Talks, panels and workshops

The full programme of adult talks, workshops and panels to inspire writers to write and to support you in improving and progressing your writing.

All talks on this page will take place at either Pavilion Dance, Patch or St Peter's Church. Talks last one hour and workshops last 90 minutes.

Our At a Glance document has all our events and activities across the festival in one place and in chronological order.

Friday 25th April 2025

Writing Reality - Tattoo Stories

Every tattoo has a story - but what story do your scars tell

The Outsider's Project

Pay What You Can

13:30 - 14:30

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book Here

Workshop for International Students

The Snack-Rap-Shack. Using rhythms and rhymes to express what is happening in their lives, and how they feel about it.

Jane Skellett

Free - Sponsored by IEA

16:00 - 17:00

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book Here

How to market yourself on social media

Tips and tricks to establish yourself as a writer/author on social media.

T.H. Carrington

£10

14:00 - 15:00

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

Fantastic Fonts!

A talk of typographic tricks to attract, connect and engage your readers for your book cover

Briony Hartley

£10

16:45 - 17:45

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

21st Century Publishing – Blank Page To Bestseller

How to publish a Paperback, eBook and Audiobook from scratch for a 21st Century audience.

Nigel Jones

£10

15:15 - 16:15

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

The Friday Night Social starts at 7pm at Flirt Cafe

Saturday 26th April 2025

Putting the Y in Wryting

When’s the right time to be a writer and why shouldn’t it be now?

Timo Peach / Peter Cooper

£10

10am - 11am

Pavilion Dance - Ocean

Book here

SAS! Synopsis Avoidance System

10 ways to put the sizzle into your synopsis!

Joanna Knowles

£10

10:30 - 11:30

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

6 things to do before you start writing

Validate, expand, and propel your story before you start your first draft.

Sam Parks

£15

12:00 - 13:30 (workshop)

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

How Artificial Intelligence (AI) affects writers

Find out what it can do and how to use it.

Martin J Lake

£10

1:30pm - 2:30pm

St Peter's Church

Book here

Making your writing feel REAL

Create verisimilitude in your writing, using real events, places – even living people!

James Woolf

£10

15:15 - 16:15

Pavilion Dance - Ocean

Book here

Plot Your Perfect Mystery

A hands-on guide to crafting cozy to thrilling whodunnits.

Suzy Bussell / Paula Harmon

£15

16:00 - 17:30 (workshop)

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

Let’s Get Villainous

We all love a villain! Create your baddy in this interactive workshop.

K.M. Kelly

£15

10:00 - 11:30 (workshop)

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

Publishing with Purpose

Finding the Right Self-Publishing Strategy for You.

Alex Thompson (Troubadour)

£10

11:45 - 12:45

Pavilion Dance - Ocean

Book here

Your Life Story, Your Legacy

Build a lasting legacy by unearthing the wisdom in your life story.

Beverley Glick

£10

12:15 - 1:15

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

From Their Pages to Yours

Transform museum collections and family records into captivating fiction.

Erni Salleh / Katie Heaton

£10

14:00 - 15:00

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

Build Characters Readers Will Never Forget

Master backstory techniques to enrich your narratives and captivate readers.

Francesco Sarti

£10

15:15 - 16:15

St Peter's Church

Book here

Short Steps Into the Dark

How to create atmosphere and generate fear in the short story genre.

Paul Draper

£10

10:00 - 11:00

St Peter's Church

Book here

Let's Make A Murder

All you need to write a twisty mystery that will keep readers guessing

Andreina Cordani

£10

11:45 - 12:45

St Peter's Church

Book here

Organising Chaos

Turning Your Messy Draft Into a Publishable Novel. Self-editing your book without losing the plot.

Gary Dalkin / Sophie Beal

£10

13:30 - 14:30

Pavilion Dance - Ocean

Book here

Your Poetry Basecamp

A poetry workshop for climbing the mountains in our lives with success.

Tom Shaw

£15

14:00 - 15:30 (workshop)

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

Write your play, get it on Stage!

A practical guide to scriptwriting and how to get your work seen.

Stacie Bates

£10

15:45 - 16:45

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

The Bourn Jammy live music / improvisation event starts at 7pm

Sunday 27th April 2025

Working with a Literary Agent

Why you need one, how to get one and what happens when you get one?

