Jane is the author of four novels and two non-fiction books – Wannabe a Writer? – a humorous look at becoming a scribe – and Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard Of? a guide to the art of book and self promotion. As a freelance journalist she has appeared in a wide range of women’s magazines and national newspapers and writes regular columns for Woman’s Weekly and Writing Magazine, where she is the agony aunt. Jane is an experienced tutor who is regularly booked by writing conferences and literary festivals to run workshops and give talks on all aspects of the writing process. She is also a member of Equity, has presented for the BBC on both TV and radio and has done her fair share of daytime TV, particularly when promoting her controversial second novel Perfect Alibis (subtitled How to have an affair and get away with it…) It was those – sometimes hair-raising – TV experiences that inspired Prime Time, her new novel. For more information see www.janewenham-jones.com.

Is there a book in you?

For anyone who longs to be published, whatever stage of the journey they are at. Whether your book is still the merest twinkle of an idea, an I’ll-do-it-one-day fantasy or a first draft that needs polishing up, Jane will help you bring your dreams a little closer. Don’t know where to start? Afraid to finish? Or have you ground to a halt halfway through the manuscript, feeling you’ve literally lost the plot? This five-day course will look at kick-starting your ideas, keeping going, plotting and planning, discipline and displacement, writing the dreaded synopsis, editing techniques and much, much more. With time for one-to-one consultations, group feedback and individual writing time, the sessions will be designed to send you home with a clear idea of where you are going with your book and a considerable number of words under your belt. Content will be planned around the specific needs of the group and participants will be encouraged to contact the tutor beforehand with their hopes and aims for the week. No experience necessary – new and long-term writers welcome!

Wannabe a published writer?

Have you finished your manuscript but aren’t sure what to do next? Or did you grind to a halt at 30,000 words and feel you’ve lost the plot? Do you long to see your name in print but can’t seem to get started.
As always, Jane’s tuition will be tailored to the needs of the group but is likely to include plotting and planning, editing techniques, preparing a synopsis, writing a great covering letter and selling yourself as well as your manuscript. Suitable for all levels, this practical course will offer strategies to kick-start your creativity and keep you writing till “the end”.
Students will be encouraged to email the tutor with their hopes and aspirations prior to the course.

Adrian Magson is the author of 12 crime/thriller novels and hundreds of short stories and magazine articles, published in the UK and overseas. His latest novels are ‘Deception’ (Severn House – Nov 2011), the third in his Harry Tate spy series, and ‘Death on the Rive Nord’ (Allison & Busby), in his Inspector Lucas Rocco French police series. A regular reviewer for Shots Magazine, he runs occasional creative writing classes, writes the ‘Beginners’ and ‘New Author’ pages for Writing Magazine, and is the author of a book for writers – ‘Write On! – The Writer’s Help Book’ (Accent Press – Aug 2011).

Adrian’s Website: www.adrianmagson.com

Veronica Henry is a scriptwriter and author. She has written for some of our best-known dramas, including The Archers, Heartbeat and Holby City. She has just published her ninth best-selling novel, The Birthday Party (Orion Books).

Commercial women’s fiction covers a huge range of best-selling authors, from Maeve Binchy via Jilly Cooper to Adele Parks and Marian Keyes. Students will collaborate on developing a commercial women’s fiction novel from start to finish, thereby learning first-hand everything from narrative structure and character development to the importance of a good title. Although we will be working together, there will be plenty of opportunity to express yourself and find your own voice, and each student will also have a one-to-one session with the course tutor throughout the week to discuss how to progress their own ideas. The aim is to de-mystify the art of writing and to give students the tools and the confidence to embark on their own novel.


For more information visit Veronica’s website at www.veronicahenry.co.uk

Lynn Bushell studied Art History and Philosophy at Edinburgh University and Fine Art at Edinburgh College of Art. She has taught in London at Hornsey College of Art and Middlesex University and is a tutor for the Arts Faculty of the Open University.

She has had solo exhibitions in London’s West End and her work can be viewed on her personal website: www.lynnbushellart.co.uk and on the websites of The Government Art Collection (www.gac.culture.gov.uk) and Highgate Fine Art (www.oddyart.com)

She now lives in Normandy where she exhibits annually and runs courses in art and art appreciation.

Students are invited to work in whichever medium they prefer – charcoal, water-colour, oil or pastel and to receive tuition and advice accordingly. There will be opportunities to paint in the landscape and students will also have the option of tuition in portraiture, figure drawing and still life if they so wish.

I started my photography career in 1997 working with a family portrait company, learning studio and natural lighting techniques. After a couple of years I wanted to expand my knowledge into other areas of photography, gaining a City & Guilds in Photography in 2000. With a new found enthusiasm I became a freelance photographer specialising in weddings, but always with my heart in Natural History and teaching people how to be creative with their camera.

In 2005 I moved to France with my wife and began offering one day photography courses. These were very successful, catapulting me to manage exhibitions and judge local photography competitions. I was awarded my licentiateship to the British Institute of Professional Photography in 2009 and regularly supply images to Alamy photo agency.

My photography courses have gone from strength to strength, delivering tailored instruction for clients’ particular photographic interests. I teach courses in several locations in France, giving people a ‘hands on’ approach to shooting creative, stunning images that they never thought possible.

My courses take the form of daily tours around the local areas, showing students what makes a good image, how to control the light and how to use your cameras best functions, to make the most of the subject. If the weather is inclement, the instruction focuses on indoor subjects. Using a portable studio with up to four studio lights, students look at creative lighting of portraits and still life subjects.

The instruction is given in an informal style with as little technical jargon as possible. Course hand outs are available so you don’t forget anything you learn on the courses.

For more information on Howie and his work visit his website at www.mantuesday.com

Award winning author Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes. Her short stories, serials, articles and columns have been published in magazines and anthologies around the world. Sue’s regular columns appear in Writers’ Forum magazine, where she’s the head judge of the fiction competition, and on www.girlracer.co.uk.

Her credits as a tutor include University of Leicester, the London School of Journalism, adult education and various residential or one-day courses. She has written distance-learning courses and is the author of Love Writing – How to Make Money From Writing Romantic and Erotic Fiction.

A long-time committee member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Sue has edited two of their anthologies of short stories and takes up the post of vice chair during 2013.

Writing Fiction

Fiction is a joy, an escape, a creative outlet; a hobby, a career or a supplementary income. On this course Sue will help you plan and shape your novel, short story or serial as well as arm you with effective writing techniques and how to tackle the trickier bits of fiction.

Learn to create characters that lift off the page to solve conflicts and pursue quests, acting, reacting and interacting their way through a plot with pace and purpose. Discover how to study the market and pitch to agents and editors.

Tutorials, one-to-ones and writing time – bring yourself, your imagination and laptop or favourite writing tools to a course to suit all ability levels. Content will be shaped around the needs of the group and you’ll be invited to supply their aims for the course beforehand.

For more information on Sue visit her website at www.suemoorcroft.com or Blog: www.suemoorcroft.wordpress.com Twitter: @suemoorcroft Facebook: sue.moorcroft.3