How to Write a Novel (Workshop) - Matlock

HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL
Wednesday 9^th November, 10:30am-12pm
Matlock Imperial Rooms
Tickets £5

This writing workshop will tell you everything you need to know about writing a novel, covering key areas such as story structure, planning and how to keep writing! Ideal for those just starting out on writing as well as those with more experience, the session also includes a handout for all participants.

The session will be led by Alex Davis, a tutor, speaker and writer who has taught sell-out writing courses in Derby and Nottingham, had 40 short stories and poems published to date and worked with a host of leading authors, publishers and agents.

To book your place, contact Alex at alexdavisevents@hotmail.co.uk or call 07896 228367

Taste Writing

Taste Writing

Creative writing workshop plus two-course meal

November 16^th, 6pm-9pm (approx)

The Wonky Table, Sadlergate, Derby, DE1 3NR

Tickets £16, including ninety-minute workshop and two-course meal

Taste Writing is a new kind of writing workshop, taking place in the relaxed atmosphere of The Wonky Table. You'll be taking part in an informal ninety-minute workshop, WRITING GREAT SHORT STORIES, which will be followed by a delicious two-course meal for all participants, freshly prepared by the chefs at The Wonky Table. Ideal for both experienced writers and those looking for a more laid-back way to get started, and a great way to meet fellow writers.

Tickets and menu available by contacting Alex on 07896 228367 or emailling alexdavisevents@hotmail.co.uk

Read and Breakfast

READ AND BREAKFAST
With author NIKI VALENTINE
10:30am-12:30pm, Saturday 26^th November
The Wonky Table, Sadlergate, Derby
TICKETS £10

A whole new type of author event, combining a quality author event with a delicious breakfast – the ideal way to kick off your weekend. Read and Breakfast offers readings, Q+A and booksales, as well as a fabulous breakfast at The Wonky Table restaurant. Informal and relaxed, this event is the perfect Saturday morning for readers and book lovers.

Our guest author, NIKI VALENTINE, is an award-winning writer who, under the pen-name Nicola Monaghan, is the author of The Killing Jar and Starfishing and has been published internationally to huge acclaim. Her latest novel, The Haunted, is published by Sphere and described as 'a chilling, nail-biting read that will stay with you long after the last page'. Niki also teaches Creative and Professional Writing at Nottingham University.

To book your place, contact Alex on 07896 228367 or email alexdavisevents@hotmail.co.uk

This event is supported by Sphere – for more information visit, http://www.littlebrown.co.uk/About/Imprints/Sphere

Eat Your Words with Cath Staincliffe

EAT YOUR WORDS

Featuring Cath Staincliffe

The Wonky Table, Sadlergate, Derby

November 23^rd, 7pm onwards

£25 including three-course meal

Join us for Eat Your Words, a night of fantastic food with a healthy portion of literature on the side.

You'll will enjoy a three-course meal in the company of our guest writer, Cath Staincliffe, for a relaxed evening of readings, author Q+A and booksales. The ideal event for those who like their literature a less more leisurely.

Cath Staincliffe is a crime author with many successful titles to her name. Her debut novel, Looking for Trouble, was short-listed for the Crime Writers Association's John Creasey Award for Best First Crime novel. She is the author of the very popular Sal Kilkenny series and her work has been serialised on Woman's Hour. She is also a scriptwriter and creator of ITV's Blue Murder, starring Caroline Quentin. Her latest novel, The Kindest Thing, was released by Constable and Robinson.

For more information, or to book your place, contact Alex at alexdavisevents@hotmail.co.uk or call on 07896 228367.

This event is kindly supported by Constable and Robinson.

Nottingham Writing Course

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to pass on the news of my latest writing course - these have had fantastic success and feedback so far in Derby, so I'm pleased to be bringing a short 'taster' course over to Nottingham Broadway. The taster will run over four weeks and will be covering key areas such as how to create a great plot, develop strong character, use description powerfully and effectively, develop techniques for writing great short stories and other formats, as well as how to get your work out there with magazines, small presses and literary agents. It'll be great for anyone just getting interested in writing, as well as those with a bit of experience already behind them.

Here's the official anyway:

CREATIVE WRITING TASTER COURSE

Do you fancy having a go at writing fiction? This taster course gives you the chance to explore your writing talent, discover what makes a great story and find out more about the world of publishing. With a variety of practical exercises and helpful advice, this course is ideal for anyone interested in taking up writing or experienced scribes looking for a refresher course. It will be led by Alex Davis, a freelance tutor, speaker and events organiser.

4 WEEKS COMMENCING 6TH SEP

TUESDAY EVENINGS FROM 6:30PM

£70/£50 concessions and members

Tickets will be on sale online shortly, but in the meantime you can book them from the Broadway box office on 0115 952 6611.

Thanks a lot!

Alex

Overdue blog...

Hi Everyone,

First off all, I know it's been way too long since my last blog, for a host of reasons - partly it's just been busy, and partly it's been trying to have a bit of chill-out time after a very busy June and July. But anyway, things are fully back in the swing now for the remainder of the year, with a whole host of exciting events to come, and having had a month off in August, Alt.Fiction will be back with a bang in September with two fantastic events taking place two nights in a row!

