Along with writing friends Sarah Scally and Fiona Murphy, I spent an excellent day on Saturday at Bournemouth Library learning how to make a living from writing. That is, how to fund your writing through grant applications, residencies and commissions. The workshop was organised by Lit Up! and provided practical advice, presentations and talks by poet Andrew McMillan and project organiser Amy Mason.
Andrew McMillan and Amy Mason
By the end of the day, I’d made several new Twitter friends, generated fresh ideas for projects and came away with inspiration for new pieces of creative writing. The event more than lived up to its billing, a unique day full of tips on putting together bids, planning and executing successful writing sessions. Thank you very much Amy and Andrew for sharing inside information on how to get the most from the Arts Council.
Top tips included
- subscribing to Arts Jobs for regular updates on paid and unpaid writing opportunities
- using the language of the brief to frame your application for residencies and writing opportunities (refer to target audience, outcomes etc)
- drawing upon help from others to support your application, for example, references from other writers, project coordinators etc
- Seek advice and support from the Arts Council. The Relationship Manager for the south-west is kate.offord@artscouncil.org.uk
- the importance of tangible outcomes from writing sessions and workshops such as a celebration event or production of a pamphlet of work
By drawing on the ideas from the day, and combining these with the experience I’ve gained from workshop delivery at conferences and writing groups, I now feel much more confident in designing and seeking funding for my own literary writing project. The only trouble is having the time to map this out. My full-time work commitment is likely to go on until the end of August but with redundancy possible, I may be well be poring over my notes before too long.
Which skills would you like to develop for a life in writing?
the writer is a lonely hunter 
Sounds like a really useful afternoon! Thanks for sharing the info with your followers.
I hope the information is useful!
Thanks for sharing Gail! Being in contact with Literature Works (previously Cyprus Well), the Literature Development Agency for the South West, and attending their networking days has helped me secure some funded work.
That’s great, Josephine.
I reckon for a life in writing you need to know how to live on a tight budget! On a more serious note, I think public speaking skills are essential for the modern writer and something I sadly lack.
That’s a really good point – I’m sure you’ll be able to develop those skills with time.
I really enjoyed the day too, making new friends and finding out some useful info. Like you I need to take time out to see how I can implement all the ideas that resulted from the workshop. Thanks Lit Up for a great day
Maybe we’ll meet up at another event soon.