London Writing Workshops

It's an interesting time for writers. Since the rise of self-publishing, blogs and microblogs it seems the playing field, in many ways, has levelled. One doesn't necessarily need a degree in journalism to get a cutting edge story published. Nor does one need a degree in screenwriting to create something short and effective for a digital audience. Of course having those skills can never hurt. If you don't have the time or financial means to go back to school, here's a list of a few writing circles in London that can help develop your skills in a few different areas of writing.

For screenwriters:

Euroscript was created and is supported by the Screenwriters' Workshop. It is funded by the European Union's Media II programme. It aims to facilitate the production of highest-quality markeatable screenplays for film and television.

For creative writers:

London Writers' Workshop is based in Islington and offers a wide range of quality workshops. Sessions are led by published novelists and scriptwriters. Classes are kept small to really focus on the progress of each student.

Those looking for free meet-ups:

Creative Writing Workshop

Writing Together in London

London Writers' Café

Off the Page Writing Group

Book Brunchers- Sutton House Book Group

London Scriptwriters Academy

Onscreen- The Screen Acting Collective

Positive Painting

Improvisation Group West London

Theatre Network and the London Alternative Fringe Festival

The Travel Bloggers Meetup Group

All of the workshops listed above are geared at aspiring writers who are looking to work, exchange ideas and collaborate with other writers. Some workshops will be led by professionals, some will be themed and others just coffee shop meet-ups. It would be worth exploring a few different ones and seeing which works best for you in terms of location, people and focus.

Writing for the web:

CIPR offers workshops on basic writing for the web. Topics include: understanding your audience and what they're looking for; style and design and how it affects your choice of words; target audiences and writing to interest them; richness and reach of messages; readership issues; search engines and more.

'Writing for the web' was set up 11 years ago by Malcolm Davison. It aims to motivate web publication teams, improve communication standards and stimulate better audienceresponse.

Writing for the web is very different from writing for print. Writers must consider how readers use the medium. They are generally searching for something and have a variety places they could look. That means that you only have a few seconds to capture their attention. There are a few tricks of the trade that trained online copywriters understand very well. They aren't difficult to learn but if you're hesitant you might want to consult an expert.


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Adaptive Consultancy is a London web marketing company specialising in web development, design, ecommerce and internet marketing. Services include SEO, paid search, email and social media marketing. For more on online copywriting services visit http://www.adaptiveconsultancy.com/outsourcing/copywriting