It's said everyone has a novel inside them. Well, you may not think you're another Dickens or JK Rowling, but until you try, how do you know? There are no great novelists in our writing groups, just a bunch of people who love creating stories. At the end of each meeting, we're given a prompt for the next one. And the great thing is, it doesn't matter if you don't stick to the prompt. You can write a story on any subject you like.Or a poem, a playscript or even a novel! And if you feel your writing isn't up to much, don't worry. We'll give all the help you need to improve. At each meeting, we read out our pieces to the group, then discuss them, commenting on what's good & suggesting ways they could perhaps be improved. The joy comes when you've begun at home by staring at a blank screen or sheet of paper & ended up with a compete piece you're happy to read to the group.
| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: | |
| When: | On Friday mornings 10:00 am Weeks 1 & 3 |
| Venue: | Porthcawl Rugby Club |
We write on given or self-chosen subjects (eg see Crystal Ball). During the meeting we read and discuss work we have prepared. Time permitting, we do a writing exercise to give us confidence in putting pen to paper.
n August 2017, Leonard Calvert won a prize for his play Against All Odds.
In November 2017, Linda Kennedy's poem came first in a local competition.
Peter Bodsworth & Malcolm Cowper brought out books in 2017 & 2019.
The 3 groups jointly published a collection of their work in 2018 .'A Write Crew' raised over £1,100 for Porthcawl Lifeboats.
Gerry Ezard's story, Scene from Above (inspired by his neighbour, a winchman paramedic on the ASR helicopters) was shortlisted in the 2018 Wales Short Story competition. Allan Williams' story The Glass Bottle & the Clay Pot was shortlisted in 2021.
In March 2019, the groups accepted an invitation to be involved in a writing project at Porthcawl Primary School.
Marcia, the leader of Group 1, is also the u3a's National Adviser for Creative Writing,
so she helps U3A Writing groups throughout the UK.
Her latest National Newsletter can be read here.
| 17th April 2026 | 10 a.m. |