First of all, we'll be at Derby QUAD on the 14th September hosting AN EVENING WITH CHRISTOPHER PRIEST, in association with our good friends at Gollancz. Christopher is one of the UK's most acclaimed SF authors, with a host of incredible titles behind him including The Prestige, The Separation, The Glamour and many more. This event celebrates the release of his latest title, THE ISLANDERS, which will be on sale at the event two weeks before it hits bookshops! We'll be presenting a reading and Q+A from 7pm, followed by a signing, as well as screening THE PRESTIGE with an introduction from Christopher. A fantastically exciting evening all around, if you ask me...

Not wanting to rest on our laurels, the very next night (15th September) we'll be heading over to Leicester Phoenix Square to be joined by ROBERT RANKIN, again courtesy of the folks at Gollancz. Robert has long been one of the top names in comic fantasy, accruing a larger cult following with each release. This event marks the release of his latest title, THE MECHANICAL MESSIAH AND OTHER MARVELS OF THE MODERN AGE, with a reading, Q+A and signing. I can't wait for this one, as Robert has a reputation as a thoroughly entertaining speaker, so I'm looking forward to seeing him in action!

You can check out the details on the event with Christopher Priest at

http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/whats-on/cinema-listings/pg106

and the details for Robert Ranking are up at

http://www.phoenix.org.uk/index.php?cms_id=487

So come and join us for one (or both) of these great nights!

More to follow shortly, including more events for October and November...

Cheers

Alex

Other Worlds 2 - schedule confirmed

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to pass on the news that the schedule for Other Worlds 2 is now confirmed - as you can see, there's plenty on during the day with all the authors, so should be a great event!

SCHEDULE: OTHER WORLDS 2

10:30am-11:15am: Strange New Places - Fantasy and SF (Panel)

Marc Gascoigne, Gary McMahon, Andy Remic, Gav Thorpe

11:15am-11:30am: Break

11:30am-12:15: Reading

Andy Remic and Gav Thorpe

12:15pm-1:15pm: Lunch Break

1:15pm-2:00pm: How Publishing Works (Panel)

Peter Crowther, Marc Gascoigne, Gav Thorpe

2:00pm-2:15pm: Break

2:15pm-3:00pm: Reading

Peter Crowther and Gary McMahon

3:00pm-3:15pm: Break

3:15pm-4:00pm: The Dark Side - Horror and Dark Fantasy (Panel)

Peter Crowther, Marc Gascoigne, Gary McMahon, Gav Thorpe

There's still some time to buy tickets - you can book online for just £10 here, which I'm sure you'll agree is a steal!

Thanks a lot

Alex

Other Worlds is almost upon us...

Hi Guys,

Back again for another blog, which hopefully will make up for some of the intermittent service in the very busy run-up to the Alt.Fiction weekend! This time it's to talk about Other Worlds 2, which is a mere week and a half away in Nottingham.

We're running in the Cecil Roberts Room, which is a nice little space in Nottingham's Central Library, from 10:30am-4pm with a mixture of panels, reading and Q+A time. To be honest, I think that the day is a steal at £10, especially as that includes tea and coffee throughout proceedings and takes in three panels and two readings - basically that breaks down to £2 per session!

The event is a collaboration with both Angry Robot and Nottingham City Council, where it's part of the Festival of Reading. We've got four Angry Robot authors taking part in the shape of Peter Crowther, Gary McMahon, Andy Remic and Gav Thorpe, plus publisher Marc Gascoigne. That covers a great range of styles and genres, and ensures we'll have something for fans of science-fiction, fantasy and horror. No doubt we'll also have a host of insights into the writing process, how to go about getting published and what you can expect once your book hits the shelves.

There's still time to pick up tickets for this one, so be sure to explore some Other Worlds with us on the day!

Full info, and booking, can be found at http://www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk/events/238954

Thanks a lot, and hope to see you there!

Alex

Alt.Fiction 2011 - my report

Well, what a weekend that was...

It's taken me a while to really have the chance to look back at this year's Alt.Fiction, and on reflection I have to say I was pretty pleased with it all. This was the fifth year of the event, not a bad achievement in itself, and also our first weekend iteration, which again marks a notable development for us.

The difficulty for me in reflecting or indeed reporting on Alt.Fiction is the same every year – I always wind up so busy overseeing things that I end up seeing nothing. So if you want to ask me how the panels were, or what went on during the workshops, or how the readings went down, I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person! But I will say that the feedback on all of those fronts has been great so far, and I'll point you to Un:Bound's fabulous collection of reports here so you can see that for yourself.

My main criteria for how the event goes are probably a tad less interesting than most – primarily, did it all run smoothly and was there a decent crowd for the event. The answer to both of those, ultimately, was a resounding yes. After the usual frantic Saturday morning of trying to make the whole thing look like an event before the doors opened, everything clicked into gear as the sessions began. I've always said that as of about 11am the event runs itself, and that's pretty much the case. Once people know where they're headed, what's on the schedule and what the weekend is all about, the whole thing becomes a great deal easier. We didn't have any significant hiccups over the weekend, just the odd necessary tweak here and there, and from where I was sat the whole thing ran like clockwork.

The audience figures were great too, especially bearing in mind the collective belt-tightening going on up and down the country, and this gave the event a fantastic sense of atmosphere and buzz as the crowds gathered. The other thing – which I always like to see – is just how quiet things became when the sessions began. That says to me that people wanted to go and take part in things, rather than loitering, chatting or drinking, so there must have been something in the programme taking people's interest!

