#ScribeFest - A Write Good Experience! Middlewich Literary Festival

I am back from a very busy, and very enjoyable, weekend at the Middlewich Boat Pull event, and now I am very happy to announce the official launch of our brand new local festival, Scribe (Middlewich Literary Festival). Scribe takes place from 12th - 17th October 2015, and it is set to be a very lively festival, with visiting speakers and authors from all over the UK, lots of local venues opening their doors, and a chance to meet our local artists, writers and performers.

Some of our guests include Elizabeth Williams from the Gaskell Society, talking about Jane Austen, Money and Marriage; Miles Hunt with the Wonder Stuff diaries; poet John Lindley and film maker Alex Bell; journalist Joanna Collie, and various authors including yours truly (of course!), historian Gill Hoffs (who you may have seen recently on the television show Coast), author Paula Manley, and author and playwright Dan Weatherer (responsible for the award winning Legend of the Chained Oak short film).

#ScribeFest is a brand new festival concept that aims to bring together local artists with those visiting from further afield, to offer a creative and invigorating atmosphere in our canal town. We even have something for the children, in the form of a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party hosted by professional storyteller John Kirk, and a Children’s Literature and Illustration event run by local artists Ian Hill-Smith and Philip Latham. More events will be announced as we continue our preparations, but I am very excited about this one, as you can probably tell! Oh, and you might be interested to enter our short story competitions, one for adults and one for children, all with cash prizes and an invitation to our very special short story award ceremony during the festival.

So, here is my call-out to book lovers old and young. And to all of my artist and creative friends, we offer an open invitation to come and visit Middlewich in Cheshire during the October festival. Our pubs are welcoming and very cosy, we have events planned in various venues including my favourite café Drinks and Bites, and in Boatyard Artspace at Middlewich Narrowboats, which is a fabulous place, and very pretty with views over the canal and lots of colourful boats bobbing around. In fact, if you own a narrowboat, why not travel in style when you come to our events? Now, there’s an idea…

Appreciate the Short Story; it is not so easy to Write

I have just begun to read an anthology of short stories by an up and coming UK British horror author. It is too early for me to comment on the book, since I am reading it mainly for the purpose of providing a review. Having only started it late at night, and therefore read about half of the first story, I am already intrigued and delighted. The story has hooked me in, and I went to sleep thinking about the new characters I had met, and the fate that might befall them. It even unsettled me, so I think we have the makings of a good horror story collection over here!

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This morning I was pondering the nature of the short story. I have reads thousands of stories over the years, and I always believed that I preferred a proper novel. I like to read a series of novels by the same author, once I have my favourites. I connect with the characters, the settings, the stories of each individual world. But then I realised that I have also been reading short stories throughout my life as well. Obviously, as a child I started with stories tailored for a young audience. As a teenager I moved into other genres and realms as my reading horizons broadened. And then, as an adult, the whole world opened up to me.

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I do appreciate a good short story. They are very useful in this modern age, where everyone is busy, and nobody has the time to be still for more than a few minutes. You can read a short story very easily while on the daily commute, perhaps sitting on a bus or train. You can fit a short story in around your children. And with short stories, you can pick them up as and when you find the time to read. Personally, I read something at least once a day, mostly. But then I am a reader. It is part of my job. A good writer must always do the research from his or her peers.

What do you think about short stories? Do you read them? Do you write them? Please, do share your preferences. It is all part of my market research after all!

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!)