Wordsworth – or what should we pay for writing?
Time: 6.30pm for 7pm startDate: Wednesday 26 October
Place: Café Boardroom, Interbrand, 85 The Strand (almost next to the Savoy Hotel)
Nearest tube: Charing Cross or Covent Garden
Ch-ch-changes...
Unfortunately we are unable to hold the event we’ve publicised for 26 October, but instead we’re delighted to have one we’ve wanted to run for ages. Our new event is ‘Wordsworth’ (as in ‘how much are our...?’).
What do we get paid for writing? What ought we to be paid? How do we place a value on our words? We have a line-up of top speakers with different perspectives – writers, commissioners, designers, branding specialists to get you going... and then we want some debate and argument from the floor.
So whether you are a writer, a designer or a client who employs us, please come along, bring your opinions, your stories and your voices – and join in.
To book your place, get in touch with Julie at twiggy.peasticks@virgin.net. And please hurry, time is short.
New members
A warm welcome to…
Chris Newson,
Pom Somkabcharti and
Linette Tye of Cyan Books;
John Bolton of Barclays Global Investors; freelance journalist
Clare Goff;
Sally Bibb of The Economist Group;
Verity Evans of the Enterprise IG; copywriter
David Fowle;
Angela Pirrie of Chartered Brands;
Rebecca Wood of Story UK;
Helen Stewart from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society;
Colin Clark of the National Theatre of Scotland;
Ruari Wilson,
Charmaine Mendelsohn,
Keith Murray and
Stuart McMonagle, all from Forth Sector;
Pete Kirby, writer at thisness, and last but not least,
Allison Traynor, communications director at Redpath. We hope you enjoy and contribute to the 26 experience. Remember, 26 is what you make it.
Finally, for our new members...A big thank you for joining 26.
We started meeting as a group in 2002. We were eight individuals in search of others involved in the daily business of working with words. We simply wanted to share our experiences and ideas, and learn from one another. You can find out more about us at
http://www.26.org.uk/who.htmNews spread of our meetings, and it soon became clear that 26 could be, should be, something much bigger than just us. So we decided to open up the organisation to other writers, editors, language experts and anyone else with a love of language. We launched 26 formally in September 2003...
..And here you are. We're delighted you've become one of 26. We hope we’ll get to explore and enjoy language together in all sorts of interesting and unexpected ways.
26 is open to new ideas from any of its members. We would be especially pleased to hear from you if you'd like to be involved in 26 talks, publications, seminars or other initiatives – even in a small way. You can reach us on 0870 121 13 26 or at
talktous@26.org.ukAs for your 26 quid... thank you very much. The funds we're raising with your annual subscriptions will go towards running events (most of which will be free to members), developing our web site, creating an online message board for members, and bringing to life a whole range of other initiatives we haven’t even imagined yet.
A number of members have asked whether they can refer to 26 on their business card or in their emails, web site, autobiography or whatever. We think this is a great idea as it helps to raise awareness. We just ask that you use the phrase One of 26, followed by the web site address www.26.org.uk.
In the meantime, your friends and colleagues can find out more about 26 and join at
http://www.26.org.uk , so spread the word.
Your writing sucks…
… so no-one’s listening to you. Big business or independent artist, we’re all trying to get people to listen. From winning more customers to getting some funding, we want people to engage. But to do so, they need to know who we are, what we’re about, and why on earth they should invest their time or their money.
From brand consultants to bloggers, eight speakers will help you to write better at work and at home. We’ll explore the tools and tone of voice that’ll help you communicate your personal and business identity well.
When: 3 November, 10am - 4pmWhere: Broadway Cinema, Nottingham£100 day fee / free places for 26 members and Nottingham-based creative companies and practitioners. Speakers include 26 representatives
Margaret Oscar,
Sarah McCartney and
Neil Taylor.
Timetable below...
10.00: Registration
10.30: Setting the scene
With
Gareth Howell, Digital Arts Forum, and
Ben Afia, 26.
10.45:
I Write Because I WriteFinding a voice is the key to engaging audiences in any form of creative writing. Whether you’re writing for a specialist audience, putting your own life into words, or developing believable characters. The writers in this panel write for different audiences and media and will share their varied techniques for bringing writing to life.
Troubled Diva – award-winning blogger
Mike Atkinson explores the internet phenomena of blogging, the freedom of publishing your own words and the perils of writing about people you know.
www.troubled-diva.comPaul Drury is a life-long games geek who started writing about video games in self-published fanzines, but has graduated to a regular weekly column in the ‘Evening Post’, as well as writing for major national games magazines ‘Retro Gamer’ and ‘EDGE’.
