Exeter Writers

Happy Birthday to us!! Exeter Writers are one of the longest running writing groups in the UK, having been going since around 1950. Amongst their members are both traditionally published and indie authors, as well as short story and non-fiction writers. A Celebration of Words With Exeter Writers  uses the 75 year anniversary to bring together a wider group of local writers for a special one-day festival. Running in collaboration with Literature Works, there’ll be a mix of panels, workshops and speakers. The event is aimed at helping local writers and authors, with topics such as: -  Plotting a good novel -  How to get happily published -  Forensics for crime writers There will also be a session by Literature Works on  Advice, networks and support for writers in the South West. The keynote speaker will be Michael Jecks, giving a talk on  Editors, Agents and Other Reptiles . It promises to be an interesting, educational and...

Literary festivals are a wonderful celebration of the human experience as expressed through the written word. Whether you love contemporary literature, or genre fiction, literary festivals are a great way to find new authors you’ll love for years to come. We are lucky to have 10 regular literary festivals in Devon, many have passed already, a few cancelled due to the pandemic. Here follows a list of those that remain: Appledore Book Festival 16  - 25 September Appledore Book Festival has been going for 15 years now, and is held in the little village of Appledore near Bideford, North Devon. There are too many authors to mention them all, but among the guests of the festival are: Hilary Bonner, Kate Mosse and Anthony Horrowitz. There will be a mix of authors reading their works and discussing them, panelled discussions on contemporary topics, guided walks, and various children’s events too. For a full line up check out the festival programme , i t’s well worth a browse. Budleigh Sa...

You’ve been to one Lit Fest you’ve been to them all, right? Wrong. Every literature festival is a celebration of authors, books, thoughts, and ideas. They bring together different groups of writers from different genres, with different backgrounds and viewpoints. No two festivals are the same.  Every festival programme is a singular coming together of brilliant minds from different walks of life — with fascinating stories to tell and unique ways to express them.  I’m going to share with you some of the ways I’ve benefited from attending literary festivals in the past. But before I do, I just want to explain why I love Exe Lit Fest , and why this particular festival is worth coming to. And please do comment below to let us know your thoughts on this. So what makes Exe Lit Fest the 'bees knees'? Exe Lit Fest is organised by a group of literature enthusiasts with many backgrounds and experiences — from writers and mentors, to research fellows and librarians. These lovely...

Whether you want to learn how to hone your writing craft into a well-oiled machine, or you want to hear from successful authors about their new books, Exeter Writers has you covered for the coming month. One positive thing about the current pandemic is, with the technology available to us and our human ingenuity, events of all kinds are popping up online. Conferences that might have been over budget or simply out of reach because of distance are more easily available than ever before. Here are a few events coming up in April 2021 that may be of interest to you: The Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival   24 April - 2 May The theme for this year is: The Challenge of Our Times. They will have over 50 panels, debates and interviews with writers and professionals to discuss the subject. If that’s something that interests you the full programme is now available. Cambridge Literary Festival Online  (£35-£50 Festival Pass) 21 - 25 April  There are a host of writers and...

Elizabeth Ducie will be speaking at an exciting event next month; today she tells us all about it: I’m excited to be able to tell you about the Fourth Annual Women in Publishing Summit, which is coming up next month. The Women in Publishing Summit, sponsored by Bublish and Write|Publish|Sell , runs from 1st to 7th March and covers all things related to writing, publishing, and selling a book. It's created FOR women, BY women. So if you're a woman wanting to write a book, have written a book, are in the process of writing a book, or perform some kind of function related to writing, publishing, and selling a book, this is for you!   March is Women’s History Month. It’s a great time to celebrate, honour, and learn from a line-up of amazing women in the writing and publishing world who deserve some applause. This conference empowers, encourages, and supports women, with a major focus on bringing forward marginalised voices, talking about diversity, and creating a supportive commun...

Exeter Writers member Elizabeth Ducie is delighted to have been invited to speak at this year’s  Women in Publishing Summit  in March. She will be presenting a session on Routes to Publishing with heavy emphasis on the Indie Route.  This is a topic Elizabeth is amply qualified to speak on, as she has been publishing her own books and others for the past decade.  "I started early, when the technology was just developing,” she says, “and learned as I went along. I am a passionate believer that indie publishing is a legitimate option, rather than the last resort for authors who can’t get a traditional publishing deal.” As part of the lead-up to the Summit, Elizabeth is running a promotion all this week on her series of ebooks on  The Business of Writing.  Part 1 Business Start-Up   is free until 27th January.  Part 2 Finance Matters   and  Part 3 Improving Effectiveness   are both available for just 99p / $0.99 until 30th January....