National Writing Day events up 83%

The number of events held for this year’s National Writing Day, which took place on 27th June, increased 83% compared to 2017, according to the organisers.

This year the number of events increased dramatically thanks to partnerships with 55 high-profile organisations such as the BBC, the Royal Society of Literature, Arvon Foundation and Author’s Licensing and Collecting Society. Many featured guest writers such as Jed Mercurio, Sabrina Mahfouz and Frances Hardinge and the resulting stories were shared online throughout the day using the hashtag #NationalWritingDay.

There were also more than 53 official education events in 2018, marking an increase in school and university participation of more than 165% on last year, and online activity increased 300% this year, with authors J K Rowling, Neil Gaiman, Jojo Moyes and Ian Rankin sharing posts and encouraging people to take part.

National Writing Day is an annual celebration of writing and was set up by author William Fiennes, who wanted to coordinate all the organisations that encourage people to write. He runs the operation via his charity First Story.

Other highlights this year included a speech at the House of Commons by children’s laureate Lauren Child, who championed creative writing. HRH The Duchess Of Cornwall paid tribute to First Story at the Royal Society of Literature.

The next National Writing Day will take place on Wednesday 26th June 2019.