SPRING 2025
6th Jan - Announce Ted Jones Short Story Comp - 1600-1800 words - A Ghost Story – Judge by (tbd)
Welcome Back – Planning for the future and a FREE drink!
Manuscript Evening
13th Jan - WORKSHOP - Rob’s IT Clinic
20th Jan - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
27th Jan - WORKSHOP - Literary devices with Lorraine
3rd Feb - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
10th Feb - GUEST SPEAKER Tony Virgo (Lee to arrange)
SUNDAY! 16th Feb - deadline for TJSS competition entries.
17th Feb - WORKSHOP - Grammer & Proofreading with Neil
24th Feb - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
26th Feb - Committee meeting – In person
3rd Mar - MANUSCRIPT EVENING - Someone reads out your work.
10th Mar - WORKSHOP - Voice differentiation with Beth
17th Mar - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
24th Mar - TJ SHORT STORY RESULTS AND READ MANUSCRIPT EVENING
7th Apr - START OF SUMMER SESSION 2025
AUTUMN SESSION 2024
14 Weeks, 5 Manuscript Nights, 5 Workshops, 1 Guest Speaker Night, 1 Quiz Night, 2 Results & Read Nights.
8th Sept (SUN!) SUMMER COMP (A Satirical Story) DEADLINE (Midnight) - NOTE this is before we officially return!
9th Sept Announce Article Comp - 1000 words - 1 entry
Plans for 2025, Manuscript Evening, Free Drink
16th Sept WORKSHOP - The Burnham Project
23rd Sept MANUSCRIPT EVENING
30th Sept WORKSHOP - Writing for Magazines – Richard – see Resources and information: http://richardhill.co.uk/respect/
7th Oct MANUSCRIPT EVENING - Someone else reads out your work.
10th Oct Committee meeting
14th Oct WORKSHOP - 500 word Flash Fiction Night – Rob, Lorraine, Nazalee
20th Oct (SUNDAY!) - ARTICLE COMP DEADLINE
2ist Oct WORKSHOP - Working together - Paul
28h Oct MANUSCRIPT EVENING
4th Nov SUMMER COMP: RESULTS AND READ MANUSCRIPT EVENING
11th Nov WORKSHOP - What is it all about? – Lee
18th Nov MANUSCRIPT EVENING
25th Nov QUIZ NIGHT (With Rob)
2nd Dec ARTICLE COMP: RESULTS AND READ
6th Jan START OF SPRING SESSION 2025
SUMMER SESSION 2024
15th April Announce POETRY COMP 40 Lines - 1 entry
Open Themed. Judge: Claire Dyer
Manuscript Evening
22nd April Workshop - Writing a great synopsis – Neil
29th April Manuscript Evening
6th May BANK HOLIDAY
13th May Guest Speaker – TBC
20th May Manuscript Evening
27th May BANK HOLIDAY
2nd June (SUNDAY!) Deadline for the poetry competition
3rd June Workshop - Finding and working with Agents – Phillip
10th June Manuscript Evening
17th June Workshop - Methods of outlining/structuring novels, novellas and plays – Nazalee
24th June Inspirational Out & About Night – Out and About around Maidenhead Thames-Side
26th June Committee meeting
1st July Workshop - Good Endings – Elaine
6th July SUMMER PICNIC @ Merle & Dannys
8th July ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: Awards and presentations.
POETRY COMP: Results, reading.
SUMMER COMP: Announce.
SPRING SESSION 2024
12 Weeks, 6 Manuscript Nights, 4 Workshops, 1 Guest Speaker Night, 1 Results & Read Night,
8th Jan - Announce Ted Jones Short Story Comp - 1600-1800 words - 1 entry - The Verdict
- Welcome Back - Planning for the future and a FREE drink!
- Manuscript Evening
15th Jan - WORKSHOP - Famous Last Words - Paul
22nd Jan - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
29th Jan - WORKSHOP - How do they do it? - Open discussion about what makes a good writer good.
5th Feb - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
12th Feb - GUEST SPEAKER - TV Legend Johnny Ball
18th Feb - (SUNDAY!) - Hand in TJSS entries on Sunday 18th Feb
19th Feb - WORKSHOP - Character Forming - Open discussion about creating characters.
26th Feb - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
28th Feb - (WEDNESDAY) - Committee meeting - In person
4th Mar - MANUSCRIPT EVENING - Someone reads out your work.
11th Mar - WORKSHOP - It’s only words - What are words? What do they mean? What words do we know?
18th Mar - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
25th Mar - TJ SHORT STORY RESULTS AND READ MANUSCRIPT EVENING
1st Apr - EASTER MONDAY
15th Apr - START OF SUMMER SESSION 2024
AUTUMN SESSION 2023
3rd Sept (SUNDAY!) – SUMMER COMP DEADLINE
4th Sept - Announce Article Comp - 1000 words - 1 entry - (Article to be set and judge by documentary maker and scriptwriter Abhi Arumbakkam - brief TBA)
- Welcome Back - Planning for the future.
- Also, Manuscript Evening
11th Sept – MANUSCRIPT EVENING
18th Sept - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
25th Sept - WORKSHOP - The Power of Stories - Lee
2nd Oct - GUEST SPEAKER: FATEMEH MOUSSAVI-POURGHARB - Positive effects of creative writing on health and wellbeing
9th Oct - MANUSCRIPT EVENING - Someone else reads out your work.