So, without being able to pass much comment on the programme itself, here were some of my personal highlights...
1)Seeing just how much stuff we had managed to rustle together for both the goodie bags and raffle respectively. That was a lot of boxes when I arrived on Friday night, and a lot of work by all the volunteers to sort it all out, but two free books and two magazines per bag isn't bad going.
2)Saying hello to some old friends. Unfortunately there were probably too many occasions where it wasn't much more than hello, but there you go. There would simply be too many names to tip the hat to, but it was great to be among friends in running things.
3)A very enjoyable meal on the Sunday night to round the weekend off – having barely had a chance to stop since Friday night, it was good to have some social time and a hearty meal. Trust me – eating is one of the first things to go by the wayside when you're running an event...
4)Having the chance to get my books signed! It was my New Year's resolution to get more signed books, especially bearing in mind the number of authors that I have involved in events, and this is one resolution I have managed to stick to admirably so far.
5)Probably the thing I enjoy most about the event – people coming up to say how much they've enjoyed the weekend. It's great to know that your work has enabled people to enjoy something fun, useful and hopefully memorable. That's ultimately the reason why you get involved in these things in the first place.

I won't pass on the full thank you list here, but would like to make a nod to all the authors who took part, all the publishers who supported the event, Adele and co for their sterling work on the podcasts, all of our volunteers, the staff at QUAD over the weekend and of course Catherine, Aimee and Antonia at Writing East Midlands for all their support and help. If there's anyone I've forgotten, I apologise right now – the whole thing is a huge team effort, and I couldn't dream of doing it without a huge amount of backing and assistance!

No time to rest on our laurels, mind, as we're not far from our Other Worlds 2 event in Nottingham, which takes place on the 16th July. And if you'd like to check that one out, you can do so here – I'll be blogging more details nearer the time.

Thanks a lot!

Alex

Alt.Fiction 2011 - thoughts....

Hi Guys,

Apologies for not blogging sooner after Alt.Fiction - it's continued to be mighty busy, even since the event, but I did want to pop in a quick post with some of the gathered reports from the weekend. The feedback so far has been great, so we're really pleased with year number 5 and our first two day event.

A huge thanks to all the authors, speakers, publishers and volunteers that made it possible - couldn't dream of doing it without you!

Anyway, on to the reports - sure there will be a few more to follow, but enjoy in the mean time! My own reportage will follow shortly...

http://mygoditsraining.co.uk/?p=730
Andrew Reid

http://floor-to-ceiling-books.blogspot.com/2011/06/altfiction-2011.html
Amanda Rutter

http://pyroriffic.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/adventures-in-alt-fictionland/#more-520
Sarah Cawkwell

http://girlycomic.livejournal.com/148332.html
Selina Lock

http://iansales.com/2011/06/27/that-was-the-weekend-alt-fiction/
Ian Sales

http://mechanicalhamster.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/alt-fiction-report/
Gav Thorpe

http://keithbrooke.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/alt-fiction-2011/
Keith Brooke

http://sennydreadful.com/altfiction-2011-cakes-raffles-and-the-shepard
Jennifer Williams

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/532371-greetings-from-sunny-derby.html
SFF Chronicles Forum coverage

http://hagelrat.blogspot.com/2011/06/altfiction-2011-all-wrapped-up-almost.html
Adele Wearing/Un:Bound

http://www.colinfbarnes.com/2011/trad-publishing/alt-fiction-day1
Colin Barnes

http://grahamedwardsonline.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/the-small-but-perfectly-formed-alt-fiction/
Graham Edwards

http://networkedblogs.com/jHUCW
Kate Laity

http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/?p=2545
Adam Christopher

http://markcnewton.com/2011/06/27/alt-fiction-etc/
Mark Charan Newton

http://ileandrayoung.com/2011/06/26/my-first-literary-con/
Ileandra Young

http://www.theeloquentpage.co.uk/2011/06/27/confessions-of-an-alt-fiction-virgin/
Pablo Cheesecake

http://abaddonbooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/pat-kelleher-reading.html
David Moore (Abaddon)

http://will-ellwood.com/2011/06/alt-fiction-2011/
Will Ellwood

http://catherinetjhill.blogspot.com/2011/06/altfiction-sunday-edition.html?spref=tw
Catherine Hill

Alt.Fiction workshops

Hi Guys,

Busy busy this week - just wanted to pop on to confirm the subjects of all the workshops taking part at Alt.Fiction. These are free with your pass, but you'll need to go and collect a free ticket from the QUAD box office, just because numbers are limited.

A whole host of interesting topics here, I'm sure you'll agree, so no doubt these will be really useful and informative!

Thanks a lot

Alex


SATURDAY

10am-11am: Workshop
Rod Rees – The All-Important First Page

11am-12pm: Workshop
Tony Ballantyne – How to Make Your Writing Boring

12pm-1pm: Workshop
Kim Lakin-Smith – Fleshing the Bones – Dark Fantasy and Characterisation

1pm-2pm: LUNCH BREAK

2pm-3pm: Workshop
MD Lachlan – A Novel in an Hour

3pm-4pm: Workshop
Colin Harvey – Creating a Science Fictional Setting

4pm-5pm: Workshop
Graham Joyce – Writing Sharp Dialogue

5pm-6pm: Workshop
Graham McNeill – Writing Battle Scenes

SUNDAY

10am-11am: Workshop
Paul Finch – Prose to Screenplay

11am-12pm: Workshop
Juliet McKenna – Every Word Must Count

12pm-1pm: Workshop
Dan Abnett – Shooty Death Kill in Space 101

1pm-2pm: LUNCH BREAK

2pm-3pm: Workshop
Jonathan L Howard – Getting a Novel Finished

3pm-4pm: Workshop
Paul Kane/Marie O'Regan – Setting and Location in Genre Fiction

Alt.Fiction raffle - the full list...

