This week, many people will be going to the Screenwriters’ Festival in Cheltenham. I’m not going for time and money reasons, but if you are going along, do have fun, and try to bring me back some freebies.

For those of us left behind, there are still events of writerly interest taking place, and here are details of a couple which might be of interest…

Thursday 3rd July, 6.30pm : Sharman Macdonald In Conversation

Sharman Macdonald has written plays and films, and indeed her latest ‘The Edge Of Love’ is at a cinema near you right now, starring (unless I misremember) her daughter Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys. She’ll be talking with Kate Rowland of BBC Writersroom (who I’ve seen doing these things before, and I think she does a good job of keeping it informative to the would-be writers in the audience), and there’ll be a chance to ask questions afterwards.

It’s free to attend, though you need to get yourself on the list – which you can do by clicking on the link above and following the instructions, or by sending an e-mail to writersroom@bbc.co.uk.
It’s being held at the BAFTA building on Piccadilly in London’s glittering West End.

Saturday 12th July, 7.45pm : Alan Moore And Melinda Gebbie

I’ve sung the praises of Alan Moore here before, and this is a chance to see and hear him talking (something he does very eloquently and amusingly, in my experience), along with his wife and co-creator Melinda Gebbie, about their recent work Lost Girls.

It’s being chaired by Roz Kaveney, who I know as an editor and writer, and is being held as part of the London Literature Festival on the South Bank (specifically, in the Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall).

Comics as Literature, eh ? There’s progress in terms of critical acceptance – one day, it’ll be taken for granted to the extent that there are none of those ‘Pow! Zap! Comics Grow Up!’ headlines in the papers, but I’m not sure we’ll see that in my lifetime.

I’ve just realised that this post might actually prove useful or informative to some of you, and now I worry that I’ve set a dangerous precedent. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll be back to being facile soon.

Very, very soon.