Launch of Innovative Project for Writers in North East

Work in Progress

Posted: 29/10/2008

WRITERS living in Aberdeen City and Shire will be the first to benefit from a national roll-out of an innovative scheme.

Work in Progress is a successful critical assessment initiative provided by HI~Arts for writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, stage or screen. It offers writers constructive and mutually anonymous feedback on their work by a specially selected panel of some of Scotland’s major writers.

The project is aimed at writers who are either professional and/or serious and with some track record of publication or a substantially complete draft of a novel, script or collection. Assessment reports include advice and suggestions on the development of plot, characters, structure, planning and language along with, when appropriate, feedback on potential markets and publishing opportunities.

The scheme was previously only available in the Highlands and Islands where it has supported almost 200 writers. The extension into north east Scotland has been made possible with funding from Scottish Arts Council and in partnership with Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City Councils.

HI~Arts writing development coordinator, Peter Urpeth, said Work in Progress had proven to be a very popular and highly valued project by writers who have used it to develop their work.

He said, “Writing can be a very isolated activity and most of us need some independent and impartial feedback on our work from time to time. This project provides professional assessments by some of Scotland's finest writers and I'm delighted that we can now welcome writers from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire into the project.”

Saskia Gibbon, Aberdeenshire Council arts development officer welcomed the scheme and said she was confident that a great number of writers in different genres would benefit.

For full guidelines on submitting a script for assessment download the attachment below or visit www.hi-arts.co.uk and www.aberdeenshirearts.org.uk

Download Available Attachments:

WIPGuidelines_20Oct_2008.pdf