Alnwick Story Fest is a new book and film festival that will take place in Alnwick, Northumberland, between 24 and 26 February, featuring ‘how to write’ events and interviews with authors including Ann Cleeves. Website: https:// alnwickstoryfest. com/ The winners of the 2022 Scotland’s National Book Awards were Dave Alston, who won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of theYear Award for Slaves and Highlanders: Silenced Histories of Scotland and the Caribbean, and Alexander McCall Smith, who was awarded the 2022 Saltire Society Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Scottish history. Writers ALWAYS find time to read. Read for pleasure as well as analytically. Jot down phrases you think work particularly well and work out why they do.The more you read, the more you will absorb vocabulary and style without even thinking about it. Milly Johnson