Get Writing 2009

Fleetville School, St Albans, 21 February 2009

The three keynote speakers - Barry Cunningham, John Jarrold and Jonathan Pegg set the tone for the day.

With Barry Cunningham, managing director of The Chicken House and the editor who discovered JK Rowling, together with two top flight agents - SF specialist John Jarrold and newly independent Jonathan Pegg - we were fairly confident Get Writing 09 would be a success.

When it sold out well in advance we knew we had a winner.

Throughout the day guests and speakers alike shared the joy and pain of being writers.

These images from the day can only catch the flavour of a packed day which covered everything from how to hook your readers to how not to get sued by them!

As we talked books and sold books, the youngsters remind us to think about things

For the second year Fleetville Junior School were most excellent hosts and everybody and Verulam Writers' Circle extends our warmest thanks to the school and best wishes to the staff and pupils

it is, of course, hardly surprising that our 'grown-up' conference did not have to look far to find pertinent thoughts left by the younger generation.

And here's one we prepared earlier...

With romantic novelist and Get Writing founder (see the video!) Kate Allan in the chair, with VWC chair John Spencer kicking off proceedings and with Jes Guy ensuring both that the timetable worked and the tea flowed the day wasn't so much in a safe pair of hands, but more the result of essential teamwork.

Behind the scenes Jenny Barden and VWC President Nick Cook brought the show together - oh, and some bloke did the website.

We really must do it again some time!