Hi!

My  name is Alan Durant, I am a children's book author, and I am writing to tell you about an exciting new course I am running for adults next April in Picardie, northern France, on writing for children. I hope it will be of interest to your members.

Writing for children can be very rewarding but it certainly isn't easy - and getting published is harder still. Having the opportunity to talk with other writers and get the advice of experienced published authors is always helpful - it certainly helped me when I began my career as a children's book author fifteen years ago. I hope my course will similarly help others interested in writing in this field.

I've had over fifty books for children published - ranging from picture books for the very young through to novels for teenagers. Among my most recent titles are Dear Tooth Fairy (shortlisted for the Children's Book Award), Always and Forever (shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal) and Game Boy (runner-up for the Nottingham and Portsmouth Children's Book Awards).  You can find out more about me and my work at my website: www.alandurant.co.uk.

As well as writing, I run frequent workshops and courses in the UK for children and adults. Next April I am running - with my wife Jinny - a residential course for up to 8 adults on writing for children in our house (a comfortable converted barn dating from the mid nineteenth century) in the small, rural French town of Crecy, the site of a famous fourteenth century battle. The course will run from Friday 7th April to Wednesday 12th April, and costs £375, which includes tutoring fees, accommodation, and all meals.

Based on the Arvon model, the course will offer participants the opportunity to write and share ideas, and to explore techniques involved in writing a range of fiction for children of different ages, with one to one tutorials, groups workshops and discussions, and plenty of writing time, all in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

For further details please contact me by email at alan@durant1234.fsnet.co.uk or by phone on 07944 374 734.

I hope this will be of interest.

All the best.
Alan Durant