Hi Guys,

I've hinted in a number of place at some of the great prizes we have available in our raffle at Alt.Fiction, and with tickets at just £1 a strip you can be in with a chance of winning something pretty special for next to nothing.

So I thought I'd put out the full list so far, with the potential of more prizes to be confirmed yet... some awesome signed stuff and limited editions up for grabs!

LOT 1
Signed copy of City of Ruin, signed by Mark Charan Newton
Donated by Tor UK

LOT 2
Signed copy of The Evolutionary Void, signed by Peter F Hamilton
Donated by Tor UK

LOT 3
Signed copy of Wolfsangel, signed by MD Lachlan
Donated by Gollancz

LOT 4
Signed copy of Black Country, signed by Joel Lane
Donated by Nightjar Press

LOT 5
Signed copy of God Killers, signed by Liam Sharp
Donated by Liam Sharp

LOT 6
Signed copy of God Killers, signed by Liam Sharp
Donated by Liam Sharp

LOT 7
Signed copy of God Killers, signed by Liam Sharp
Donated by Liam Sharp

LOT 8
Selection of signed titles by Gav Thorpe
Donated by Gav Thorpe

LOT 9
Signed, limited edition copy of Embedded by Dan Abnett
Donated by Angry Robot

LOT 10
The entire Angry Robot library of 2011
Donated by Angry Robot

LOT 11
Signed copy of Horns by Joe Hill
Donated by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan

LOT 12
Signed copy of Surface Detail by Iain M Banks
Donated by Alt.Fiction

LOT 13
Cory Rowena Daniels' trilogy, King Rolen's Kin, with signed nameplates
Donated by Solaris Books

LOT 14
Signed hardback copy of Embassytown by China Mieville
Donated by Tor UK

LOT 15
Signed hardback copy of Embassytown by China Mieville
Donated by Tor UK

LOT 16
Signed hardback copy of Embassytown by China Mieville
Donated by Tor UK

LOT 17
Signed copy of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Donated by Headline

LOT 18
Signed, first edition of Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Donated by Headline

LOT 19
Set of signed Gollancz titles
Donated by Gollancz

LOT 20
Signed copy of The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie, with limited edition t-shirt
Donated by Gollancz

LOT 21
Signed copy of Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris, with limited edition t-shirt
Donated by Gollancz

CLOSING LOTS
Prizes TBC from PS Publishing

So hopefully we'll see you there, and you'll be a winner!

Thanks a lot

Alex

Authors on Alt.Fiction

Hi Guys,

It's the Friday of what has been an extremely busy week, and there's no end to the work in sight just yet - I'll be running a Writers Development Day over at the South Holland Centre in Spalding, and I'm just a few days into a new contract on the Breath of Fresh Air project, so if anything things are still picking up rather than slowing down!

But of course a lot of the focus is on Alt.Fiction, which I'm really excited about this year. And judging from some of the online activity out there, I'm not alone in that - there's a lot of talk about the event going on, so I thought it'd be a good idea to try and gather some of it together here. I've got no doubt I've probably missed a few, and of course these are in no particular order, but do feel free to check out the word on the street :-)

Chris Wooding:
http://www.chriswooding.com/alt-fiction/

Pendragon Press:
http://www.pendragonpress.net/2011/05/18/alt-fiction/

Paul Kane:
http://www.shadow-writer.co.uk/news.html

Adam Christopher:
http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/?p=2413

Alastair Reynolds:
http://www.wikio.com/fine_arts/books/authors/alastair_reynolds

Damien G Walter:
http://damiengwalter.com/2011/06/08/alt-fiction-2011/

Adrian Tchaikovsky:
http://shadowsoftheapt.com/blog/360

That's all from me - back to the business of emails!

Thanks a lot

Alex

Reporting in...

Hi Guys,

First of all, I know it's been far too long since I posted, but things have been c-razy busy. The events side of things have really been picking up, with plenty of things going on for Alt.Fiction as well as a few of my own ventures, and I'm also currently teaching two nights a week.

First thing to report on is last night's event with Iain M Banks - we had a great night at Leicester Phoenix Square, who were tremendously helpful both in the lead in to the event as well as on the night. We had a great crowd over over 100 people, Iain was tremendously entertaining (as always) and the whole thing had a great atmosphere and vibe about it. I arrived bright and early at 4pm, where I caught up unplanned with my old friend and colleague Damien Walter and planned with Adele of Un:Bound. Then it was on to business about 5:30, getting the Alt.Fiction table set up and checking in at Screen 1, which was a great room for the event. Iain arrived about 6pm, and no sooner had I said hello and bought a drink than he was off for a host of interviews with a number of different organisations, so you can expect to see plenty of coverage of the evening locally! Waterstones Market Street were selling our books, and they arrived shortly afterwards to get set up - they did well on the night for sales, which is always nice to see.

Iain's talk began at 7 and covered a wide range of bases, including the old question of how the 'M' in Iain M Banks originated, the roots of the idea for the Culture, favourite authors and reads and a whole host of other questions. There was also a short reading from Surface Detail, featuring a host of semi-unpronouncable names, which made the whole thing great fun.

