In the last few years there’s been a lot of public and media moaning about the apparent lack of “truly great new writing talent” in the UK.
And if that is indeed the case, then the important question is which organisations and individuals are seriously focused on nurturing the writing talent of the future in the UK?
Do-it-yourself books, writing festivals, writing websites, a plethora of creative writing courses as well as online chat rooms and web logs all offer the writer of today (and tomorrow) a grab bag of excellent and accessible resources. So much so that the sheer volume of it can be enough to make you climb back under the blankets. However, a big part of becoming a writer is acquiring the skill “to sort the wheat from the chaff.” So with this in mind all would-be writers should be prepared to face the world wide web and everything else, in the same way that one might face a mountain or a dragon; with a lot of chutzpah!
Launched several years ago by London Book Fair, “to uncover hidden talent in the world of writing”, the inaugural Lit Idol event invited aspiring novelists to compete for the chance to win a contract with a top publisher. Entrants were required to submit 10,000 words from the opening chapters of their novel. More than 1,400 writers applied in the first year and five finalists were short-listed and had their works displayed online and subjected to a public vote.
The Lit Idol idea has since rattled around for a few years surrounded by increasing silence. It’s possible that someone clever realized that the “lit crowd” didn’t quite share the pull-power of its Pop-sister event. And so, like all “reality” and novelty-led projects it has found its banal place in the sun.
The intrinsic problem with projects such as Lit Idol is that they do no real favours to anyone in the long run. They unconsciously ape the popular supposition that we can all be great, talented and creative given the “right” circumstances. This is to some degree true: However, it cannot be true in the context of a competition decided by a so-called “democratic” online voting public. That can only lead to one outcome – LCD syndrome, the triumph of the lowest common denominator.
Given the inevitability of literature passing through the prism of “reality-talent-quest” one can only breathe a sigh of relief about its limited success. Since what arises from this is that only a focused grassroots effort to locate and nurture talent has the potency or the staying power to uncover our next Woolf, Byatt, free to address vital issues such as inclusion and access. The very real efforts to reach the writers of today and tomorrow can (escape the tawdriness of Lit Idol) and make a huge impact on the participation levels of all kinds of people in the wider community.
In a similar vein, the original New Writing is one of Britain’s most important opportunities to showcase unknown and unpublished writers in the UK and the wider Commonwealth. Since 1992 the British Council (BC) has subsidised and administered the annual anthology that is published by Granta. NW offers unknown writers (without an agent) the chance to be published by a leading fiction publisher.
New Writing was designed to be an international “boutique-style” showroom for new and established writers. Having built a solid reputation, New Writing is now eagerly anticipated by journalists and literary critics annually. More than 8,000 copies are printed with many sold abroad.
“If you want to know which writers people will be talking about next year, buy this now.” Times Online on NW 11.
“The British Council’s annual trawl of famous names and feisty newcomers again hauls in a tasty anthology.” Independent on NW 12.
An organisation that has specifically targeted young writers is the Orange Young Writer’s Festival. The aim of the Orange Young Writers’ Festival is to support a love of literature and to allow young people in the North East to develop their creative writing ideas in an informal and fun environment.
Working in partnership with New Writing North (NWN) the festival is now offering aspiring young writers a series of free workshops at the Orange Young Writers’ Festival 2006. The 5-day workshops have been scheduled to take place across the North East and for two age groups: 11-14 years and 15-18 years. The partnership also means that workshop participants will have their work published in an anthology after the festival.
Claire Malcolm, Director of New Writing North, said the festival is a wonderful way for young people to work with professional writers. “It gives them a great opportunity to learn how to craft a piece of creative writing and understand the literary process involved in generating various genres of writing,” she said. “The workshops provide an environment where creative freedom is encouraged, enabling the fledgling writers to investigate their true potential.”
Writers can certainly suffer from issues such as isolation, a sense of being different and simply being unable to discuss writing or deepen one’s craft. Scriptwriter Carina Rodney agreed, saying: “One of the best things about the workshops is that the participants get a chance to meet other young writers. A writer spends…their creative time working in isolation and developing a support network of fellow writers is essential… It is wonderful to see the participants collaborating on projects and friendships developing.”
The free Festival workshops will be held in the following venues for two weeks:
1. The Alnwick Garden; Alnwick
2. Darlington Arts Centre; Darlington
3. Gala Theatre; Durham
4. Queens Hall; Hexham
5. Arc; Stockton-on-Tees
6. Sunderland City Library & Arts Centre; Sunderland
So if indeed there is a dearth of good writing or of good writers, then what better way to turn the tide than by pulling out all stops to furnish new and established writers with all the resources they require?
There will always be those ready to lament the lack of present-tense genius, just as there will always be people who are inspired to write. It’s really a matter of luring writers out of the closet and into the daylight where they can meet each other, learn from each other and produce the best work they can. And for that we simply need useful and writer-inspired resources to support the vision and innovation already extant in the imaginations of writers the UK over.
“For the poet’s eye, in a fine frenzy rolling
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen
Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation, and a name;
Such tricks hath strong imagination…” William Shakespeare
To book your place for the free Orange Young Writers’ Festival workshops, contact Holly Hooper at New Writing North by phoning: (0191) 488 8580 or emailing: holly@newwritingnorth.com
The Orange Young Writers’ Anthology will be available in late 2006.
For more details go to:
