Creative Writing Groups
Whether your interests lie in poetry, drama, fiction or non-fiction, writing groups can be the perfect forum to hone your skills, share ideas and meet other writers in your area. In a new series Writing Wales will be taking a look at writing groups from across Wales to find out more about each group and its members, as well as providing you with information about how to get involved.
If you would like your writing group to be featured as part of the series please feel free to get in touch using the contact form or email Emma Schofield at: [email protected].
If you would like your writing group to be featured as part of the series please feel free to get in touch using the contact form or email Emma Schofield at: [email protected].
Caerphilly Writers Group
Caerphilly Writers Group is a new, fortnightly meeting for writers in the Caerphilly area. Here, we talk to founder Jason St Clair about his decision to start the group and how he hopes it will develop in the future. You can get in touch with the group on Twitter at @phillywriters.
Day/Time of Meetings: Every Other Thursday 7pm
Meeting Venue: The Irish Thymes, Caerphilly
Approximate Number of Current Members: 5 active members (7 registered)
Contact: Jason St Clair – [email protected] Twitter: @phillywriters
web: http://groupspaces.com/ValleysWritersGroup//
Membership Fees: Free membership
Competitions/ Events: We don’t hold anything ourselves at present but all members regularly share details of competitions and festivals that we hear about.
Tell us a little bit more about Caerphilly Writers Group, do you specialise in any specific genres or literary styles?
We try to keep the group as open as possible with no real criteria other than being enthusiastic, respectful and over 18 (due to the meeting place being a pub). Purely by accident the group is quite heavy on fantasy and writing for children but we welcome anybody who is willing to contribute.
The group is a relatively new one, what inspired you to set it up?
It was out of necessity more than anything else. I was starting to stutter in my own work and needed something to keep me going, some peer pressure always give you a bit of a boost. Months of searching for a group in the locality proved fruitless and I decided the only way forward to create a group of my own.
Do you have any plans to hold any special events in the future?
With the group still only being a few months old we are still just getting to know each other so have nothing planned as yet. Certainly as the group grows and develops this is something we will be hoping to introduce.
How do you think being part of a writing group has helped you to develop as a writer?
In just a couple of months being part of this group has had a huge influence on me. Being able to openly discuss your work with others who are genuinely interested (not just friends who are humouring you) makes such a difference to how you approach your writing. You also get more honest feedback in the group environment as everybody recognises that we are there to improve and we really embrace the constructive nature of the comments.
The different challenges we set ourselves at the end of meeting have also been very insightful and have actually given me three new projects to work on.
There is also, of course, the added pressure to turn up to the meeting with something good to read out to the group which forces me to keep writing rather than sit down in front of the TV.
What do you think are the main challenges facing new writers in Wales at the current time?
The real challenge now seems to be how easy it is for poor work to be published making it even harder for quality work to stand out. The self-publishing market is becoming huge and with so many poorly written and formatted novels (I know because I’ve tried reading some) saturating the market it is now harder than ever to stand out.
The flipside of the modern literature market is the amount of help out there, particular via social media. Twitter is a great resource and it’s surprising just how willing some published authors are to help out us wannabes. There’s a mass of advice and guidance around, all for free so it probably balances things out a little.
What advice would you would give to anyone considering joining the group?
They should give it a go – we have a really good group with very sociable and friendly people – it’s amazing how little time it took us to become relaxed with each other.
We are quite an intimate group with only 5 of us at the moment so nobody ever finds themselves being overlooked as I am told can sometimes happen in larger groups. We don’t have anybody with decades of experience and thousands of books published, just a group of people enthusiastic about writing.
We have lots of ways to get in touch if anybody has any questions and we’ll always get back to anybody showing an interest.
Day/Time of Meetings: Every Other Thursday 7pm
Meeting Venue: The Irish Thymes, Caerphilly
Approximate Number of Current Members: 5 active members (7 registered)
Contact: Jason St Clair – [email protected] Twitter: @phillywriters
web: http://groupspaces.com/ValleysWritersGroup//
Membership Fees: Free membership
Competitions/ Events: We don’t hold anything ourselves at present but all members regularly share details of competitions and festivals that we hear about.
Tell us a little bit more about Caerphilly Writers Group, do you specialise in any specific genres or literary styles?
We try to keep the group as open as possible with no real criteria other than being enthusiastic, respectful and over 18 (due to the meeting place being a pub). Purely by accident the group is quite heavy on fantasy and writing for children but we welcome anybody who is willing to contribute.
The group is a relatively new one, what inspired you to set it up?
It was out of necessity more than anything else. I was starting to stutter in my own work and needed something to keep me going, some peer pressure always give you a bit of a boost. Months of searching for a group in the locality proved fruitless and I decided the only way forward to create a group of my own.
Do you have any plans to hold any special events in the future?
With the group still only being a few months old we are still just getting to know each other so have nothing planned as yet. Certainly as the group grows and develops this is something we will be hoping to introduce.
How do you think being part of a writing group has helped you to develop as a writer?
In just a couple of months being part of this group has had a huge influence on me. Being able to openly discuss your work with others who are genuinely interested (not just friends who are humouring you) makes such a difference to how you approach your writing. You also get more honest feedback in the group environment as everybody recognises that we are there to improve and we really embrace the constructive nature of the comments.
