Schools Competition 2025-26 Anthology

This A5 100 page anthology with card covers contains 34 stories. 

All this year’s prize-winning students' and runners-up’s stories are included.  

It’s a great gift for birthdays and Christmas!

It costs £10 plus postage (if not collected). 

Proceeds from sales will help to finance future school story-writing competitions.

It can be obtained from Heron & Willow, Jedburgh https://heronandwillow.scot/

and Mainstreet Trading, St Boswells https://www.mainstreetbooks.co.uk/

or comment below with your email (your comment and email won't be published).

Open Mic

Our next workshop is an ‘Open Mic’. If you would like constructive feedback on your writing, bring along a story or poem of up to 500 words, or read a 500 word excerpt from a longer piece. 

It's on Tuesday, 3rd February from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. 

The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, it’s free of charge.  

For more details, comment below. All adults are welcome to attend. 

 

Character Names and Attributes.

Our next workshop is about creating characters in fiction. 

Arran Ducker will lead this workshop on character names and attributes.

The workshop is on Tuesday, 6th January from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, we don’t expect a donation. If you would like to attend online via Zoom, please comment below. All adults are welcome to attend.

World-building

There are fictional worlds in the Narnia series, Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland and many other books.

Kelso Writers’ next workshop is about world-building. Arran Ducker will lead this workshop on the art of creating a fictional world, and getting your audience interested in it.
The workshop is on Tuesday, 28 October from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, we don’t expect a donation. If you would like to attend online via Zoom, please comment below before 5pm on Monday, 27 October. All adults are welcome to attend.

Travel Writing

Our first session in the 2025/2026 session is on Tuesday, 2 September at 2.30pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ.

As usual, we'll be in the Coffee Bar, the first room you come to after the front door.

This workshop, will be led by Elspeth Turner, and will be a discussion about travel writing. There will be several exercises, so come prepared to write, or just to listen.

We've decided to produce a new anthology and in this workshop we'll discuss what genre to choose for this anthology.

The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, we don't expect a donation.

There will also be an attendance sheet next to the donations tub. Please tick your name if it's there, or write your first name and surname, so that in the event of a fire, we can check that you're out of the building.

Creating Ebooks

Our next workshop is about creating ebooks. It’s a big topic, so this will be the first of several workshops on this topic.  Peter Munro will lead the workshop but he’s hoping you will come with questions and your own experience, if any. Ebooks used to be the purview of self-publishing but increasingly, "bricks and mortar" publishers are publishing new books as ebooks and some of their existing titles as ebooks. 

 The workshop is on Tuesday, 10th June from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, we don’t expect a donation.

If you would like to attend online via Zoom, please submit a comment below with your email address (such comments won't be published).

All adults are welcome to attend. 

 

Tips on Plot Formulation and Marketing Techniques

Come and meet the prolific author, David Munro, at Kelso Writers’ next workshop.

David will be offering tips on plot formulation and marketing techniques, both of which are essential for every author.  

 The workshop is on Tuesday, 27th May from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, we don’t expect a donation. If you would like to attend online via Zoom, please comment below, before 27th May. All adults are welcome to attend. 

 

Where to Publish Short Stories and Poems

Our next workshop, led by Fiona Jones, has the title: Small Successes: Fiona will talk about litmags, anthologies, etc. that accept short works of creative writing, and how to find them; and lead a discussion on issues such as sub fees, fair pay vs. exposure, honorariums, and current fashions.

The workshop is on Tuesday, 28th January from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ.

The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments.

If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, it’s free of charge.

If you would like to attend online via Zoom, please comment below.

All adults are welcome to attend.

History and Heritage

Our next workshop, led by John Harper, will be a discussion of Borders history and heritage and the importance of context in writing fiction.  

 The workshop is on Tuesday, 14th January from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, it’s free of charge.

Schools Competition 2024 Anthology Launch - 19 November at 5pm

Earlier this year, Kelso Writers, using a grant awarded by Scottish Borders Council’s Neighbourhood Support Fund,  ran a short story competition for pupils in Kelso area schools and aimed to produce an anthology featuring prizewinners’ stories. 

The stories, written by 9 prizewinners and 7 runners-up from P4 to S6, appear in the 100-page paperback anthology, which also includes stories by other local writers. 

The anthology will be launched on Tuesday, 19th November at 5pm in Room 2, Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. 

There will be some readings, and prizes will be presented. Light refreshments will be available. 

Adults and accompanied children are welcome to attend.  

Writing thrillers: whose point of view?

Our next workshop is on Tuesday, 19th November at 2.30pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. As usual, we'll be in the Coffee Bar, the first room you come to, after the front door. This workshop is about Crime thriller writing. This workshop will be led by Rick Lee, a local writer who has written a lot of crime thrillers. Bring pen and paper because there will be a collaborative exercise. The workshop will be followed by the launch of the Schools Competition Anthology at 5pm and I hope you'll stay on for that.

Nature Writing Workshop - 5 November

Our next workshop is on Tuesday, 5th November at 2.30pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ. As usual, we'll be in the Coffee Bar, the first room you come to, after the front door. This workshop is about Nature writing. The session will be led by Alistair Ferguson, who was a gamekeeper for fifty years. During that time he saw nature at its best and at its worst. As usual, when you come on to the Coffee Bar put your donation in the box on the nearest table. The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, we don't expect a donation. There will also be an attendance sheet on this table. Please write your first name and surname, so that in the event of a fire, we can check that you're out of the building. If you would like to attend online, please contact us before 6pm on Monday.

Schools Competition 2024 Anthology Pre-Publishing Invitation

This A5 100 page anthology with card covers will contain 26 stories.
16 stories are from prize-winning pupils and runners-up in the Kelso Area Schools Competition 2024. 10 stories have been contributed by adult authors, mostly in the Kelso area.
You can order copies of this anthology for yourself or as gifts at the cover price of £10 plus postage.
This is a strictly limited edition of 132 copies. Send us a message, if you would like to order.
Proceeds from sales will be used to fund future competitions for school pupils.
(The cover picture is meant to depict writers (represented by fountain-pens) and their stories in a competition. We’re aware that few people use such pens, these days, but they are recognisable.)
Please note: The cover shown below is a draft. Printing requirements might require slight changes.

Writing Memoirs Workshop - 8th October 2024

Our next workshop is on Tuesday, 8th October at 2.30pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ.
As usual, we'll be in the Coffee Bar, the first room you come to, after the front door.
This workshop is about writing memoirs.
Everyone can write from life or write their memoirs but what should you include and what should you leave out? What’s the best format?
Join us to discuss and learn what to do at our next workshop led by Peter Munro.
There will be 3 writing exercises.
The suggested donation for the workshop is £5 (£4 for members), which includes light refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of our workshops before, we don't expect a donation.
There will also be an attendance sheet on this table. Please write your first name and surname, so that in the event of a fire, we can check that you're out of the building.

Designing Book Covers

Our next workshop is on Tuesday, 5th July from 2.30pm to 4.15pm at Abbey Row Community Centre, Abbey Row, Kelso, TD5 7BJ, when Cathy Douglas and I will lead a workshop on Cover Design.

Please note that this workshop will be in the Computer Room by the foot of the stairs.

I will be talking about the elements of cover design and Cathy will demonstrate how to create a cover on the computer using the free Canva tool and you will get a chance to have a go.

Covid restrictions are still in force and the Community Centre has requirements that must be followed.

Please do not attend if you have Covid symptoms or are self-isolating due to symptoms in your household or if you have been identified as a close contact of a case.

We are required to wipe all table surfaces, switches and door handles.

We are required to keep an attendance register with names.

Also, for the moment we're not allowed to use the crockery from the kitchen, so, if possible please bring your own mug.

Entry is via the front door. Exit is via the back door.

Even if you don't sanitise your hands going to shops, all users are expected to sanitise their hands on entry and exit.

The workshop cost is £3 (£2.50 for members).

If you haven't yet joined, annual membership is £7, due from your first meeting.

Also, our new anthology 'A Magic Journey' will be available to buy. Copies are £4.99 (£3.30 for members).

As usual, in the event of the unexpected (for example, speakers unable to come due to Covid), there will be an alternative topic.

Creative Writing for Wellbeing

 

A previous workshop

Kelso Writers is offering an opportunity for people over the age of 16 who live in the Scottish Borders to improve their feelings of well-being through the development of creative writing skills.

The past two years have been challenging for us all. 

Many people have found the Covid pandemic and the associated restrictions have contributed to feelings of anxiety, loneliness and low mood. Creative writing is proven to help people put worries into perspective and find ways to express emotions. Often fictionalising these emotions and concerns is easier than talking about them and it helps the individual work through the issues in a safe, less exposed way.

As a result of funding from the Communities Mental Health and Well-being Fund, Kelso Writers is able to offer a series of twelve free online workshops and two in-person workshops designed to help people develop and improve their creative writing skills. The course will look at all kinds of writing including short stories, poetry, flash fiction and life writing. Topics covered will include the writing process; creating characters; use of dialogue; how to structure and plot a story; nature writing; and editing and presentation.

To register interest and find out more, please email Edith.

The workshops will be led by experienced members of Kelso Writers and will be participative.  The approach will be supportive and constructive feedback will be provided. At the end of the course the stories, poems, memoirs etc written by participants will be published in an anthology. Each author will receive a free copy of the published anthology as evidence that they've successfully published their work.

As well as the workshops, participants will be offered online advice sessions to help them create, edit and polish their writing.

5th Birthday Anthology

20 stories. 94 pages Laminated covers. Price £5.49.  ISBN 978-1-912519-03-3

Published December 2019.
This anthology celebrates our 5th birthday.
We ran a competition for school pupils in the area and this anthology includes the seven best stories from the competition.

A fitting, inclusive and impressive celebration of the club and its writers.
Especially nice to see stories by young people from local schools.
Something for everyone.
Anne Stormont, author of Displacement

Royal Mail prices change quickly and without warning to us.
For postage cost, please post your name, email address and order details where it says Post Comment (your details won't appear on the website) and we will advise postage costs before you order.
For all orders for more than one book made on the same day and sent in the same package, we will combine postage.

It’s All in the Past

12 historical short stories. 64 pages. Laminated covers. Price £4.49             ISBN 978-1-912519-02-6

Published August 2019.    
 
The 4th collection of short stories from Kelso Writers.
Foreword by Pamela Gordon Hoad  (Author of four historical thrillers set in the 15th Century).

Writing about past times is a literary challenge but one that's been met in this very varied and interesting anthology. Well worth a read.
Iona McGregor

Royal Mail prices change quickly and without warning to us.
For postage cost, please post your name, email address and order details where it says Post Comment (your details won't appear on the website) and we will advise postage costs before you order.
For all orders for more than one book made on the same day and sent in the same package, we will combine postage.

A Whole Lot of Love

13 stories. 72 pages Laminated covers.  Price £4.49                     ISBN 978-1-912519-01-9
Published November 2018.  
The 3rd collection from Kelso Writers’ Workshop is a delightful mix of thirteen stories based on the eternal theme of love and romance.
Foreword by Iona McGregor.

This collection of stories has something for everyone. 
Be prepared to be surprised and to be moved to tears and laughter.
Elspeth Turner, co-author with Donald Smith of
'Tweed Dales Journeys and Evocations'

Royal Mail prices change quickly and without warning to us.
For postage cost, please post your name, email address and order details where it says Post Comment (your details won't appear on the website) and we will advise postage costs before you order.
For all orders for more than one book made on the same day and sent in the same package, we will combine postage.

Dragons Can Be Darlings and Other Stories

85 pages. Laminated covers.  Price £4.99                     ISBN 978-1-912519-00-2
Published December 2017.  
The second collection of short stories from Kelso Writers.
Foreword by Iona McGregor.
20 stories.
20 writers

Find out why dragons don't all carry maidens away...
And why Alice sent roses. Consider the blood in the snow.
Enjoy these and many intriguing themes in this new collection of short stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories by a group of Scottish Borders writers. 
All very different, together they cover an intriguing spectrum of human experience and emotion. 
I look forward to reading the group’s next anthology!
Oliver Eade
Playwright and prize-winning novelist

Royal Mail prices change quickly and without warning to us.
For postage cost, please post your name, email address and order details where it says Post Comment (your details won't appear on the website) and we will advise postage costs before you order.
For all orders for more than one book made on the same day and sent in the same package, we will combine postage.