From there, it was on to the signing session, and Iain was great with the audiences, chatting away and posing for a host of photos while signing away - and yes, the signature does include the M! We managed to wrap up about 9, at which point I had time to stop for a quick drink with Iain, Damien, Graham Joyce (who popped down for the evening) and some of the Leicester Speculators group. Unfortunately I had to slope off relatively early for my train, but overall it was a fantastic night and an event that I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

In other news, I was lucky enough to have two pieces in the Derby Evening Telegraph yesterday - one was a full interview about the success of the writing courses at QUAD, which is at http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Course-Quad-aims-turn-budding-writers-published-authors/article-3622522-detail/article.html, while there was also a piece on the upcoming Eat Your Words event at http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Book-lovers-eat-words-author-event/article-3622552-detail/article.html

Anyway, that's all for now - there's still plenty of marketing to be done!

Thanks a lot

Alex

The Old Events Buzz...

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for lack of posting lately - busy lately on a number of fronts, but determined to make up for it with a jam-packed post today.

We're approaching a busy run of events, with plenty going on for both Alt.Fiction and my own devices between now and the end of June and indeed on into July. Personally we've got an author event with Adam Creed taking place in Derby on the 25th May, and with three weeks to go things are taking shape nicely. On top of that I've got a busy teaching schedule, which has really been one of the unexpected bonuses of going freelance. So far I've been teaching at QUAD (a venue I have enthused about many times before) and this year will eventually see me taking 8 separate courses, including four of my current From idea to Publication run, 2 of the new First Steps as an Author and a third course that I can't divulge just yet. I've been thoroughly enjoying that side of things so far, and hopefully will have the opportunity to take those courses elsewhere based on their success in Derby.

Alt.Fiction will be busying up nicely too, with next week seeing the first events of our Summer Series at Lincoln Book Festival. It's been great working with Sharon and everyone else involved, and their seems to be a fantastic energy and framework about the whole festival. The media in Lincoln are well behind it, and there are some absolutely great authors taking apart. Makes me nostalgic for Derby's Festival of Words, for those with reasonably long memories...

Our first event will be The World of Comics, which I'll be chairing with a two-person panel of publisher Terry Martin and artist Neil Roberts. I'll be staying in Lincoln overnight ready for the next day, when Trudi Canavan will be visiting the city. I' really excited about that one, as it'll be Alt.Fiction's first overseas author. Trudi has quickly built a reputation as a huge name in the field, and I'm sure this'll be a great event. Finally we're involved in the Children's Fest on the 14th May, with authors Alex Bell and Cathy Brett. Alex has attended Alt.Fiction before, and Cathy has just been selected for the Richard and Judy Children's Book Club, so looking forward to that one too.

The weekend following will see the Spring Writing Weekend, which has a very limited time available to book your residential space. We'll also be selling day rates right up to the event, so whether you'd like to join us for the whole event or just swing by for a day it should be excellent. Simon Clark and Tony Ballantyne are both great writers who both run strong workshops, and I'm really pleased with the range of activities over the weekend as well.

Into June, I'm again really chuffed to be hosting Iain M Banks at Leicester Phoenix - Iain was at Alt.Fiction back in 2007 and was a fantastic closing slot, and I'm looking forward to seeing him in action again. And who of course could forget the pinnacle of it all, Alt.Fiction 2011, at Derby's very own QUAD arts venue. It's our first weekend, which will be a big (and exciting) change to proceedings, and the author line-up is really strong as well. If you're serious about you writing and reading in the field, I'd say Alt.Fiction is definitely an event you should attend.

So you can expect lots of updates, reports, news and tidbits to follow over the next month or two as things take place. Should be a great time to be involved, although I might need the whole of July off (I wish...)

All the event details are up at http://altfiction.co.uk/theprogramme, or of course just email me at bfsalex@hotmail.co.uk for more info.

Cheers!

Alex

Schedule for Alt.Fiction Spring Writing Weekend

Hi Guys,

Here's the latest news on the Alt.Fiction Spring Writing Weekend, which takes place this May. We've just managed to confirm the schedule, which looks really exciting and is crammed with feedback time, workshops and talks that will be hugely useful to everyone attending.

So here it is - if you haven't booked your place yet, tickets are just £180 including all food and accomodation and can be booked at http://altfiction.co.uk/the-programme

Cheers

Alex

Alt.Fiction Spring Writing Weekend – schedule
All events in the Chatsworth Room unless otherwise stated

Friday 20th May

4pm onwards Arrival time
7pm-9pm Dinner (Legacy Chesterfield Hotel restaurant)
Saturday 21st May

8am-9:30am Breakfast
9:30am-10:00am Opening session – writing aims and ambitions
10:00am-10:45am Opening talk by Alex Davis – Literary Agents
10:45am-11am Break
11am-12pm Discussion session – plotting and planning
12pm-12:15pm Break
12:15pm-1pm Feedback session – bring some work with you
1pm-2pm Lunch
2pm-3pm Workshop with guest author Tony Ballantyne
3pm-3:15pm Break
3:15pm-4:15pm Interview/Q+A with guest author Tony Ballantyne
4:15pm-4:30pm Break
4:30pm-5:00pm Day one summary and plenary
5:00pm-7pm Free time (including free writing time in Chatsworth Room)
7:00pm-9:00pm Dinner (Legacy Chesterfield Hotel restaurant)

Sunday 22nd May
8am-9:30am Breakfast
9:30am-10:30am Inside Publishing talk and Q+A with Alex Davis
10:30am-10:45am Break
10:45am-11:30am Feedback session 2 – bring some work with you
11:30am-12:00pm Discussion session – the genre book market 1
2pm-12:15pm Break 12:15pm-1pm Workshop with guest author Simon Clark
1pm-2pm Lunch
2pm-3pm Interview/Q+A with guest author Simon Clark
3pm-3:15pm Break
3:15pm-4pm Feedback session 3 – bring some work with you
4pm-4:30pm Day two summary and plenary

Events are go...