Laura Williams / Megan Carroll

£10

10:00 - 11:00

Pavilion Dance - Ocean

Book here

Write a Script in 10 Weeks

"No time" to write that script? No more excuses - you can get it done in 10 weeks.

Tim Clague / Danny Stack

£10

10:30 - 11:30

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

Light the Writing Fuse

Engage from start to finish. Interactive workshop to take writing forward.

Kanthi Ford

£15

12:00 - 13:30 (workshop)

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

Potential Publishing Pitfalls and Clear Clarification Contracts

Deep dive into a professional book publishing agreements.

Luke English

£10

13:30 - 14:30

Patch

Book here

The Querying Process

From letter of introduction to avoiding the slush pile, rejection to acceptance, and everything in between.

Saskia Leach / Anna Britton

£10

15:15 - 16:15

Pavilion Dance - Ocean

Book here

Perfect Endings

Great stories deserve perfect endings - let's find yours

Adrienne Dines

£15

16:00 - 17:30 (workshop)

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

Heroes, Villains and Sticky Bears

Practical approaches to devising characters with distinct voices and development

Paul Coomey

£15

10:00 - 11:30 (workshop)

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

Understanding the publishing business

Learn how publishing works and decide how to get your books to readers with million-selling-author Rachel McLean.

Rachel McLean

£10

11:45 - 12:45

Pavilion Dance - Ocean

Book here

Pain into purpose: Writing through adversity

Accepting ourselves, our pasts, and moving past shame through our writing.

Jade Levell

£10

12:15 - 13:15

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

Writing Rituals

How to build a writing habit that lasts.

Ellie Hawkes

£10

14:00 - 15:00

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

The Poetry of Prose

A talk and performance that explores how powerful poetry can enliven your prose.

Ashley Hickson-Lovence

£10

15:15 - 16:15

Patch

Book here

Write your first full-length book - let's do it!

Kick-start your first full-length book and bring it to fruition.

Valerie French / Katherine Baldwin

£10

10:00 - 11:00

Patch

Book here

Memoir Writing to change your life

Life stories are a fabulous resource for all genres of writing.

Miriam Coley

£10

11:45 - 12:45

Patch

Book here

Lift Your Characters from the Page

Tips to make your characters interesting and fully rounded.

Lisa Sell

£10

13:30 - 14:30

Pavilion Dance - Ocean

Book here

Write Nature Poetry Now!

How to write nature poetry from first word to crafting a collection.

Estelle Phillips

£15

14:00 - 15:30 (workshop)

Pavilion Dance - Garden

Book here

Quit your job! Make a living from self-publishing!

Learn all the tips and tricks to launch your own successful writing career.

Matt Shaw

£10

15:45 - 16:45

Pavilion Dance - Seafront

Book here

The Arts University Showcase event, Making Waves, starts at 7pm.

Events are subject to change.

Bournemouth Writing Festival is not responsible for the content of the events.

Talks, panels and workshops

Friday 25th April 2025

Writing Reality - Tattoo Stories

Workshop for International Students

How to market yourself on social media

Fantastic Fonts!

21st Century Publishing – Blank Page To Bestseller

Saturday 26th April 2025

Putting the Y in Wryting

SAS! Synopsis Avoidance System

6 things to do before you start writing

How Artificial Intelligence (AI) affects writers

Making your writing feel REAL

Plot Your Perfect Mystery

Let’s Get Villainous

Publishing with Purpose

Your Life Story, Your Legacy

From Their Pages to Yours

Build Characters Readers Will Never Forget

Short Steps Into the Dark

Let's Make A Murder

Organising Chaos

Your Poetry Basecamp

Write your play, get it on Stage!

Sunday 27th April 2025

Working with a Literary Agent

Write a Script in 10 Weeks

Light the Writing Fuse

Potential Publishing Pitfalls and Clear Clarification Contracts

The Querying Process

Perfect Endings

Heroes, Villains and Sticky Bears

Understanding the publishing business

Pain into purpose: Writing through adversity

Writing Rituals

The Poetry of Prose

Write your first full-length book - let's do it!

Memoir Writing to change your life

Lift Your Characters from the Page

Write Nature Poetry Now!

Quit your job! Make a living from self-publishing!

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