13th Oct - Committee meeting
16th Oct - WORKSHOP - Imitations – Lorraine
22nd Oct (SUNDAY) - ARTICLE COMP DEADLINE
23rd Oct - OPEN NIGHT
30th Oct - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
6th Nov - SUMMER COMP: RESULTS AND READ
13th Nov - WORKSHOP - Change The Gender - Lorraine + 1
20th Nov - MANUSCRIPT EVENING
27th Nov - FESTIVE LITERARY QUIZ - A literary Christmas quiz night
4th Dec - ARTICLE COMP: RESULTS AND READ
8th Jan - START OF SPRING SESSION 2024
SUMMER SESSION 2023
13 Weeks, 3M/S Nights, 4 Workshops, 1 Guest Speaker Night, 1 Inspirational Out & About Night, 1 Results Night & AGM, 3 Bank Holidays
17th April - Announce POETRY COMP (Ode to The King – Judge Roger Stennett) - 40 Lines - 1 entry
- Manuscript Evening
24th April - Guest Speaker - Poetry (and other) Conversation with Roger Stennett, our poetry competition judge
1st May - BANK HOLIDAY
8th May - BANK HOLIDAY - CORONATION
15th May - Guest Speaker – Marion Watson - Head Of Operations, Clinical Trails
- Dr Marion Watson is Head of Operations at the Jenner Institute overseeing a wide range of clinical trial research and development activities on vaccines for malaria, TB and emerging pathogens, notably since early 2020 vaccine trials for COVID-19
22nd May - Manuscript Evening - Hand out Committee and Awards nominations
29st May - BANK HOLIDAY
4th June - Hand in POETRY Competition (Sunday night)
5th June - Workshop - TBD?
12th June - Manuscript Evening – Your Story, Different Voice
19th June - 500 Word one night Flash Fiction Comp
26th June - Inspirational Out & About Night around Littleworth Common
28h June - Committee meeting
1st July - SW SUMMER PICNIC
3rd July - Workshop - Writing the same story for different readers – Mark
- Also send all committee and awards nominations to Terry
10th July - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: Awards and presentations.
- POETRY COMP: Results, reading.
- SUMMER COMP: Announce.
4th Sept - Start of Autumn Term
SPRING SESSION 2023
13 Weeks, 6 M/S Nights, 5 Workshops, 1 Guest Speaker Night, 1 Results Night
9th Jan - Manuscript & Discussion Evening (Free Drink),
Announcement of the Ted Jones Short Story comp,
‘Change’ judged by The Cippenham Book Group (See Brief)
16th Jan - Workshop - Freewriting with Richard Hill
23rd Jan - Manuscript Evening
30th Jan - Workshop - Different Viewpoint with Neil
6th Feb - Manuscript Evening
13th Feb - Guest Speaker - (TBC) - Deadline to hand in Short Story Competition entries,
20th Feb - Manuscript Evening
27th Feb - Workshop - Don’t get it right, get it written with Lorraine
1st Mar - Committee meeting
6th March - Manuscript Night – Your manuscript. Different voice.
13th March - Workshop - Character Traits with Nazalee
20th March - Manuscript Evening
27th March - Workshop - Copywriting with Lorraine & Neil
3rd April - Results & Read of the Ted Jones Short Story Comp
10th April - Easter Monday
17th April - Start of Summer Term
- Welcome back. Announcement of 2023 poetry competition, run-through of this term’s programme, and manuscript night.
AUTUMN SESSION 2022
14 Weeks, 5 Manuscript Nights, 5 Workshops, 1 Guest Speaker Night,
1 Open Night, 2 Results & Read Night,
5th Sept Announce Article Comp - 1000 words - 1 entry
Music Review - Terry to find judge TBC
MANUSCRIPT EVENING
12th Sept WORKSHOP - Swaperoo - kind of like consequences but less mad - Rob
19th Sept Queen Elizabeth II Funeral - Bank Holiday - No evening
26th Sept WORKSHOP - Tech - Making a book in one night! - Rob
SUMMER COMP DEADLINE
3rd Oct Poetry Workshop held by Terry - “What I did today”
10th Oct MANUSCRIPT EVENING - Someone else reads out your work.
12th Oct Committee meeting
17th Oct WORKSHOP - Who Knows Best - Lee
24th Oct Zoom Interview with Alis Hawkins, whose books in the Teifi Valley Coroner Series are called: None so blind, In two minds, Those Who Know, Not One of Us.
ARTICLE COMP DEADLINE
31st Oct SCARY PLAYS PART 2 - Reading of some more scary plays from Summer 21 with Burnham Am Dram. (TBC)
7h Nov SUMMER COMP: RESULTS AND READ MANUSCRIPT EVENING
14th Nov WORKSHOP - From Fact To Fiction - Lorraine - TBC
21st Nov MANUSCRIPT EVENING
28th Nov WORKSHOP - Festive 500-word one-night competition - Lorraine & Rob
5th Dec ARTICLE COMP: RESULTS AND READ
9th JAN START OF SPRING SESSION 2023