Syllabus 2023/24


Erskine Writers Syllabus 2023/24 

Date

Topic

Tuesday 5th September

Welcome - Guide to the year ahead, review of syllabus and yearly subscriptions

Open Manuscripts (OM) 

Tuesday 12th September

Hilary's 'Box of Tricks'

Tuesday 19th September

Workshop on educational writing. Guest Speaker Val Thornton

Tuesday 26th September

AGM review of post holders 


Members to send writings that they want critiqued to John H by 3rd October. John will email submissions to group. Feedback will be given on 10th October to each member who submitted.

Tuesday 3rd October

Competition (1) Poetry. 

Guest Speaker Iona Lee

(‘Betty Munnoch Award’)

Tuesday 10th October

‘Critiques 1’ feedback from the group to those members who submitted their work to be critiqued. +OM

Tuesday 17th October

Competition (2) Research on an aspect of personal history.eg a place meaningful to you (500 -1000 words) 

Guest speaker Sarah Smith.

’The Quaich Award’

Tuesday 24th October

Deadline for competition (1)

Workshop on writing for radio programme. Led by Sandra. 

John S 15 minute slot.


Sandra will bring tapes to the workshop.


Members to send writings that they want critiqued to John H by 31st October. John will email submissions to group. Feedback to  to those members who submitted will be given on 7th November

Tuesday 31st October

Homework prose (500 words) or poem (40 lines). On the subject of ‘Halloween’

Tuesday 7th November

Deadline for competition (2)

‘Critiques 2’ feedback from the group to those members who submitted their work to be critiqued. +OM

Tuesday 14th November

Competition (3) Flash Fiction. (500 words) 

Guest Speaker Vikki Gemmell

‘The Erskine Bridge Hotel Award’

Tuesday 21st November

Homework  500 words

Traditions - curious ones, family ones, friends ones, work related ones

Lunch /afternoon tea at the Willows Restaurant

Tuesday 28th November

Adjudication and readings from competitions (1) & (2) +OM

Tuesday 5th December

Deadline for competition (3)

Homework 500 words

I wish I had written 'Streets of London'. Write about something you admire and wish you had written - a book, a poem or a song’ 

Tuesday 12th December

Christmas pies 

Desert Island Songs, 8 songs plus luxury item plus book  +OM


Christmas/New Year Break

Tuesday 9th January

Adjudication and readings from competition (3) 

Homework bring 2/3 photographs or pictures from a magazine which will be drawn from a hat for group to write about at the meeting.

Tuesday 16th January

Dialogue workshop held by John S

Tuesday 23rd January

Homework no word limit.

‘Letter to my 16 year old self’


Members to send writings that they want critiqued to John H by 30th January. John will email submissions to group. Feedback to those members who submitted will be given on 6th February.

Tuesday 30th January

Adjudication with Greenock writers. General short story 2000 words +OM 


John H to follow up with Mhairi Gilchrist Secretary GWC re dates

Tuesday 6th February

‘Critiques 3’ feedback from the group to those members who submitted their work to be critiqued +OM 

Tuesday 13th February

Homework ‘I was there’ Prose (500 words) or poem (40 lines).

The Max Boyce Award.....write about an event, an incident, an historic moment about which you can say "I was there" 

Tuesday 20th February

Workshop with Sandra ‘Beginning a novel’


Sandra to issue silhouette  pictures to group for ‘Women’s Short Story’ due on 5th March

Tuesday 27th February

Character/Setting exercise

Information to be emailed out to the group on what the exercise entails (John H)

Competition (4) Young Adult Short Story (2000 words)

‘Albert Hammond Award’

Tuesday 5th March

Homework (1500 words)

‘Women’s Short Story’


Members to send writings that they want critiqued to John H by 12th March. John will email submissions to group. Feedback to those members who submitted will be given on 19th March.

Tuesday 12th March

Open Manuscripts 

Tuesday 19th March

Deadline for competition (4)

Young Adult Short Story (2000 words)

Adjudicated by Suzy Aldous


‘Critiques 4’ feedback from the group to those members who submitted their work to be critiqued +OM

Tuesday 26th March

SAW Feedback +OM


Easter Break

Tuesday 16th April

Flash Fiction ‘One liners’ 

The group will draw one line sentence from the hat. Complete a flash fiction story. Then pair up with a colleague who drew the same one liner and then work together merging their stories into one piece.

John H to  provide the one liners.

Tuesday 23rd April

Book Review. Group to provide review of a book that they have read. Maximum 10 minutes 

Tuesday 30th April

Adjudication and readings from competition (4)

Tuesday 7th May

Adjudication/feedback from Greenock writers on our submissions for general short story 2000 words +OM 


John H to follow up with Mhairi Gilchrist Secretary GWC re dates

Tuesday 14th May

Homework 500 words (5-7minutes delivery time) ‘Award Speech’ deliver your award speech fact or fiction.

Tuesday 21st May

Garden party & prize giving







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