Hi Guys, A week or so since I last posted, which I can only put down to being busy both with social stuff and decorating, although I have to admit I didn't get my hands all that dirty... :-) But things are picking up very nicely under the banner of Alt.Fiction - obviously we're not all that far away from our Spring Writing Weekend, with some places still available for that. The schedule of events will be going live soon, and I think everyone will be really impressed when they see the level and quality of activity going on. Then of course we've been lucky enough to make two big announcements since then, first and foremost all the details of our flagship Alt.Fiction 2011 event, taking place on 25th and 26th June. Our Guests of Honour for this year are huge SF author Alastair Reynolds and top comic book writer and novelist Dan Abnett, who will both be joined by a stellar cast of authors throughout the weekend. I'm so excited about the expansion to two days and all that can offer, so it should be a fantastic year. But wait, there's more... as we've also been able to snag an event with the legendary Iain M Banks at Leicester's Phoenix Square on the 3rd June. Anyone who has seen Iain before will tell you how entertaining a speaker he is, and he was a real star turn at Alt.Fiction back in 2007. I'd love to say more, because that's far from all we have in the pipeline, but some things are still cranking their way through ths system before becoming official. But rest assured we won't be taking too much time off after the June weekend, and we'll be back in full swing throughout September and October. That's all for now... signing off for lunch! Thanks a lot Alex

Busy busy...

Afternoon all,

Just a quick stop in for the weekend - things have been pretty busy, so apologies for lack of a recent posting!

I am pleased to say, however, that we now have all the details for Alt.Fiction 2011 - it's great to be back for a fifth year, and our Guests of Honour for this year are Alastair Reynolds and Dan Abnett, who form part of a fantastic line-up of speakers.

All the details are below anyway - hopefully will see many of you there!

Cheers

Alex




Alt.Fiction 20112
5th-26th June, at QUAD, Derby

Saturday 25th June, 10.00am - Midnight
Sunday 26th June, 10.00am - 5.00pm

Weekend pass £45
Saturday pass £30
Sunday pass £20

Alt.Fiction marks its fifth year with a fantastic weekend for readers and writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Bringing together some of the UK's leading talent in the genre, Alt.Fiction presents a full programme of readings, panels, workshops, podcasts and much more over two days, giving you the chance to hear from your favourite authors, find out more about the world of publishing and learn more about the writing process.

Alt.Fiction is a weekend not to be missed for book lovers and budding writers.

This year's Guests of Honour are bestselling science fiction author Alastair Reynolds and acclaimed comic book writer and novelist Dan Abnett. They will joined by speakers Tony Ballantyne, Cathy Brett, Keith Brooke, Mark Chadbourn, Peter Crowther, Stephen Deas, Paul Finch, John Jarrold, Juliet McKenna, Mark Morris, Graham McNeill, Adam Nevill, Mark Charan Newton, Sarah Pinborough, Robert Shearman, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Ian Whates, Conrad Williams, Chris Wooding and many more.

Tickets from either http://www.derbyquad.co.uk/altfiction or from QUAD Box Office on 01332
290606

Alt.Fiction is a trading name of Writing East Midlands - for more information visit www.writingeastmidlands.co.uk

Incoming...

Hi Everyone,

More events coming up on the horizon, which is something I love being able to say! I can give the full details of a crime event upcoming in Derby, as well as passing you on a date for the return of an old favourite event in the city.

So first of all, we've got crime author Adam Creed joining us at Sadlergate's Bar Lisi for an evening reading and Q+A session. I always try and have a nice realxed atmosphere at events, and Bar Lisi is absolutely perfect for that. Here's the full story anyway...


ADAM CREED - Author Event
Wednesday 25th May
7pm, Bar Lisi, Sadlergate, Derby
Tickets £3

Join us for a reading and Q+A with crime writer and creative writing tutor Adam Creed. Adam is the author of the D.I Staffe novels, starting with Suffer the Children and Willing Flesh. His latest title, Pain of Death, is released in April 2011.

A great informal evening in a comfortable setting with a rising star of the crime scene, and a valuable chance to find out more about writing and the life of an author.

To book your place, call Alex on 07896 228367 or email at alexdavisevents@hotmail.co.uk

I'm also very pleased to give you a heads-up the Eat Your Words will be returning to Derby - the night combines author readings and Q+A with a fantastic three-course meal, and the evening is always a great experience. I can only give you a date for the diary for now -15th June - but plenty more details to follow.

That's all for today - see you next week.

Thanks a lot

Alex

Mighty busy...

Afternoon all,

Friday afternoon and I've finally gotten around to putting together a blog. Things have been seriously busy, both on the Alt.Fiction front as well as on my own work, so pretty excited about what looks like a packed summer.

On the personal work front, I'll be running four creative writing courses here in Derby (yes, that's four) after the great success of the first and second courses at QUAD, which have both booked out. I've also booked in for a follow-up course, which is something I'm really looking forward to. I'm also pretty pleased to be running an event with local crime author Adam Creed at Sadlergate's Bar Lisi (full details to follow) and resurrect Eat Your Words, a food and reading evening I used to run several years ago. Again, more details to follow... what an awful tease I am.

