Writing
Courses – are they a good idea?
Linda
Fawke
Can
you be taught to write?
Some
folk sneer at Writing Courses believing writing skills are innate.
Why? No-one believes dance or music lessons are a waste of time. You
can’t guarantee a writing course will turn you into a best-selling
author but you can learn a lot. As I discovered the hard way…
When
I retired and started to write seriously, I didn’t believe I’d
need much help. At school, I’d been taught formally and well – I
was that generation. My English grammar and spelling were good and I
could construct a well-phrased sentence.
My
problem was I knew nothing about the business of writing, how to get
started, how to get published, who to contact – hundreds of
questions. So I decided doing a writing course would help. I enrolled
in a distance learning course with the Writers’ Bureau.
To
start with, I gathered some compliments on my writing. This is a
doddle, I thought. I shall sail through this course. But it wasn’t
long before some harsh – yet constructive – criticism arrived.
Huh! My writing wasn’t perfect! Somewhat affronted, I took it on
board. I began to realise there is much more to good writing than the
ability to spell, punctuate and write grammatically. I climbed down
from my pedestal and accepted how much I had to learn.
To
my surprise, the course was commercially orientated and the Writers’
Bureau expected participants to sell their writing. They were so sure
you could earn the cost of the course back within two years they
offered to refund it all if you didn’t. Initially, I thought this
was a great offer – then I realised how ashamed I would be to make
such a claim. Fortunately, I didn’t need to.
We
started with non-fiction. This meant writing articles for magazines,
sending in funny stories and letters to Readers’ pages and learning
how to go about all of this in a professional way. These were not
routes I’d ever gone along before. Did I really want to? This
wasn’t ‘real’ writing to me. But I had no choice. I would creep
into W H Smith’s and buy the sort of magazine I normally considered
rubbish to see what the opportunities were. I would look furtively
around me to see if anyone saw what I was buying!
I
realised I needed to grow a pretty thick skin. Unfortunately, it is
never quite thick enough. You have to get used to rejection. However,
when you do get something accepted, it is all the sweeter.
I
submitted quips and letters to many magazines including The Oldie
(various short travel pieces and a Rant or two) and Saga magazine (a
letter). I had a great success in The Readers’ Digest with a
‘filler’. It was 70 words long, took me a few minutes to write
and earned me £50. My highest ever rate of pay! ‘Star’ letters
are often well rewarded. I won a lovely piece of Rimova cabin baggage
worth around £350 for a letter in the Air Canada in-flight magazine.
All this fulfilled the requirements of the course – and it was
good to get some recognition – but didn’t really satisfy me.
However, it did teach me discipline in writing, an important lesson.
The over-riding message was, ‘Write EXACTLY what the
editor/magazine wants if you want to get published’. My first
‘proper’ article, commissioned and paid for, was in Berkshire
Life magazine. I felt at that point I could call myself a writer.
The
course also encouraged us to enter writing competitions. I’ve had
some success but my winnings are not going to make me rich. My most
lucrative success was my entry into the Daily Telegraph ‘Just Back’
competition. This is a weekly competition on Saturdays for travel
writing. I won one week – £200. I’ve entered many times since
but with no further success. Again, a key point for any competition
is to obey the rules to the letter. I was learning!
We
moved on to fiction which is my main love. However, it became
apparent how hard it is to sell. There are fewer opportunities than
for non-fiction. Although I’d been a bit sniffy about writing for
magazines, I was glad I’d done that part of the course first. It
had told me I could write and gave me some confidence. The challenge
of getting my fiction accepted was greater.
But
I was getting there!
A Taste of His Own Medicine
How long can
the desire for revenge last?
Kate Shaw, a
successful pharmacist, goes to a thirty-year reunion at her old
university and uses the weekend to settle some old scores. Her main
target is her ex-lover, Jonathan. She decides to scar him for life as
he scarred her. Her bizarre plan works but he shocks her with his
strange, unwanted reaction.
What is the
unexpected link between Jonathan and Kate’s husband?
What is the
significance of the ‘Love Bite’ photograph?
What hold does
Jonathan have over Kate?
Revenge is never
simple.
A darkly humorous
story of love, lust, loss and vengeance.
Amazon UK Amazon US
Linda
Fawke is an arts person who studied science but always wanted to
write. Now retired, she indulges this passion, writing fiction and
non-fiction, even occasional poetry, preferably late at night. She
has now written two novels, 'A Taste of his own Medicine' and its
sequel, 'A Prescription for Madness' using her background in pharmacy
as the setting of both. These are easy books to read, suitable for
Book Club discussions. ' A Prescription for Madness' is more serious
than the first book, dealing with such issues as pregnancy in later
life and Down's Syndrome.
She
has been a winner of the Daily Telegraph 'Just Back' travel-writing
competition and has published in various magazines including
'Mslexia', 'Litro' online, 'Scribble', 'The Oldie', 'Berkshire Life'
and 'Living France'. She was a finalist in the 'Hysteria' short story
competition.
Linda
blogs at www.linimeant.wordpress.com where her 'Random Writings'
include a range of topics from travel to 'Things that pop into my
head'.
Twitter:
@LindaFawke
Facebook: Linda
Fawke
