National Writing Day

The 24th of June is National Writing Day, a day where creative people across Britain come together to celebrate and practice the art of writing as a form of self-expression, as a way of improving literacy, as a way of creating entertainment for others, or even just because it’s fun to do!

National Writing Day is an initiative organised by First Story, a charity that provides artistic and cultural education to school pupils who might otherwise be unable to access it, with the emphasis, of course, on creative writing. First Story champions creative writing as a fantastic medium for helping young people improve their reading and communication skills, build confidence in exploring new ideas, and learn a skill set that requires discipline and focus.

First Story provides this help to young people through their Young Writers Programme, matching professional writers with schools and having the writers run a sixteen-week workshop that encourages aspiring young writers to develop their writing skills and provides support through editing and proofreading their work. Perhaps most impressive of all, at the end of this workshop, the work the pupils have done will be compiled together and published in a printed anthology – a copy of which will even be catalogued into the British Library!

Writing at Napier

If you’re a student at Napier, you can get involved as well by taking the day to just write something purely for fun. Writing for pleasure can be a great way to unwind now that most of you will be on holiday for the summer, and who knows – you might just be able to make a new hobby out of it!
There’s no need to feel left out if you’re not interested in creating prose fiction either. National Writing Day celebrates all forms of creative writing, whether that be poetry, script writing, essays (although we imagine you might be sick of writing essays by now!) or even just journaling for yourself. You don’t need to fret or worry over if what you’re writing is good enough to show to anyone either, what matters is building up the confidence to write something just for yourself.

Need help getting motivated? Or maybe you’ve been bitten by the writing bug and want to get more involved? If you’re a student here at Napier, Why not consider joining the University’s Creative Writing Society. Ran by students here at Napier, they meet every Monday on our Merchiston Campus to host writing events and competitions, as well as social events outside the university such as picnics or even just casual meetups! The Creative Writing Society can be a great way to meet others interested in creative writing, share ideas and projects you might be working on, and hopefully build up the confidence to share your work with others.

Writing Motivation at the Library

You can also check out some books on writing that we have in the library. I’d highly recommend Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” if which the horror icon talks about his own history with writing, his creative process, and offers some of his treasured advice on aspiring writers. The book positively oozes with infectious enthusiasm for writing and is a great motivator to get started, even if horror isn’t your genre.

So why not get involved? 24th just grab a pen and paper and get to writing!

By Matthew Ferrie

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Photo by Aaron Burden Unsplash