The summer for Alt.Fiction is absolutely jam packed, including the main thing I wanted to mention today - our Spring Writing Weekend. These writing weekends are a hugely valuable experience for writers, and for me have really helped me forge a lot of long-term friendships to boot. We're running at the Legacy Chesterfield Hotel, which is a stone's throw from the train station and have two fantastic guests in the shape of horror supremo Simon Clark and SF star and workshopper extraordinaire Tony Ballantyne. So if you're interested in writing in the field, this is the best chance you'll get at a weekend made just for you.

Full details all below anyway, and next week will be even more announcements on AF events for May, June and July.

Cheers!

Alex


Spring Writing Weekend, 20th-22nd May

Guest Speakers:
Simon Clark – acclaimed horror novelist and author of The Night of the Triffids
Tony Ballantyne – science fiction writer of the Recursion Trilogy and the Penrose Series

Venue: Legacy Chesterfield Hotel, Malkin Street, Chesterfield, S41 7UA
With a convenient location next to Chesterfield rail station and a wide range of leisure facilities, the Legacy Chesterfield Hotel is a great place to work and relax.

www.legacy-hotels.co.uk/legacy-chesterfield/

The Spring Writing Weekend costs just £180, including two nights’ shared accommodation, all meals and hot drinks, plus a full programme of writing activities throughout Saturday and Sunday featuring two guest authors.

To book your place, or for any enquiries, email alt.fiction@writingeastmidlands.co.uk
or call Alex on 07896 228367

A £90 deposit is required to confirm your place, with a further £90 to be paid at least one week
before the event. Deposits are non-refundable except in case of event cancellation. No refunds will be given in case of any changes to guest authors, or in the event of participants being unable to attend for any reason. Please note, the deadline for booking your place is 13 May 2011.

Alt.Fiction is a trading name of Writing East Midlands

The joy of film

Afternoon all,

Back for another blog on another topic that has been rattling around my brain of late, namely that of films. I've done a lot of programming in literature down the years, and it's a field I absolutely love. Hearing a really interesting discussion or a fantastic reading is always great, and I've been lucky enough to be there for some great ones.

But of course literature isn't my only interest, not by any means, and film is something I've always been really keen on. I may not have the broadest of taste, or be of any use at the monthly film quiz, but I'm a fan of genre films and cult films and foreign cinema, so I have my little patch anyway. But what I've been wanting to do for a while now - and have only seriously been looking at this week - is how you go about sourcing films for screenings. I've been able to get advice from a lot of people with an involvement in film, which has been a huge help. And to be honest, even since Wednesday when I first started making tentative phone calls, I've learned a lot about the process.

And boy, is it a tricky one.

Well, it is and it isn't. There's no intrinsic reason for it to be difficult - call the rights holder, tell them what you want to do, pay them a fee and then boom, you're ready to screen. The process in itself is simple, but what was particularly interesting to me, as an absolute novice, was how different it was trying to get hold of certain rights when compared to others. I'm not going to sit here and name studios or films, but some things were perfectly easy to get a hold of. Some you could even just play your own DVD without having to bring in a 35ml print or source anything from the distributor. Then other times it could be a long, exhaustive process involving shipping prints from the US or elsewhere overseas. Then there are differences in some cases for the size of the audience, the size of the screen, whether the audience is paying...

So while you have certain principles in general, there are a lot of differences in each individual case. Which made me realise just how tough a job the guys at cinemas, and particularly independent cinemas, have to do. They have to weigh up not only whether they can get the rights, and then cross the proverbial minefield that ensure, but whether what they pay for the rights will recoup itself at the box office. Sure, it's cheaper to bring in an old classic than it is something brand new on release, but then do people want to see it when they can just pick it up on DVD, in many cases for less than the price of a cinema ticket? Then if you're splashing out for a new film, is it going to draw enough audience and be popular enough to justify its outlay? I remember being thoroughly annoyed when I couldn't find a local cinema showing Pandorum when that was released, but having seen it since I can better understand why it would perhaps have been a risk - it's hardly safe ground like an action film or a romcom after all.

As I noted a few days ago, the process behind things has always interested me, and it's been a buzz to have the chance to explore this new process. Hopefully the fruits of all these phone calls and emails will be seen soon enough, and I'll be able to expand my programming horizons a bit into this new area. As I've always said, it never hurts to have another string to your bow (says the event organiser/tutor/proofer/copyeditor/writer...)

So that's been the joy of film for me this week. Be sure to stop by next week, as I should be able to announce some very exciting gigs for the first time...

Cheers!

Alex

Events - the ins and outs

Afternoon all,

Interesting times at the moment for me - even though the next few weeks are a bit quiet on the events front, April to July is going to see quite a pick up, not just in Alt.Fiction terms but also on freelance terms as well.

I have to admit that this is one of my favourite phases of work. First of all you have the daydreaming, the blue sky thoughts of what would be absolutely ideal to run. That's a good bit, because at that point the world is your oyster. Then it's taking all those optimistic, wide-eyed ideas and then trying to apply some kind of sense to them - what is feasible, what is realistic, what is affordable. At that point you tend to lose a whole batch of ideas, and after that process of elimination you're left with a simple choice - just how much can I take on? And what offers me the best return on my time and effort?

