It now seems we won’t be able to meet in person for a while to come, so your committee has been hard at work planning how we can take Sutton Writers online. Here’s our current plans through to the end of June, with links to sign up. If you need more information, contact us by email at suttonwriters@yahoo.com
May
4 May, workshop
John Reynolds’ regular Monday workshop. Turn up and read, but register first on Meetup.com
12 May, speaker: Fiona Harper
If you want to make a career out of your writing, you’ll come across this question repeatedly, from agents, editors and other writers. Why is a ‘hook’ important? It’s the idea or concept that makes a reader want to pick up your story, and then keep on reading once they have! In this talk, we’ll look at what a ‘hook’ is, the different kinds of story hooks you can use to snag the attention of readers and publishing professionals alike, and we’ll deconstruct some examples of hooks in bestselling book blurbs to see how it’s done. Register on meetup.com
10 May, weekly flash fiction prompt
Join us on Slack, where we’ll provide a prompt every Sunday to practice your flash fiction. One week to write, 100 words only, and the community will vote for its favourite each week by using Slack’s reaction button.
13 May, workshop
Kirsteen Coupar’s regular Wednesday workshop, best for fiction writers working on a bigger project. Contact us to register.
18 May, workshop
John Reynolds’ regular Monday workshop. Turn up and read, but register first on Meetup.com
26 May, “writing for ourselves” with Kat Parsons
Whilst there are many joyful ways of writing for other people, it’s often a valuable exercise to turn inwards and spend a little time writing for nobody but ourselves. Writing can be a fun way of learning something new about ourselves, getting clarity in our thoughts, and releasing emotions and feelings we hold onto sometimes unnecessarily.
In this short workshop, Kat will be sharing some exercises and techniques we can use when writing for self-reflection. There’s no need to share anything here, this isn’t so much about work but play, fun, and looking inwards. Please bring a pen and paper if you can as these are better tools for self-reflective writing than using a computer. You may also wish to light a candle or some incense for the session, as well as disconnecting from your phone to help yourself be present for the time we’re writing together.
24 May, weekly flash fiction prompt
Join us on Slack, where we’ll provide a prompt every Sunday to practice your flash fiction. One week to write, 100 words only, and the community will vote for its favourite each week by using Slack’s reaction button.
27 May, workshop
Kirsteen Coupar’s regular Wednesday workshop, best for fiction writers working on a bigger project. Contact us to register.
31 May, weekly flash fiction prompt
Join us on Slack, where we’ll provide a prompt every Sunday to practice your flash fiction. One week to write, 100 words only, and the community will vote for its favourite each week by using Slack’s reaction button.
1 June, workshop
John Reynolds’ regular Monday workshop. Turn up and read, but register first on Meetup.com
3 June, workshop
The third Sutton Writers poetry workshop, to be held on Zoom and hosted by our Chair, Bernard Jacobs. Contact us to register.
7 June, weekly flash fiction prompt
Join us on Slack, where we’ll provide a prompt every Sunday to practice your flash fiction. One week to write, 100 words only, and the community will vote for its favourite each week by using Slack’s reaction button.
9 June, In Conversation With crime and horror writer Susi Holliday
We’re excited to welcome renowned crime and horror writer SJI (Susi) Holliday to Sutton Writers for a conversation about how she built her author career. From building a following on social media, to finding and working with agents and publishers, through to her latest milestone, that of having her work optioned by a production company, Susi will share insights from her career.
Susi Holliday grew up near Edinburgh and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for many years before she started writing. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham Prize. She is the author of seven novels, five of them written as SJI Holliday. You can find out more at her website, www.susiholliday.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SJIHolliday/ and on Twitter @SJIHolliday. She also provides coaching for new crime writers via www.crimefictioncoach.com.
10 June, workshop
Kirsteen Coupar’s regular Wednesday workshop, best for fiction writers working on a bigger project. Contact us to register.
13 June, online writing session
Join us on Slack and/or Zoom (or both!) for a dedicated writing session. For those working on a project already, schedule in some time and join us. For those wanting to practice their writing, join us and we’ll provide a prompt. Join for as long or as little as you can. We’ll share our goals for the session at the beginning, then check in at the end to see how we’ve got on – the ultimate in accountability! 10.30am-12pm every Saturday.
14 June, weekly flash fiction prompt
Join us on Slack, where we’ll provide a prompt every Sunday to practice your flash fiction. One week to write, 100 words only, and the community will vote for its favourite each week by using Slack’s reaction button.
15 June, workshop
John Reynolds’ regular Monday workshop. Turn up and read, but register first on Meetup.com
20 June, online writing session
Join us on Slack and/or Zoom (or both!) for a dedicated writing session. For those working on a project already, schedule in some time and join us. For those wanting to practice their writing, join us and we’ll provide a prompt. Join for as long or as little as you can. We’ll share our goals for the session at the beginning, then check in at the end to see how we’ve got on – the ultimate in accountability! 10.30am-12pm every Saturday.
21 June, weekly flash fiction prompt
Join us on Slack, where we’ll provide a prompt every Sunday to practice your flash fiction. One week to write, 100 words only, and the community will vote for its favourite each week by using Slack’s reaction button.
24 June, workshop
Kirsteen Coupar’s regular Wednesday workshop, best for fiction writers working on a bigger project. Contact us to register.
27 June, online writing session
Join us on Slack and/or Zoom (or both!) for a dedicated writing session. For those working on a project already, schedule in some time and join us. For those wanting to practice their writing, join us and we’ll provide a prompt. Join for as long or as little as you can. We’ll share our goals for the session at the beginning, then check in at the end to see how we’ve got on – the ultimate in accountability! 10.30am-12pm every Saturday.
28 June, weekly flash fiction prompt
Join us on Slack, where we’ll provide a prompt every Sunday to practice your flash fiction. One week to write, 100 words only, and the community will vote for its favourite each week by using Slack’s reaction button.
29 June, workshop
John Reynolds’ regular Monday workshop. Turn up and read, but register first on Meetup.com
Feature image: Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash