where I’ll show you what to look for when reviewing. You’ll hear examples of my own reviews and then get the chance to write a review of your own using tips I’ve suggested. You might like to send reviews to your local paper, or create a Blog!
I love my role as a Theatre Reviewer. I get to see a huge variety of plays, and often get the chance to take a guest along with me too, which is an extra bonus.
In this workshop I’ll share my experience of writing reviews and will give you the inside story on what’s involved.
Tutor: Julia Pattison
SONGS-SPIRATION
Stuck for ideas? Need inspiration for your short story, novel, or poem? Searching for a setting, a plotline, or a captivating character? Look no further than the humble song lyric…
Hidden within the average three-and-a-half-minute pop song are brilliant story ideas, plotlines, characters, settings, and even whole narratives – if you know where to look!
Join us for a fun, creative, and interactive workshop where we'll listen (and maybe even sing!) to some fabulous music - designed to ignite your creativity.
Bring along a pen and a notebook, and get ready to be AMAZED!
PS: This is NOT about songwriting!
Tutor: Maria Hennings Hunt
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Newsletters? Do you need one?
In this workshop we'll be looking at how powerful a newsletter can be for an author and why you need one.
There will be tips an how to create engaging content which resonates with an audience and aligns with the brand message.
Finally, we will explore what kind of platforms are best to use.
Tutor: Wendy Ridolini
EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Effective Listening – A Writers Secret Weapon
Listening. . . apparently we’ve been doing it since the womb. But are we as good at listening as we could, or indeed should be?
Research shows that on the whole we’re not.
We live in a world of endless distractions and it’s a proven fact that attention spans are shrinking across the board.
This one hour workshop will show the importance of effective listening for everyone and highlight why it’s imperative for writers.
We’ll pool ideas for sharpening these skills and look at the impact that Audio Books can have on our writing, at the same time as providing a pleasurable, painless work out for overloaded brains.
Tutor: Heather Vivien Swash
THE social media GAME
Join author and former BBC TV producer Jennifer Page for this workshop adventure that will transform your online presence from a monotonous monopoly into a thrilling, multi-dimensional game of engagement!
Forget unboxing videos and review sharing - we're talking DIY book-themed crafts, recipes inspired by your stories, and interactive quizzes that'll have your readers rolling the dice to engage with your content.
Get ready to turn your social media strategy into a best-selling game!
Tutor: Jennifer Page
working creatively in schools
Are you keen to help children write and perform their own work in primary schools?
In this fun and informative workshop, retired head teacher, Les Baynton, will show you how to encourage children to enjoy literature and write and perform their own work.
The workshop will show you how to plan work for the primary age range - from Infants through to year 6 - and how to present yourself and engage in a lively and humorous way.
We'll also look at how to approach schools.
There will be a chance to do some practical planning of a children's workshop.
Tutor: Les Baynton
