Placing Your Mark

Enhance your creative writing abilities with fast-paced writing exercises

What We're About

Just as actors often use improv to sharpen their skills, Placing Your Mark applies this principle to writing.

We'll typically provide prompts that ask you to write a passage: perhaps to use five words, to start with a line from a book, or to invent a character. You'll then be given up to ten minutes to complete each prompt, and we encourage members to give and receive constructive feedback on each other's work.

Additionally, we'll leave you an optional homework exercise to complete for the following week.

To ensure everyone has enough time to give and receive feedback, there is a limit of four members per class. Each four-week block costs [block price to be confirmed], or [session price to be confirmed] per session.

Proposed Classes

Class times are 10am to 12pm; exact location disclosed to members only

FAQ and Contact

Do I need previous writing experience?

Not at all. You can join whether you're a first-time writer or an established author. Placing Your Mark takes the principles of improv acting and applies them to writing. All you need is a willingness to think on your feet and write without self-censorship. Note this class is geared towards prose rather than poetry.

How do I book a place?

In the first instance, email Gavin Cameron. Remember there will be a limit of four members per class, so don't delay if you would like a space.

Who runs Placing Your Mark?

This class is run by Gavin Cameron, who also leads the monthly Hotchpotch open-mic for writers and the Dundee & Angus region of National Novel Writing Month. Gavin's work has also been published in many places, including the annual Wyverns poetry pamphlet.

How do I pay?

Placing Your Mark costs [session price to be confirmed] per session, or [block price to be confirmed] for the four-week block. Payment is taken at the end of the first class. You can pay in cash, via Paypal or Ko-Fi, or ask your host for bank details. The value of any untaken classes will be refunded.

Testimonials

MC: Block 1 (May to June 2023)

I’m so enjoying the exercises, and the company, and what I’m learning about different ways to do things, and trying to stretch myself out of my normal habits.

BM: Block 1 (May to June 2023)

My special favourites were your unique photos and belongings as prompts and the one where you say 'pick a phrase and just carry on writing.' Also thank you for the first sentence from novels. The literature you chose was beautiful.

BM: Block 2 (June to July 2023)

.....a cracking opportunity to practise all the elements of story writing: inventing characters, settings, situations, imagery, dialogue - allowing your imagination to run wild ...in a friendly class.

Email Subscription

As this is a limited-access group, members will be added manually to the mailing list. However, you can unsubscribe below or email Gavin Cameron.