Login   Sign Up 



 
Articles » Write-on-holidays

Write-on-holidays

Dave Simpson talks about his experiences setting up a holiday -writing course in Bodrum, Turkey

Can you teach someone how to write?

I ask that question because my wife, Diane Whitley, and I are setting up creative writing courses in Bodrum, Turkey, for next Spring. My daughter, Becky, has also recently started a three year BA creative writing course at Leeds University.

The simple answer to the question is ‘yes’ – and ‘no’. It all depends on talent. If you have some talent, no matter how raw, attending a writing course will help you understand more about your own writing and give you insights into character, dialogue and structure that previously you probably hadn’t thought much about. You’ll also learn about the market. If you have no talent, you’ll still have a great time on a course, but you’re never going to make it as a writer. Apart from that talent you also need to be totally focused, have a steely determination, an absolute believe in yourself – and some luck.

I spent ten years writing and submitting plays before I ever sold one (a radio play). I wrote over fifty plays that were mostly, to be kind on myself, poor. I was writing in the dark, stumbling around, not knowing what I was really doing, only believing that I had some talent, however latent, and that I was going to become a professional writer one day and prove all those people who rejected me that they were wrong. I came from a working class background where there were no books in the house, I was never taken to the theatre – except to see variety shows. Yet from about eighteen all I ever wanted to be was a writer and I have no idea where that came from. I trained to be a teacher and finished up in Basildon New Town, a cultural desert. I never met nor talked to writers. During those ten years I wrote in isolation – though towards the end of that depressing period I received encouragement from the BBC and Royal Court, actually being invited in to meet them. I was also close to getting a children’s novel published. It was little nuggets like these that kept me going.

In those days there were no BA creative writing courses, no Arvon Foundation. But what if there had been? I’m convinced that if I’d attended one of those courses I could have knocked five years off the time it took me to sell my first play. I was making basic, fundamental errors which would have been pointed out, the course would have given me confidence, I would have had more direction to my writing. How do I know this? Well I’ve since tutored for Arvon at Lumb Bank, and I’ve seen first hand how some of the writers I’ve taught have gone on to success (one now writes for Coronation Street). Paul Abbott will readily concur that the Willy Russell course he attended at Arvon made him realise he could be a writer. Tim Firth also attended a Willly Russell course – they now run courses together! These are just a few examples. Yes, Paul and Tim would have become writers anyway, but these courses made a difference.

Running creative writing courses in the sun is something Diane and I have talked about over the last few years. I've had such a broad experience in my writing career – radio, theatre, television and film - and I've learnt so much - and I think it's time I passed on some of that to other aspiring writers. Also from a personal viewpoint, I've spent 25 years in a room on my own (apart from theatre residences and rehearsals) and when I ran Arvon courses I the past I’ve always found them mentally stimulating and socially enervating - so hopefully running the Bodrum courses is going to be equally stimulating !

We went out to Bodrum last March to look at property – we chose Turkey because it was financially viable as property prices are still 15 years behind France, Spain and Portugal – and we found a three bedroomed detached villa with a three bedroomed apartment underneath it. We are currently having a swimming pool built. The property is big enough for eight students, plus the tutor.

Write-on-holidays has a very similar ethos to Arvon - but with the sun! We aim to attract high quality, high profile writers across a number of genres who can pass on their skill and expertise to new writers or writers with some experience. And because the courses are in the sun, we aim to generate a relaxed, holiday spirit where the emphasis is equally on social interaction as well as writing. For instance there will be a complete free day to explore the Bodrum peninsular and the evenings will also be free. The courses run from Monday to Monday, whereas at Arvon courses run Monday to Saturday, so there’s much more time to relax.

We start the courses on May 9th 2005. Diane and I are running the first two weeks – just to iron out any glitches. We’re running ‘starting to write’ courses – May 9th, writing for television, May 16th, writing for radio.

The courses after ours are as follows:

May 23rd 2005
Writing for performance
Course tutor: Willy Russell
Support tutor: Dave Simpson


May 30th
Writing for television
 Course tutor: Kay Mellor.

Kay’s course is about writing drama series, drawing on her own series such as “Fat Friends”, Playing the Field” and “Band of Gold”.

June 6th
Writing for soap opera.
 Course tutor: Ken Blakeson
Support tutor: Dave Simpson

Ken has written Coronation Street for 15 years, I was on Emmerdale for 4-5 years. As these soaps usually require writers to submit a trial script, the writers will be given an actual episode story-line that has already been transmitted. They’ll be asked to do a scene-by-scene breakdown of that episode before starting to write it. Then on the final night, they will watch the actual episode that they have been writing.

June 13th
The story of your life
 Course tutor: Julia Darling

Julia Darling, the celebrated poet and novelist of “Crocodile Soup” and the Booker long-listed novel, “The Taxi Driver’s Daughter”, will look at autobiographical experience and how to turn this into creative fiction/poetry/drama.

June 20th
Poetry
 Course tutor: Jackie Kay

Jackie is an award-winning poet and novelist. Her collection of poems, “Other Lovers”, won the Somerset Maughan Award and her first novel, “Trumpet”, won the Guardian Fiction Prize.
Jackie’s course will include tutored workshops, one to one feedback and advice on crafting and re-writing, with emphasis on contemporary poetry.

June 27h
Starting to write: fiction/drama/short stories
 Course tutor: Stella Duffy

Stella has written eight novels, the latest of which, State of Happiness (Virago), was long listed for the 2004 Orange Prize and has been optioned for feature film development.
This is a course about beginning - no matter what style, genre, field or interest.

If any of the Guild members are interested in joining us next year, you can give us a ring on 01422 845819 for more details, or you can check out our website:
www.writeonholiday.co.uk