WRITING SALON: The Missing Piece

The Writing Salon is unlike any other event for writers.  It seeks to draw inspiration from unlikely places as it dissects genre and narrative, explores fiction and non-fiction, and dives into all forms of storytelling.  Through a mixture of video, audio, theory, practical exercises, interviews with guests, and a very social and engaged membership it will make you feel energised about your writing. Everyone is welcome, as well as all writing genres and formats. Some members have no previous writing experience – others write regularly for stage, page and screen.  Whatever your level, you’ll get a warm welcome.

On July 21st, join host Mark Heywood as The Writing Salon explores the strange power of what is missing.

Sherlock Holmes investigated a case called The Giant Rat of Sumatra. The strange thing is that Arthur Conan Doyle never wrote it. Holmes mentions it in passing. We are given just enough information to know that it happened and that it was apparently extraordinary. Then the story moves on. More than a century later, readers are still fascinated by a story that doesn't exist.

Some of the most powerful things in storytelling are missing. There are characters who never appear but dominate entire narratives. There are unfinished novels, lost poems and incomplete symphonies that have become legendary. There are mysteries that remain unresolved and fictional books that somehow exert enormous influence despite the fact that nobody can actually read them.

As writers, we spend a lot of time thinking about what to put into a story. We think about plot, character, dialogue, worldbuilding and structure. Much less often do we think about what happens when something is deliberately left out. Yet absence can be one of the most powerful tools available to us.

Why do readers become obsessed with unanswered questions, and why can a missing character feel more vivid than one who appears on every page?

At this edition of The Writing Salon we'll explore the creative power of omission. Through examples drawn from literature, film, theatre, mythology and popular culture, we'll examine why absence exerts such a powerful pull on the imagination and what writers can learn from the things that aren't there.

There will be a practical section, so grab your pencil cases, and we’ll see you there.

The session starts at 7pm but please feel free to book a table at the Club from 6pm to enjoy a bite to eat, or arrive a little early in order grab a drink before we begin (you can also book a table for 9pm to have your supper afterwards!)

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