Tim Wilson at Poison Pens

Before all the coughing started and Christmas and the New Year arrived, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a workshop led by Tim Wilson who writes under the names of Jude Morgan and Hannah March. More information to be found at: www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/jude-morgan/

According to information from NAWG (for whom he has led workshops) Tim Wilson has an M.A. in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. His first novel was published when he was 23 and since then he has had 29 novels published which have been translated into 9 languages. He was shortlisted for Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year in 1993, twice shortlisted for the Ellis Peters Crime Writers’ Memorial Dagger, and his novel PASSION was chosen as Book of the Year 2005 by Hilary Mantel, Tracy Chevalier and Joanna Trollope. He has taught Creative Writing for ten years. He lives in Peterborough with his wife and son. www.nawg.co.uk/festival-2010/getting-to-know-your-tutors/

The workshop - entitled MAKE IT VIVID - was fantastic and I spent a few hours yesterday while Jamie was asleep (and when I wasn't preparing for another interview on Wednesday) going over the notes. A lot of the advice I had heard before but he gave his own slant to the workshop which made the concepts easier to grasp. I was particularly proud of a few of my inputs:

Exercises: Locate a significant detail for
- an over-neat living room:
The cushions stood to attention.

- an absent-minded person
Pen etched on the back of her hand: 10.45pm

Next meeting of the writers group is on the 22nd January. I already have a poem to take and am looking at starting something today while Daddy has very kindly given me a couple of hours.....