Who would have imagined that the evil tendrils of international tyrants would have wound their way into the heart of my family and the Bournemouth Writing Festival? My sister in Australia had planned her latest two month holiday to encompass various cultural delights including the fourth Bournemouth Writing Festival. Her flights were booked well ahead. There is so much to do over the three days of the festival it is hard to focus. Last year this had resulted in a friend and I only making it to the free poetry on the bandstand. So this year we needed to plan properly and book well ahead. After much shortlisting and Facetime consultation I had booked six events at the festival.
Shortly before her departure WW3 erupted in the middle east, airports closed, governments issued warnings to their travellers. My sister was traveling in comfort to visit all her English relatives, not to have an adventure. Her favourite airline Emirates was due to leave Perth, stop in Dubai and onwards to Gatwick. Suggestions by some that she could fly over the North Pole were not appealing. When Emirates announced full refunds available, she cancelled her holiday.
The spare tickets were happily taken up by others in my writers group, though by this time I had forgotten what I had booked and why we had chosen them. A sunny weekend made it very pleasant to wander through the gardens between the various venues. Everything was taking place in Bournemouth town centre so easy for everyone to walk, cycle, skate, paddleboard, come by bus or train. Car parks are expensive and stressful from my non-driver observation so to be avoided if you can.
There was a real buzz about the festival and a buzz in town. Festival team members wore bright yellow T-shirts so it was easy to ask for help and they greeted everyone enthusiastically. I can only give my humble impressions with so much happening. But we have always been impressed with how well organised and supported the festival has been right from its inception. If you want to meet other writers of all ages this is the place to be. You could be on the go from the moment you got up till bedtime with breakfast, lunch and dinner meet ups at local eateries. In between talks and workshops you can chat and look around.
In the Pavilion you could buy books written by the speakers, while at Bobby’s any author can book a table ( well in advance I gather ) to sell their books. There were interesting and colourful characters from far and wide.
There were two workshops I particularly enjoyed.
 ‘Stop your Plot Deflating like a Sad Balloon’ with Helen Comerford
If you run out of ideas or have writers’ block just spend five minutes writing a list of What Ifs, as silly as you like. We did this and then wrote our favourite on post it notes which we stuck all around the room and read what ideas others had come up with. We then wrote a plot for our What Ifs. I wrote ‘What if you go to a writing festival and realise you have all been taken captive.’ Some of us read out plots out.
Adrienne Dines’ workshop on creating conflict had the tag line ‘How to make it bad, make it worse then make it personal.’ She gave us an opener, chap walking home from the pub late one night and comes across a road accident… and we all had to offer make it worse contributions… ‘he knows the victim in the crash’ soon became a whole complicated family story!
Next year’s festival is already being planned, last weekend in April again. Other events go on all year round so writers can continue to meet up.
Write by the Seaâ„¢ / Our writing events in Bournemouth, England
What ‘What Ifs’ would you think of?
Times and Tides of a Beachwriter 
Ooh, I might like to get there next year. My friend and I went to an art exhibition last year, think that was over Bobby’s.
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Yes Bobby’s had a temporary art gallery at the top when they first opened up as Bobby’s and it inspired some of my blogs. I was disappointed when it closed.. They keep changing what happens on each floor for their ‘new concept’ for department stores.
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The “What If?” idea sounds like a good way to get unstuck. What if the government actually passed laws that helped people improve their daily lives?
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Hello Pete, yes it was a fun exercise. An excellent What If!
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BOOM! Direct hit with your “What if,” Pete!
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The writing festival sounds like great fun, but how awful that your sister had to cancel her trip because of 🤬🤬🤬in the Middle East.
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Yes Liz our little lives are nothing compared to all the lost souls in the middle east, but the same disruption will be happening to so many and the world economy affected.
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You are so right about that, Janet. I fear the worst is yet to come.
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I am so sorry that geopolitics prevented your sister from attending this wonderful event.
I was gutted that I couldn’t make it, either. It’s such a wonderful vibe and it sounds like it’s getting better every year!
I am so proud to have such a FAB event in my adopted home town.
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Hello Jacqueline. Apparently it’s going to be the same last April weekend every year – forever- so plan ahead! My sister is tentatively thinking of the same time frame next year.
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Hopefully we’ll be back from Turkey and Georgia then – if we can buy any fuel to go there in the first place 🙂
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“What if you woke up one morning and you were the only person left on Earth?”
Seems like you made the most of it and had a good time. Shame about your sister’s flight.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Hello Pete, that is the best What If, how scary. It’s one thing not minding your own company, another losing all your loved ones and the whole human race. Hopefully the dogs and horses would be fine…
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My son and a neighbour both had travel plans disrupted because their flights included Dubai. I hope your sister gets here next year. The festival sounds fun. What if ‘Politician’ was no longer a career choice and people were selected at random to be MPs like for jury service.
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Excellent What If, but I would not like to be called for service!
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Nor me!
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You are so lucky to live in a country that values literature. There is nothing like this here. Very few people read for pleasure here.
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We don’t give ourselves enough credit for our strengths do we. If you did not tell us about life there Robbie we probably would not be so aware. Sometimes /often it seems we have to battle to save our libraries and the BBC and theatres and children’s drama groups.
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When I’m in the Uk, all the cultural amenities like libraries and theatres seem so well maintained and important to people. The British love of its history and literature is the thing I love most about Britain.
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Yes Robbie, I think many people with initiative and in the public eye help to protect and preserve and Television and radio programmes help to show us what we have and how interesting it is.
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That sounds like such a fun event!!! So sorry your sister couldn’t make it — hopefully next year!
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Yes Jill it was and next year will come round quickly as years tend to!
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Have you noticed that the older we get, the more quickly the years pass? Seems like time is spinning out of control!
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Have a feeling an author friend from Dorset attended the festival which sounded great. Shame about your sister having to cancel flights but another author friend who lived in Dubai, made me understand a lot about day to day living which was frightening.
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Yes someone told us friends of friends were reporting how fine it was living in Dubai, but they thought that was just because those living there dare not say anything negative.
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what’s happening politically truly is awful…
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It certainly is and ordinary people feel so helpless.
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I love this idea of “what ifs” for writer’s block. Another one I do is: wrong answers only. I often can’t use anything from a session like this, but at least I’ve warmed up my brain so that I can start accepting, rather than rejecting ideas. Cheers!
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Yes I’m definitely going to remember to try that.
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That sounds like so much fun Janet. I’m sorry your sister didn’t get to make it. The world is certainly upside down. And I remember the Bobby’s emporium. 🙂
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Yes, we need emporiums to escape from worldly troubles.
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Bring it! 😄
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