Stephen Lowe is a Nottingham-based, award-winning writer for film, TV and theatre. His latest work includes ‘Coronation Street’, the Brian Clough tribute ‘The Spirit Of The Man’, and a stage adaptation of ‘The Fox’ by DH Lawrence.
www.stephenlowe.co.uk11.45: Break
12.00:
I Write Because It Makes Me MoneyHaving looked at how we can use different media to talk about our individual passions to various audiences, we’ll turn to writing for business.
Margaret Oscar is a tone-of-voice consultant who’ll explain how communicating personality, as a person or a brand, means choosing our words carefully to create the right mix. She’ll tell us about creating a language palette for brands and looking at the
Anyfish Anywhere brand, a fishing-tackle manufacturer that has taken the UK industry by storm thanks to its tone of voice.
Sarah McCartney is a strategic storyteller who’s just written the tenth Christmas issue of the ‘Lush Times’ (and another 29 issues besides). She’ll share her experience of how to keep customers (and yourself) interested in your writing when your project’s time-span stretches far into the horizon.
Neil Taylor is the creative director of The Writer and will talk about his experience of turning suits into poets. He feels that better writing helps business communicate better. Like, duh. But it has other magic powers too. Helping people who don't think of themselves as writers to write, does more than just move the odd apostrophe.
www.thewriter.co.uk13.00: Lunch
14.00:
Workshop - Write First, Ask Questions LaterTim Crouch and
Katherine Mellor help marketing and other business people to be more creative at Unilever.
This is a session designed to get words flowing instinctively and creatively;
to get us to commit to the written word while silencing that inner voice of self-doubt; to appreciate our own intuitive and individual response to words, ideas and stories. Be prepared to write without thinking... This session will be fun, challenging and practical.
Tim Crouch is a writer and performer. His own radio adaptation of his stage play, ‘My Arm’, has just been awarded a Prix Italia for Best Adapted Drama. His latest play, ‘An Oak Tree’, won a coveted Glasgow Herald Angel award at this summer’s Edinburgh Festival, and is touring internationally throughout 2006. Tim is currently an Artist in Residence for Unilever UK.
Who can come for free?If you are a member of 26, or you or your company is Nottingham-based and working in the creative industries, you may be entitled to attend this one-day conference for free. To find out more about free eligibility please contact creativecollaborations@ntu.ac.uk or call 0115 9556312.
For further information and to book a conference place, contact Lou Butler at conference@broadway.org.uk or call 0115 9526600.
Creative Collaborations is a European Social Fund supported project.
Watch this [windy] space – by Stuart Delves
This is my country
The land that begat me.
These windy spaces
Are surely my own.
And those who here toil
In the sweat of their faces
Are flesh of my flesh
And bone of my bone.
From ‘Scotland’ by Sir Alexander Gray
The father of an octogenarian friend of the family wrote the famous poem ‘Scotland’ – a stanza of which I’ve copied above. It’s stirring stuff. And it’s often used in advertising, most famously in the fairly recent Scottish Rugby Union TV commercials. But without permission. So, on behalf of Sir Alexander’s son, John, I found a Scots lawyer prepared to take on the SRU and John was a good few thousand pounds the richer for the trouble.
All of this by way of announcing that as from November there is going to be a regular ‘Letter from Scotland’ in the 26 Newsletter. There’s an exciting energy up here, stoked no doubt by the bracing air, wide open spaces and the sense of being in a nation striving to redefine its identity following devolution. It’s a different country. And a small one that has always punched far above its weight in influencing and improving the world. In our own sphere, crackling right now with the 26 DNA, 26 Malts is just a taste of what Scotland hopes to contribute to this timely and exciting movement.
Getting Published
This is early notice of November’s event, which we have somewhat artlessly
decided to call ‘Getting Published’. It’s a kind of
it-does-what-it-says-on-the-can title. The evening will be a sort of
publisher masterclass, with three experienced publishers talking from their
own experience about the tips and tricks that they would give to aspiring
authors. They will also be taking questions in an open forum.
We will have experts there with experience of publishing across the range,
including business writing as well as fiction and non-fiction.
Let's hear it for Hegley
John Hegley and Friends, with John Citizen – in association with 26
When: Saturday 3 December from 7pmWhere: Whitechapel Gallery, 80-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
Telephone 020 7522 7888
Nearest tube: Aldgate East
A special DaDa-themed performance of words and music from Britain's leading comic poet. Special offer for 26 members, tickets £8 (normal price £10).
To reserve tickets e-mail jamessmith@whitechapel.org
A taster of Hegley...
'Christmas'
there came three wise men from the East
and so it came to pass
the wise men found the shepherds
a bit working class
For more details visit
http://www.whitechapel.org/
http://www.johnhegley.co.uk/
Here's what they're saying about John Hegley...
'More Elvis Costello than Alan Bennett'
Scotsman'Awesomely mundane'
The Independent'Scandalously talented'
Sunday Times'Bleeding marvellous'
NME'Like a good deed in a naughty world'
Herts Advertiser'Makes little sense'
Luton News
