Fiction Ed’s Blog: Our First Online Workshop


Our very first Online Short Story Writing Workshop took place last Wednesday, May 25, live from Dundee – home of “The People’s Friend” for the last 153 years.

It was such a lovely day!

We began at 10am, with a warm welcome and introductions.

We had a really interesting mix of writers taking part – from successful “People’s Friend” authors, to complete beginners, to authors returning to writing after some time away.

Our Expert Author

Expert author on the day was Alison Carter.

We were absolutely delighted she could join us!

Alison was so generous in sharing her knowledge of all things “Friend” fiction.

A Team Effort

One advantage of the workshop being online is that all the members of the Fiction Team could ‘pop in’ to share their advice on what makes a successful “Friend” story.

Putting the magazine’s fiction together is a team effort, so it was a pleasure to welcome Alan, Tracey, Abbie and Manon!

From A’ The Airts

Another advantage is that because there was no travel involved, we could welcome “Friends” from “a’ the airts”!

We were delighted to welcome writers from New Zealand and Canada, as well as all over the UK.

A Lovely Day

The day whizzed by, with lots of information on how to write successfully for our magazine. Alison’s practical ‘set’ exercises were popular, and so helpful.

Everyone taking part was welcome to do so in the way they felt most comfortable. So for example, although most people kept their cameras on, some opted for camera off throughout and that was no problem at all.

New Digital Ed, Jacky, had sent out simple instructions on how to get the most from a Zoom session prior to the day, and both our morning and afternoon sessions were subtitled.

Thank You!

Thank you so much to Alison, and to everyone who took part.

If you’re interested in taking part in a future online workshop, please email us at events@dctevents.com.

There’s no cost or obligation, and you can add or take your name off the list at any time.

Hope to see you soon!

Lucy Crichton

Fiction Editor Lucy is always on the look-out for the very best short stories, poems and pocket novels. As well as sourcing enjoyable content, she enjoys working with our established contributors, encouraging new talent, and celebrating 155 years of 'Friend' fiction!