Star Trek Writer's Workshop

Convention
Name:	Star Trek Writers' Workshop
Dates:	July 2-July 4, 1982
Frequency:
Location:	Wigston Stage Hotel in Leicester, England
Type:	fan run
Focus:	Star Trek
Organization:
Founder:	Janet Hunt
Founding Date:
URL:
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The Star Trek Writer's Workshop was a fan writer's workshop held for Star Trek fans in the UK in 1982. In an ad in Classified Assignments #1, the workshop billed itself as "A new idea - a writers' workshop including all aspects of fan creativity; stories, poetry, artwork and music etc. [whatever interests the fans)." The workshop also had panels and discussions on theme, characterization, plot and background.

The fan guest of honor was Leslie Fish.

About

Additional information from the flyer:

Leslie Fish from America (author of 'Shelter,' 'Poses' and 'The End of the Hurt/Comfort Syndrome') will be guest writer and we hope to feature a central story by Leslie for discussion, analysis and criticism, we shall cover a variety of approaches including illustration and poetic response. We also expect to have an exhibition of Trek inspired art and crafts, a sales room specialising in fanzines, a poets corner with a talk by an award winning poet, a talk on illustration by a professional illustrator. Two full length films: 'The Rocky Horror Show' and for those of us who appreciate good acting, fascinating plot and overall believability, we have Zsa Zsa Gabor in 'Queen of Outer Space', perhaps we can even get the 'pink tinted version', plus episodes and bloopers, other features will be introduced as we develop the format. To enable everyone to benefit from the discussion it is essential for a workshops numbers to be kept small, therefore attendees will be limited to 120. Leslie would be interested to run a filk song evening, all guitars and voices welcome.

From a 1981 description:

A new idea - a Writers' Workshop, including all aspects of fan creativity; stories, poetry, artwork and music, etc. (Whatever interests the fans). Plans are for panels and discussions on theme, characterisation, plot and background not just for people who write for themselves or publication but for everyone, who reads fan fiction for pleasure.

Leslie Fish from America (author of 'Shelter', 'Poses' and 'The End of the Hurt/Comfort Syndrome') will be guest writer and we hope to feature a central story by Leslie for discussion, analysis and criticism? We shall cover a variety of approaches including illustration and poetic response.

We also expect to have an exhibition of art and craft, a sales room, a poets' corner with a talk by an award winning poet, a talk on illustration, two full length films; 'The Rocky Horror Show' and 'Queen of Outer Space' plus episodes and bloopers. \

Other features will be introduced as we develop the format.

To enable everyone to benefit from the discussion, it is essential for a workshop's numbers to be kept small, therefore attendees will be limited to 120.

Leslie would be interested to run a filk song evening, all guitars and voices welcome.

Accommodation is in chalets, each with its own bathroom/shower, T.V. and tea making facilities, radio and car park space.

Con Report

Q. How do you get 30-40 people into a motel chalet?

A. Hold a K/S discussion in it.

Allowing for the theft of video recorder and tapes and a motel Manageress who bore a close resemblance to Attila the Hun (though on second thoughts, he was probably more cheerful), the Writers' Workshop at the Wigston Stage Hotel a great success.

It was a small (but select!) gathering of seventy or so people; amongst them: writers, editors, readers, poets and illustrators. The guest was Leslie Fish of 'The Weight', 'Poses, 'Shelter' and 'The End of the Hurt/Comfort Syndrome', fame. An interesting and original thinker, she outlined how she came to write some of her stories and listening to her, it became obvious that to be an effective writer one has to be prepared to put in quite an amount of work and research on one's subject, something, I think, that is sometimes forgotten in fan writing.

I very much enjoyed the discussions, both official and unofficial, however, I do wonder if the panelists weren't a little self-congratulatory. After all it was termed a workshop. The impression I came away with was that writers and editors would happily appear and say 'I do this... I do that...,' but were not prepared to say, 'How could I improve on what I do?' Perhaps those of us in the audience should have been a little more incisive with our comments and questions. I must say, though, that Lee Owers' description of how she got 'Nocturne' printed, was a tale of courage above and beyond the call of duty. Rather her than me!

One of the most stimulating discussions: was held on Sunday morning and flowed -very well despite several interruptions because of the lost video, the police, etc. etc, Elizabeth Williamson alias Glen David, author of 'Offstage Enterprise' and 'Triad' presented her 'Trek Chronology' wherein actual dates as we would recognise them, wore correlated with stardates (that was a whole new discussion), and the adventures of our heroes thus giving a chronological order for the escapades in the five year mission. This raised a great deal of interest and it is to be hoped that the 'Chronology' will find its way into print very soon.

We shared our experiences of ordering American zines and if any message came across it was this one: if you are thinking of ordering Contact 7 - don't. There must be doubts also, about T'Khutian Press; some people, it seems, have been waiting three years for their xerox of 'Sahaj Collected' - and to think, I was getting anxious after seven months.

The other point of discussion was whether reviews should be printed on bloc as in 'Communicator' or spread throughout club newsletters. As you are reading this in 'Communicator' it's obvious what your opinion is.

Other entertainments were: a zine library - feasible because of the relatively small numbers, videos and that pornographic (according to Attila) film 'The Rocky Horror Show'.

The Writer's Workshop was a marvellous concept and in spite of the disasters a most enjoyable weekend. I only hope we can have another such gathering very soon. I think it is good to be reminded that even though people continue to read our stories or zines we cannot afford to sink back complacently and assume we are doing everything right.

A fan in 1998 wrote:

Leslie used to (probably still does) play a twelve string guitar and I remember when she was over here in 1982, for the Writers’ Workshop, staying with the organiser, she got very irate because she couldn’t get strings for her instrument at midnight in the outskirts of Leicester!