The different challenges we set ourselves at the end of meeting have also been very insightful and have actually given me three new projects to work on.
There is also, of course, the added pressure to turn up to the meeting with something good to read out to the group which forces me to keep writing rather than sit down in front of the TV.
What do you think are the main challenges facing new writers in Wales at the current time?
The real challenge now seems to be how easy it is for poor work to be published making it even harder for quality work to stand out. The self-publishing market is becoming huge and with so many poorly written and formatted novels (I know because I’ve tried reading some) saturating the market it is now harder than ever to stand out.
The flipside of the modern literature market is the amount of help out there, particular via social media. Twitter is a great resource and it’s surprising just how willing some published authors are to help out us wannabes. There’s a mass of advice and guidance around, all for free so it probably balances things out a little.
What advice would you would give to anyone considering joining the group?
They should give it a go – we have a really good group with very sociable and friendly people – it’s amazing how little time it took us to become relaxed with each other.
We are quite an intimate group with only 5 of us at the moment so nobody ever finds themselves being overlooked as I am told can sometimes happen in larger groups. We don’t have anybody with decades of experience and thousands of books published, just a group of people enthusiastic about writing.
We have lots of ways to get in touch if anybody has any questions and we’ll always get back to anybody showing an interest.
Cardiff Writers' Circle
Day/Time of Meetings: We meet on every Monday from the first Monday in September to the third Monday in July (excluding Bank Holidays) between 7pm and 9pm.
Meeting Venue: Mackintosh Institute, 38 Keppoch Street, Cardiff, CF24 3JW
Approximate Number of Current Members: 25
Contact: Phil Cole on [email protected]
Membership Fees: £10 joining fee and then £2 per meeting. Prospective members can attend for two weeks as a guest without charge to see if the group is what they are looking for, although they cannot present readings during that period.
Competitions/ Events: There are three annual competitions for circle members:
· The Hild McKenzie trophy for short stories.
· The Muriel Ross Trophy for non-fiction articles.
· The Tony Rowe Bowl for poetry.
Does the group specialise in any specific genres?
The group is open to any kind of writing – members have read extracts from novels, their short stories, poems, articles, scripts and blogs. The only limit is a maximum time slot of ten minutes for readings.
How has Cardiff Writers’ Circle helped you as a writer?
Reading my work to others has been an enormous help. It helps me edit the work far more closely as it is only when you read your work aloud that you get a real feel for it. Members of the group have been tremendously helpful in providing advice and edits and it is improved me writing a great deal. Not only that, but hearing the work of others is an inspiration as it makes me realise I am not doing this alone, and that I am a member if a group of people who share my aspirations.
What do you think are the main challenges facing writers in Wales who are seeking publication at the current time?
The main challenge is getting a publisher or agent to consider the work of a previously unpublished writer. Increasingly they are sticking to established writers rather than take risks. The question now is whether you hold out for an agent/publisher or go down the self-publishing route. I think we have to look at imaginative and innovative ways of getting our work published which don't necessarily involve the internet route which still strikes some as 'vanity' publishing. Small, local presses do present opportunities and perhaps are a better, more credible first step than Amazon/Kindle. This is a personal view, however, and some members of the circle have gone down that road and are very happy with the results.
Finally, is there any advice that you would give to new writers considering joining the group?
Don't be shy. The group is friendly, supportive and constructive.
Further details about the group can be found at Cardiff Writers' Circle website.
Meeting Venue: Mackintosh Institute, 38 Keppoch Street, Cardiff, CF24 3JW
Approximate Number of Current Members: 25
Contact: Phil Cole on [email protected]
Membership Fees: £10 joining fee and then £2 per meeting. Prospective members can attend for two weeks as a guest without charge to see if the group is what they are looking for, although they cannot present readings during that period.
Competitions/ Events: There are three annual competitions for circle members:
· The Hild McKenzie trophy for short stories.
· The Muriel Ross Trophy for non-fiction articles.
· The Tony Rowe Bowl for poetry.
Does the group specialise in any specific genres?
The group is open to any kind of writing – members have read extracts from novels, their short stories, poems, articles, scripts and blogs. The only limit is a maximum time slot of ten minutes for readings.
How has Cardiff Writers’ Circle helped you as a writer?
Reading my work to others has been an enormous help. It helps me edit the work far more closely as it is only when you read your work aloud that you get a real feel for it. Members of the group have been tremendously helpful in providing advice and edits and it is improved me writing a great deal. Not only that, but hearing the work of others is an inspiration as it makes me realise I am not doing this alone, and that I am a member if a group of people who share my aspirations.
What do you think are the main challenges facing writers in Wales who are seeking publication at the current time?
The main challenge is getting a publisher or agent to consider the work of a previously unpublished writer. Increasingly they are sticking to established writers rather than take risks. The question now is whether you hold out for an agent/publisher or go down the self-publishing route. I think we have to look at imaginative and innovative ways of getting our work published which don't necessarily involve the internet route which still strikes some as 'vanity' publishing. Small, local presses do present opportunities and perhaps are a better, more credible first step than Amazon/Kindle. This is a personal view, however, and some members of the circle have gone down that road and are very happy with the results.
Finally, is there any advice that you would give to new writers considering joining the group?
Don't be shy. The group is friendly, supportive and constructive.
Further details about the group can be found at Cardiff Writers' Circle website.