Writers block can be a hard thing to break. You can love reading, love writing, feel like you’re the next Hemingway and be buzzing with ideas, but somehow as soon as a pen’s in your hand- or you’re in front of the keyboard- you discover a desperate need to make a cup of tea, or trawl your way through the distant reaches of Facebook.
Even when you get things down, getting the confidence to leave a sentence un-deleted, or not not scratch out that line that’s not as perfect as you wanted it to be can be difficult. In view of this we’ve turned our attention on Writers groups across Cardiff. Great for getting you going, sharing ideas, or letting some sympathetic eyes have a look at your writing, we spoke to Simon Read -author, performance poet, artist and current co-organiser of the Cardiff Writers group- about whats going on for writers in Cardiff.
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So whats the Cardiff literary scene like?
The Cardiff literary ‘scene’ is full of pro-active people putting together events and projects. These gatherings are vital for incubating, enhancing, and showcasing the creativity of our writers.
Why should writers go to writers groups?
Writing groups are a great way of meeting like-minded people. Whether it be a pro-active meeting, consisting of writing tasks and a workshop session, or a simple pub gathering for a chat and a drink (or six), I’ve found that forming friendships with fellow writers has led to finding further opportunities within our literary community.
So what groups are there about in Cardiff?
The Cardiff Writers group, currently organised by myself and Ade Sinden, allows local writers a place to meet, chat, and drink. The focus is on ‘writers informally getting to know writers’, rather than doing writing tasks (although that is something we also do). It’s an environment for sharing ideas, methods, opinions, and projects. The Roath Writers group – led by Christina Thatcher – is, by contrast, more structured. It usually starts with analysis of a text, leading to a twenty-minute writing exercise. Members are then given the opportunity to read out what they’ve written, although there is no pressure to do so. There is an option for people to bring pieces to workshop with the group too.
Both of these groups welcome all writers, irrespective of ability, and aim to provide a means of developing and sharing work and ideas in a constructive way. The groups, although structured differently, are both informal and friendly, making them the perfect place to read pieces written on the night – a fear that I had to overcome – and, also, to challenge writers into writing pieces in different methods and on subjects that they may not have considered previously.
What do you think writing groups have done for your work?
An increase in confidence through attending these groups has seen my literary path drift into the realm of performance poetry. Cardiff has an incredible poetry community that has allowed me to develop my performance to the point where I’m now regularly asked to do gigs and reciting my set at festivals. Rhyme and Real Ale, although no longer taking place in a venue that sells ‘real ale’, is a monthly open mic event where you can read or recite pieces in a five minute (maximum) slot. What started off as a small event – created by Julie Pritchard – has grown into an evening where the attendance is regularly upwards of fifty people. With such a forgiving and encouraging crowd of fellow poets with a wide range of ages and styles, it’s a nice environment to practice reciting new material, gauging reactions, making friends, and increasing your public speaking abilities.
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