Anna Keville

Anna Keville, MLitt Publishing Studies 2011/2012

December 5th, 2011 by Anna_Keville | Posted in Student Profiles | Comments Off on Anna Keville, MLitt Publishing Studies 2011/2012
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In my final year studying English Literature at the University of Glasgow I realised I was going to need to make a decision about what to do after graduation (and for the rest of my life). I’d done a very good job of avoiding the decision up until that point. They were innocent days.

After doing a degree in reading books and quite enjoying myself, it made sense that I should aim to work with them. Getting a job in Design and Production in a publishing house would be ideal. I love to read but I have a passion for how a book looks and feels. Feeling woefully underprepared to get such a job it seemed a publishing course was what I needed. There are a few in the UK but Stirling suited me best. It offers practical skills, which I’m very much in need of. It is in Scotland, a lovely bonus for me having lived here for four years. It also seemed very supportive, which it has turned out to be. Our lecturers actually care that we learn what is needed and that we can make our way in the world when the year is out. So far I’m enjoying learning lots of new things and gaining more and more confidence that when it’s time to face the grown-up world of too few jobs, I may be one of the lucky ones.

National Novel Writing Month

November 3rd, 2011 by prm | Posted in Blog | Comments Off on National Novel Writing Month
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NaNoWriMo has begun!

In 1999, Chris Baty started a creative writing project in which participants attempted to write a novel of 50,000 from the 1st to the 30th of November. The project has grown from its humble beginnings of 21 participants in San Francisco to over 200,000 people worldwide.

Not everyone makes it to the grand total, which requires averaging 1667 words a day, but at least get a lot of writing practice in the attempt! Over the years the site has become ever better equipped to support those taking part with forums, pep talks, writing buddies and a word count scoreboard to add a competitive edge. The event is non-profit, relying entirely on donations. It encourages people who have always thought they would write a novel someday to make a real start which has meant a number of past members actually getting their novels published.

It is a positive example of how the internet has helped global creative communities form. It’s also not too late to join in this year!

Anna Keville