The Emonti Creative Circle held its monthly writers’ workshop on Saturday, August 27, which was enjoyed by all who participated.
The creative circle provides a safe creative space for writers to share their projects and receive critical feedback from other writers.
Hosted and chaired by Jennifer Bryson Moorcroft, the theme of this month’s meeting was Pitch Your Book Concept, with writers given pointers to help them get started on writing their books.
“It is very important that as a writer, you must know your book.
“You need to know the general structure of your book.
“Even if you don’t have all the details, if you can point out the main details like the genre, or the setting of your book, then it becomes easier,” Moorcraft said.
“We will use the Elevator Pitch to cover all the important details.
“It is called the elevator pitch because you only have limited time and words to explain your pitch.
“This forces you to focus mainly on the important details of your book.”
The Elevator Pitch includes aspects such as the book’s working title; genre (fantasy, drama, mystery, and so on); target audience; length (how many words); completion date; the protagonist; main themes; setting and synopsis, and other aspects.
Many of the writers who have taken part in the workshop were also contributing writers for the published book Hayibo! A Prose and Poetry Collection, which has already sold more than 200 copies.
Liz Godwin, a member of the Circle, said: “It’s fun and immensely motivating to be part of a group of like-minded people bouncing ideas off each other.
“I have learnt a lot from Emonti and hopefully have honed my skills.
“Being part of the Emonti Creative Circle has helped me tremendously as a writer.
“Genres may be different but our goals are the same – to get our stories written and shared,” she said.
Fellow writer and member Debra Hofert said: “Emonti has made that easier in a fun, caring environment.”
The Joy of Books Festival is another project that Emonti Creative Circle writers take part in, in which many writers are given an opportunity to showcase their work.
The previous show in July this year was a great success.
The next Joy of Books Festival is scheduled to take place on December 3 and 4 at the East London Museum.
