Almost 80 people gathered to hear the authors speak on their experiences in the industry - and to quiz them for helpful hints on how to write a competition-winning story.

The workshop was one of ten being organised across the UK to inspire and prepare new talent for the End of Story competition, which is running until the end of May.

This involves writing the end to one of eight short stories that have been started by writers including Alexei Sayle, Joanne Harris and Sue Townsend.

More on the End of Story competition

Long before the 7pm start, a growing crowd had gathered in the hotel venue's lobby.

As diverse as could be, they all had one thing in common: a passion for writing.

William Webster, for example, has just finished writing his first novel at the tender age of 15, and is currently in the process of editing.

Recently retired Sheila Hayward has just begun hers, realising a lifelong dream now that the distraction of work and raising a family is out of the way.

Poetry circuit

After a brief introduction from Esther Coleman-Hawkins, project manager of the End of Story venture, the workshop began.

Angela Huth told us that she has been writing since she was five when, inspired by Enid Blyton's 'Sunny Stories' collection, she penned her own 'Sunnier Stories'.

"I made my sister buy it for 1p," she recalled with a smile.

She is now the author of 12 novels, including Land Girls which was made into a film in 1997.

More importantly for those gathered, she has had four books of short stories published, and is the author of numerous radio, screen and stage plays.

Georgina Hammick began her writing career on the poetry circuit, where she had a measure of success, but found that after some time "the poems just went away."

Not wanting to give up writing completely, she decided to try her hand at short stories.

"After all, a poem is quite like a short story."

The authors spoke for some time about the way they write - and things that have inspired them.

Angela, for example, once lived in a house next to a field with a flimsy gate and a large bull for a neighbour.

'Rejection'

Her fear of what would happen if the bull ever got out resulted in a short story called, appropriately, 'The Bull'.

It was clear that both authors have been influenced by other writers, and are keen readers themselves.

"The key to writing is to read, read, read, and to have heroes in writing and be fired by them," Georgina told the note-taking audience - who obediently jotted down William Trevor, Helen Simpson, Katherine Mansfield, Alice Munroe and the great Chekov, as suggested reading.

About half way through the evening the floor was opened up to questions.

Can you write two things at once? Do you let people see your work in progress? Do you have to like your main character? Does writing take over from real life when you are involved in a project?

The writers had plenty of advice for those wanting to hone their short story writing talents.

"You have to use compression - a novel can be as baggy as you like, but in a short story you can't use irrelevant detail," Georgina stressed.

"Nothing can be wasted, Angela added.

"Just keep writing and don't give up. I have been rejected - I could wallpaper a ballroom with my rejection slips - but you have to believe that you are good."

She warned the audience to write what they love - not what's fashionable - and dismissed the old adage that short stories need a twist at the end as "complete bunkum!"

The applause at the close of the evening attested to how much everyone had enjoyed the workshop.

But will their entries be any better for having attended?

William Webster thinks so. "The talk was really informative," he said. "It's given me lots of ideas of how to go about writing."

Sheila Hayward agreed: "It left me feeling 'oh yes, now I can get on with it'."