Red Carnation Hotels

A WEEKEND IN THE COMPANY FOR WRITERS

Saturday 16th October

Summer Lodge has some remarkable literary connections.  As well as being in the heart of Hardy’s Wessex the great writer was commissioned, in his capacity as an architect, to add a second floor to the then Dower House, and to redesign the Drawing Room.  The nearby Acorn Inn also appears in his novel 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' as 'The Sow & Acorn'.

We therefore thought it appropriate to host a special Writers Weekend that would give guests the opportunity to learn more about the craft from those who’ve made a career from it.

Four very different writers will talk about their work and how they approach it. 

10.30 - 11.30	Roger Collis is an actor, broadcaster, writer and master raconteur who has earned world-wide recognition as a business travel guru through his weekly column, 'The Frequent Traveler’, in the International Herald Tribune and as a contributing columnist for the New York Times. Roger will talk about writing a business travel column, what techniques one can employ, how to conduct research when the deadlines are tight, how to develop a distinctive voice and style, plus the way that satire can be used to great effect. Plus he’ll be sharing a host of anecdotes from a fascinating career.
14.30 - 15.30	Jim O’Connor is an advertising copywriter practiced in the dark arts of persuasion featured in some of Eric’s books.  He has promoted everything from boutique hotels to fork lift trucks, Clover low fat spread to Palmolive soap, Cornish pasties to Australian rum.  Jim will talk about copywriting and share some of the techniques used by advertisers in an attempt to persuade the more susceptible amongst us buy things we may not need, with money we may not have, possibly to impress people we may not even like!
16.00 - 17.30	Eric Clark is a respected investigative journalist who has delved into the seedier aspects of crime and drugs, as well as revealing the shadier practices of the marketing industry.  He loves using his research for writing gripping thrillers – “Black Gambit” and “Chinese Burn” have both proved particularly popular. Marcelle Bernstein is a much acclaimed novelist, non-fiction writer and journalist whose work has appeared in major publications in the UK and USA.  Several of her novels, such as “Body & Soul” and “Sacred & Profane”, have become best-sellers as well as being turned into successful feature films and television dramas. Eric and Marcelle will talk about their two very different approaches to writing novels. Marcelle likes stories to grow from out of the characters and views plot as something of a necessary evil. Eric’s books, however, are very plot and narrative driven. The contrast between these two approaches throws up a number of fascinating questions that Eric and Marcelle will be exploring at length.
19.30	Delicious three course dinner prepared by renowned Executive Chef Steve Titman, plus the opportunity to get to know the writers better.