This September sees the seventh annual Festival of Writing organised by NAWG, the National Association of Writers' Groups at St Aidan's College, University of Durham. LNE speaks to NAWG chairman, Mike Wilson.

What does NAWG do? And how long has the organisation existed?
NAWG started in 1995 following discussions between Denise Robertson, the well-known novelist and TV agony aunt, and members of writing groups in Washington, Tyne & Wear. Brian Lister, who now runs Biscuit Publishing, was the first secretary and was at the helm of NAWG for eight years. Since the early beginnings when NAWG was mostly a north eastern enterprise, the association has spread its wings. The chairman (me, Mike Wilson) and secretary (my wife Diane) are in East Yorkshire, while other board of trustees members are in Edinburgh, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Leicestershire and Shropshire. The organisation does need more willing people to widen the facilities NAWG can offer. Trustee meetings are usually held in Washington, but the October meeting will be in Bridlington.
 
NAWG is an umbrella body in that it supplies information to its affiliated groups. We run an annual Festival of Writing, this year's over the weekend of 3-5 September, at St Aidan's College, Durham. There are 36 workshops, some at an advanced level, plus one-to-one tutorials with expert writers. Those taking workshops this year are: Steve Bowkett, Ken Rock, Doris Corti, Mario Petrucci, Alison Chisholm, Stephanie Baudet, John Jenkins, Jane Wenham-Jones, Brian Lister and Kathleen McCreery. It is expected that numbers at this year's festival will match those at last year's. Attendees come from all over England, Scotland and Wales. And this year we have two guests from Sweden.
 
At the festival we also declare the winners of our annual creative writing competition and make the awards at the gala dinner. The competition is free to enter and categories are announced in October. The deadline for entries is at the end of April next year. This year's awards will be made by Judith Spelman, senior features writer, Writing Magazine, and Denise Robertson, the association's patron.
 
Link is the association's newsletter, published February, April, June, August, October and December. It's an A5 28-page magazine, written by members of NAWG and other writers, and edited by me (again). The website [which is now overseen by Anita Loughrey] enables us to be reached by anyone and everyone.

New groups and new associate members (individuals) receive a welcome pack with the latest magazine, and details of NAWG activities, depending on time of year. We also publish Running Good Writing Groups, a folder of workshops and advice for running groups. Each new group receives a copy. After the winners of the competition are declared, the winning work is reproduced in an annual anthology. Last year's anthology was Smooth Stones Pretty Pebbles, while the title for 2004's anthology is Autumn Breezes Fallen Leaves.
 
The latest publication from NAWG is Lynne Hackles' The Handy Little Book for Writers, which will be officially launched at the festival on the Friday evening.

Is it just for aspiring writers? 
NAWG is not just for aspiring writers, although they are perhaps the ones to benefit most from membership of groups. More experienced writers are very welcome, of course, and they are often approached to become our judges and workshop leaders at the festival. Although some of us have had some success with our writing, we all still think we are aspiring writers.
 
NAWG has offered me as an individual the opportunity to learn and grow within an organisation. I started by just proof-reading Link, before graduating to typesetting the magazine, then becoming its editor. Now I am chairman - something I never thought possible. And this year I'm hoping to organise an efficient festival, with the help of Diane and the other trustees.

Are you seeing increasing numbers of writers' groups being formed? And are you seeing increasing numbers of people joining those groups?
NAWG's membership is currently about 160 or so groups, and it is rising slowly but steadily. Each year some groups drop away but others replace them. Individual membership is around 120 and this number too rises and falls.
 
Because there is only a handful of volunteers on the committee, seeking new members and finding out information about non-affiliated writing groups is difficult. We would love to know how to locate these groups. We occasionally send out application forms and back issues of the magazine to addresses we're given as writing groups. Sometimes we have a take-up, mostly we don't hear anything.

How do aspiring writers benefit from joining a writing group?
I would hope that aspiring writers would find companionship as a writer, encouragement as a writer, challenge as a writer, and satisfaction when things good happen. Many writing groups have more experienced writers in their midst and these could/should/would help those less advanced in the skill/art/craft of writing. It's a shame that some groups become cliquey. This deters newcomers. My wife and I always try to encourage others. We remember when we were beginners. What aspiring writers should keep in mind, however, is that maybe, just maybe, those already in the writing group have the experience to guide and instruct. And that, even though friends and relatives say their work is marvellous and should be published, it ain't necessarily so. Any aspiring writer willing to work and listen should, in the end, become an experienced writer.

What did you do before becoming involved with NAWG?
I spent my life as a typesetter in local newspapers and magazines. So handling words during my working life gave me an excellent background when I tried to put my own words on paper. I suppose I ought to be able to write articles easily. I think I can. Whether they are what editors want is open for discussion, but what I do send out eventually gets published. Before NAWG, I went to work, worked, came home, had a meal, then was just an ordinary bloke with little aspiration. I tried to excel at tenpin bowling but could not reach the heights I wanted; I joined a photographic society and learned darkroom work etc. But English language was always an interest and I could - and would - argue commas, prepositions and subordinate clauses with the best of them. Especially those who worked in "editorial" who thought they knew it all.
 
The change in my life that made me a writer - and everything else that followed - was being involved in the Bridlington Community Play in 1995. I added some research to the story and assisted with promotion. Then I was invited to theatre workshops. Encouraged to "fly like a seagull" and "wade through treacle", I found myself "acting". Eventually casting came around, and - in a moment of madness - I told the director that what I'd really like to do was play the part of Kit Brown, a lifeboat hero. He said, "If you want to, you can." And I realised then he wasn't just giving me permission. I wanted to, so I did. It was the most liberating period of my life. I wrote about that lifeboat hero, and sold an article for £75. Since then I've portrayed Kit Brown in the local harbour museum (along with my wife Diane as my Victorian wife). We've entertained local groups with our costumed drama and poetry. And now I've written a novella, Full Fathom Five, which is to be published next March by Biscuit.

So what did I do before? Not a lot.
 
What do I do now? Anything, everything, and go through all doors labelled Opportunity - Like this one!

What should we expect from NAWG in the future?
That's a very difficult question to answer. Like all associations like ours, the future depends on finding new volunteers to take over the reins. Several of the board of trustees have served over five years, and should those people wish to take a rest from their self-imposed obligations the association would naturally suffer. Not only that, these same people are those who carry out the everyday tasks: organising the annual festival, running the association's newsletter, looking after NAWG's publications, and running the website. The day-to-day secretarial and financial work also needs to be covered in the future.

I'm sure I speak for all those volunteers above when I say how much we enjoy working on behalf of NAWG. But we also recognise the inherent dangers of our current situation.

It is to be hoped that more people step forward to join the board of trustees, and those who do the work, at the Annual General Meeting on 5 September after the Festival of Writing.

NAWG Open Festival of Writing 2004
Friday 3-Sunday 5 September
St Aidan's College, University of Durham
For more details about the festival, including activities and how to attend, see the NAWG website.