CHILTERN WRITERS
How do I become a member?
Annual membership runs from January to December and fees for 2025 are £25 per year. If you join after 30th June then the fee for the rest of the year is £13.
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Alternatively you are welcome to come along as a visitor, for a fee of £5 payable at the meeting.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW DO I JOIN A MEETING FOR THE FIRST TIME?
We are always delighted to meet prospective members and you're welcome to attend as a visitor for as many meetings as you like before deciding to join us. The visitor cost is £5, payable at the meeting.
If you have any queries then please use the contact page on this website. Alternatively you can email chilternwriters@outlook.com or contact us via Facebook or Twitter (@ChilternWriters).
DO I HAVE TO BE A MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE?
You do not need to be a member to take part in the meetings, including reading out your own material at our manuscript evenings. You are also welcome to attend our Christmas social in December.
However, if you wish to enter our annual writing competition then you do need to be a paid-up member of Chiltern Writers.
IF I JOIN CHILTERN WRITERS WILL ANY VISITOR FEES BE REFUNDED?
We are unable to refund any visitor fees paid unless you decide to join the group, in which case that evening's visitor fee will count towards the cost of membership.
Upcoming Meetings and Events
August 2025
We will be holding another of our regular manuscript evenings. These allow members of the group to read out something they've written and receive constructive criticism, or to ask for views on particular aspects of their work. Depending on how many people want to read, we usually allow a maximum of five minutes per person (roughly equivalent to a maximum of 1,000 words) with a few minutes afterwards for a discussion of each piece. The quality and variety of the writing is always impressive, so even if you don't want to read something out yourself, these meetings are always worth attending.
September 2025
Details to be confirmed.
October 2025
Details to be confirmed.
Previous Meetings and Events
April 2025
AGM / Marketing Self-Published Books
We held our Annual General Meeting, which was followed by a fascinating question and answer session with CW members Dave Sivers and Sherry Hostler. Dave and Sherry have both successfully self-published their books and they spoke primarily about marketing their work.
May 2025
Facts or fiction? The importance of research and world building in speculative fiction
Eve writes speculative thrillers, mainly about the things that scare her. In this world of questionable facts and news, she believes that storytelling is more important than ever to engage people in real life issues. Plaudits for her first three novels include Book Of The Month in both The Guardian and The Times, and having one of them described as "pleasingly terrifying" by New Scientist. Her latest novel, The Cure, explores the catastrophic consequences of a cure for ageing which is hijacked by immortalist obsessives.
June 2025
Adrian Poynton - The Basics of Storytelling
Adrian Poynton is an award winning writer of television, theatre, radio and literature. He also teaches a highly popular creative writing class that teaches new writers the skills and confidence they need to take ideas and turn them into short stories, novels and scripts of all kinds.
His evening at Chiltern Writers was entitled The Basics of Storytelling (or, What I’ve learned from people way more successful at this than me) covered storytelling in all forms from the ground up. Areas covered included how to get ideas and what to do with them when you’ve had them, all the way through to finishing and editing your first draft.