Syllabus 2024/25

NOTES

OM: Open Manuscripts- you may bring any work (in progress or completed) that you wish to share with group

Competitions and homework will be 1500 words maximum for prose and 40 lines for poetry submissions unless stated otherwise.

Erskine Writers Syllabus 2024/25
Date	Topic	Competition  Deadlines/Guest Speakers/Leads	Notes
3rd September	Welcome - Guide to the year ahead, review of syllabus. Open Manuscripts (OM)		Yearly subscriptions due
10th September	Magic Mixture Box of Tricks	Hilary
17th September	Radio Phone in	Sandra M	Working in pairs, take the role of a radio DJ and a listener with some attempt at a humorous situation.
24th September	AGM, review of post holders +OM	Jeannie, John H, Donnie, Morag
1st October	Visit  to Kelvingrove  Art Gallery 1.00pm start	Jeannie	Discuss transport details for visit
8th October	Writing a piece in any genre from visit to Kelvingrove		Homework
15th October	Draft the framework/synopsis, of your imagined prequel, or sequel, to a famous novel.		Homework
22nd October	‘Diary of a Time Traveller’ Having been given the opportunity to travel through time, describe an historic event, or series of events, that you witnessed.		Homework
29th October	‘Lyric re-write’ Select a tune, melody re-write the lyrics on a subject of your choice		Homework
5th November	Workshop on Poetry	Jenny Lindsay	TBC
12th November	OM
19th November	‘Agony Aunt Round Robin’		Write a letter to an agony aunt, pass it to your left and answer the one on your right from the agony aunt’s viewpoint
Date	Topic	Competition  Deadlines/Guest Speakers/Leads	Notes
26th November	Workshop on Crime Writing	Russel McLean	TBC
3rd December	‘Christmas Story’ Write the diary entry about Christmas made by anyone associated with the story but only by implication	Deadline for  competition 1	Homework (500 words)
10th December	Christmas pies +OM
	Christmas/New Year Break
7th January	Book Review		Homework (500 words)
14th January	Workshop on Writing for Children	Lindsay Littleson Deadline for  competition 2	TBC
21st January	OM	Adjudication &  Readings from  Competition 1
28th January	‘A Man’s a Man for a’ that’ Write about someone you consider to be deserving of great praise.		Homework
4th February	OM	Adjudication & Readings from  Competition 2 Deadline for  competition 3
11th February	Headline News	Jeannie	Jeannie to select headlines  from a newspaper, group to re-write the story to which the headline may apply
18th February	‘Blind Date’….write a short story based on a blind date that was either rip roaring success, an abject failure or something totally unexpected or  embarrassing		Homework
25th February	Workshop on Screen Writing	Sacha Kyle	TBC
4th March	OM	Adjudication & Readings from  Competition 3
Date	Topic	Competition  Deadlines/Guest Speakers/Leads	Notes
11th March	Hermit Crab Writing	Jeannie
18th March	‘My Happy Place’ A pamphlet or tourist flier to describe an important place to the writer	Deadline for  competition 4	Homework prose or poem
25th March	Top Deck Double Decker	Joan	Two words selected from two bags randomly. One a noun, the other an adjective. ‘The’ is placed in front of the two words selected group to write short story  based on the title they have selected.
1st April	OM
	Easter Break
22nd April	OM	Adjudication & Readings from  Competition 4
29th April	‘If Only’. Write a short story which ends with a sentence beginning with the words ‘If Only’		Homework
6th May	‘I’ve Never’…based on the bucket list, write something you have never done. Explain why and whether you intend to rectify the omission.		Homework (500 words)
13th May	OM
20th May	Garden party & prize giving

Erskine Writers Syllabus

2024-25