I don't want that to sound too clinical, but I think we all know these are tough times and unfortunately my days of being able to do things because it was a good idea are long behind me. If it doesn't make money, then unfortunately it's on the ideas scrapheap and soon forgotten about. Artistic quality doesn't always pay the bills unfortunately.

Then it comes to my absolute favourite part - the logistics, the real ins and outs of putting an event together. People will often say to me 'I don't know how you go about running events'. And I always say that it's not any particular talent, it's just that your brain either works that way or it doesn't. Ever since I first started going to events I was interested in how they came together and how they worked on the day - from my earliest days of volunteering just after university, the process fascinated me almost as much as the event themselves.

And that's what I mean by how your brain works - 9 out of 10, perhaps 99 out of 100 people, would go to an event and listen to the speaker and just enjoy it, take it in. I try and do that as well, but there are all sorts of thoughts pop unbidden into my mind such as 'I wonder what this venue cost to hire?', 'I wonder if you could do idea X in this space', 'I wonder what the deal was on the bookstall' and so on. I'm always interested in what lies underneath an event, which is no doubt how I've come to putting events together myself over the last five years. I'm also a dreadful venue watcher when I'm out and about, which I think is a particularly bad habit, but I digress.

The other thing about events is that you have to remember that the ultimately satisfying thing is the end result. Many jobs and walks of life you have landmarks on a pretty regular basis, things that you can tick off and say, 'yes, that was done successfully'. An event essentially has no life apart from on paper until the day, and even then your months of planning will only result in a day or a weekend of activity. That's not something that is satisfying for everyone. But for me, again, the penchant for logistics comes in, because for me that one day of activity is not just one success, but a whole series of small successes. When the venue is set up right, that's a little moment of satisfaction. When things kick off on time, that's another. When the glasses of water arrive on time, that's another tiny victory. And these are the things that make up an event, the tiny pieces of a jigsaw that hopefully will only ever be seen as a whole by an audience, but has been painstakingly put together over many months.

I suppose, frankly, that to most people these types of ins and outs are ultimately quite boring. Even more so, as an audience member, they are largely unnoticeable in your experience. But do bear in mind the people who put events together up and down the country will ultimately succeed or fail on these often tiny factors. I salute my fellow pedants, detail-watchers and control freaks who make all these things happen.

To be honest, I struggle to see myself ever not doing events. It's become a sort of addiction over the years, the buzz of planning and putting together and then the even bigger buzz of getting there on the day and thinking 'I made this happen', or at least in part made it happen. There will always be other things on the table as a freelancer, but events are ultimately what I love. So brace yourselves for more - more from Alt.Fiction and more from Alex Davis Industries or whatever it may in time be called.

So just remember, next time you see a glass of water arrive on stage, that was meant to happen.

-Alex

A long overdue blog

Morning all,

Thought a new blog was well overdue - things have been pretty busy with Alt.Fiction, as well as a number of other projects going on right now, but I promise I'll get more regular bloggage from now on :-)

So what's happened since my last blog? Well, we ran the day of Christmas Spirits at QUAD, in association with 1623 theatre company, which was a fantastic experience. Having never done anything like it before, I was pretty terrified to actually get up on stage, but both the kids and adults alike seemed to enjoy the whole of the show and I got some nice compliments about my section, so that was all good.

Our afternoon show was a shortened version of A Christmas Carol, which featured Jane Upton as our narrator, Marcus Houden as Scrooge and me as... well, everyone else. That's Jacob Marley, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, plus Bob Cratchit and Scrooge's nephew Fred. I'm just glad we did cut it down, because it could have been many more characters... Highlights of the hour-long show for me was the reaction to me walking in as the robed and hooded Ghost of Christmas Future (that got a real gasp!) and the kids making the most of Scrooge's new-found generosity, going into the crowd and dishing out chocolate coins. The excitement of it was almost too much...

The show in the evening was a whole different matter, because I didn't have a costume or a host of characters to hide behind. Marcus kicked things off with a reading of The Tell-Tale Heart (always a favourite of mine), which set things on their way in a suitably atmospheric and spooky fashion. Jane was then up with her rendition of The Turn of the Screw, the superb closing extract, which I still say has one of the best last lines ever. These solo readings both went down really well, especially with the whole thing being set completely in character.

Into the second half, and it was my turn, performing Dickens' classic The Signalman with Marcus as the unfortunate signalman of the title. Despite my utter fear, I did my best to project nice and clearly, and having practiced the story to death I managed to avoid any big stumbles. The story itself got a great reaction, with a lot of people saying afterwards that it was one of their favourites, so that was good to hear. There will be some footage of the evening forthcoming, which I will of course post up here.

So will we be seeing another Christmas Spirits? Frankly, yes, you bet we will. Having sold out two shows at QUAD, as well as having had such a positive response, I think it'd be silly not to. And when that takes shape, you'll be the first to hear about it.

Other than that, it's all been looking forward, with plan afoot for a busy few months in May, June and July. I can't say a great deal at this stage, but if you live in Lincoln, Leicester or Nottingham, rest assured Alt.Fiction will be headed your way in the near future.

The last thing to add is that I was on Siren FM's Midweek Drive show yesterday, which was a great fun experience - thanks a lot to Alex Lewczuk for the invite. If you'd like to hear me talking all things SF and Fantasy, you can check it out at www.southsidebroadcasting.podbean.com

Cheers, and have a good weekend y'all!

Alex