Schedule

SWF is all about delivering the knowhow you need to write and sell your book. How? By bringing experts from around the world to Stockholm to teach about the craft and business of writing. We also create space for what’s most important to writers: Community. As “the friendliest gathering of writers in the world,” we carve out time for you to connect with your scribe tribe.

Use this schedule to sign up for Friday Intensives and to choose your Saturday and Sunday breakouts. Need to hone your marketing skills? Agent One-on-Ones are ten-minute meetings where you can do just that with one of our literary agents.

Ticketing opens March 25. We sold out 2 months in advance last year. Buy early!

Day 1: Friday, August 29

Intensives

1:00-1:50: Registration, Lobby

For those registered for an Intensive session, we welcome you at this time to Historiska Museet. All other Main Festival Pass holders will register from 4:00 to 4:45.

2:00-4:00: Intensives begin

Intensive #1: Getting started or finishing that novel with Mike Gayle

Mike Gayle has published 19 novels since he sold his first, My Legendary Girlfriend, in 1998. That’s a novel every-other-year. So, if you want to know about starting or finishing a work-in-progress, this may be the intensive for you! In this interactive session, discover how to generate and develop ideas like a professional writer. Start from the beginning: Learn how to create log lines that capture the essence of your story and build from there. Understand the steps for constructing a solid narrative structure and avoid the common pitfalls that derail too many stories. This workshop is for writers struggling to transform ideas into a novel or for complete beginners looking to start a project from scratch. (Limit 25 writers)

Intensive #2: How to get published with the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook

Are you a writer who wants to understand more about the publishing process from the people who know it best, like authors and publishing industry professionals? During this session, Writers’ & Artists’ (W&A) Yearbook team members, Amelia Brown and Clare Povey, will explore the routes to publication for writers of fiction, non-fiction and children’s fiction, and the resources available to them at every step of the journey. Amelia and Clare will demystify the publishing process and give attendees a clear overview of how publishing works – from the point of views of both publisher and author and share the benefits of becoming a Writers’ & Artists’ Community member. There will also be time for Q&A at the end, so writers can ask any burning questions they might have. 

Main Festival

4:00 to 4:45: Registration for the Main Festival

5:00 to 6:30: Official Kick off, Baroque Hall

We gather in the gorgeous Baroque Hall for the awarding of the First 5 Pages Prize. Build your community and prepare for a few surprises!

Day 2: Saturday, August 30

8:00 to 9:00: *Fika and registration

9.00 to 10:00 Panel, “So many paths to published” Baroque Hall

Indie. Trad. Self-published. Children’s. Lad-lit. Memoir. Writers across genres share their singular “paths to published.” With Amelia Brown, Miriam Mulcahy, Mike Gayle, Clare Povey and Lisa Ferland.

10:10 to 11:30: Breakout Session 1 (Select one breakout during ticket purchase)

BREAKOUT 1A: Seamlessly weaving in backstory without stalling your main story with Tiffany Yates Martin

Believable characters and the world they live in don’t just spring to life fully formed at the beginning of your story. Ideally, if you’ve truly developed them, they are “real,” three-dimensional people with complex backstories and experiences living in vividly relatable worlds that have shaped who they are at your story’s “point A,” and inform the journey they take in your manuscript. Yet how can you fluidly weave all that depth and complexity into your story without stalling pace and story momentum by getting bogged down in info dumps, flashbacks, or just too much exposition? Tiffany shows you how.

BREAKOUT 1B: Using blackout poetry to transform your writing with Mirjam Frosth

Blackout poetry entails taking a text from a book, newspaper, or magazine and choosing your own words to create your very own poetry. In this session, we’ll experiment with it hands-on to transform existing text into something new. Starting with old books and magazines, each participant will choose a page and use markers to select words or phrases, slowly uncovering a poem that builds new meaning from the source material. Don’t worry about source material. Mirjam will have it on hand for the session.

BREAKOUT 1C: Landing an agent with Amelia Brown and Clare Povey

In this practical session, learn how to put your best foot forward during the submission process to literary agents.The Writers’ and Artists’ team of Amelia Brown and Clare Povey will look at everything it entails: knowing when your manuscript is ready, how to prepare your covering letter, synopsis and opening chapters, and how to research the right agent for your book. They will touch on the role of a literary agent; what they do, how they work with publishers, and shine further insight into the author-agent relationship. (For an in-depth look at the publishing industry, also book Intensive #2 How to get published with the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.)

11:30 to 1:00: Lunch

Take this opportunity to meet with your fellow writers in the beautiful environment of the museum. Or sneak away to write in one of our dedicated rooms.

1:00 to 1:30: Author book signing

Buy a book and get it signed. Mingle in the glorious Baroque Hall with your community!

1:30 to 2:15: Interview, “How I landed my agent with Sophie Austin,” Baroque Hall

We are particularly thrilled to welcome Sophie to our SWF25 faculty. It was at SWF19 she found her agent during a one-on-one session. Since then, she has signed a two-book deal with HarperFiction and her debut novel, The Lamplighter’s Bookshop, is on sale at SWF25. In this interview with Paul Rapacioli, she’ll pull back the veil on what it’s like to grind through the submission process and share the twists and turns on her own path to published. Spoiler alert: the manuscript she pitched to obtain the agent wasn’t the one that ultimately landed her in print.

2:30 to 3:45: Breakout Session 2 (Select one breakout during ticket purchase)

BREAKOUT 2A: Building and engaging your community - crafting newsletters that get opened with Lisa Ferland

Unlike social media, where algorithm changes can affect visibility, newsletters reach subscribers' inboxes directly, ensuring that content is seen by those who are most interested. In this session, authors will learn how to authentically build and engage with their community by leveraging newsletters and consistent reader engagement. Lisa will highlight key strategies, using real-life examples, for crafting compelling newsletters, driving reader interaction, and the tools they can use to foster long-term relationships with their audience.

BREAKOUT 2B: Setting as character with Sophie Austin

Plot. Character. Setting. All are important when crafting an engaging story. But how can you make these elements work overtime? By super charging the setting. In this session, we’re going to look at how you can turn your setting into characters in and of themselves and explore how they can work with your characterization, your conflict and your plot to elevate your story. Making it “unputdownable” to readers.

BREAKOUT 2C: Shoring up the saggy middle with Tiffany Yates Martin

Is there anything more thrilling for the creative soul than starting a shiny new story? That sexy little minx seduces you effortlessly, promising you a dazzling future, and in the heady flush of new love it feels as if this perfect communion between you will never end. And then comes the middle of the book. When a manuscript loses its momentum, there can be several culprits including lost cohesion, lack of character arc and other issues. But when things get tough, that doesn’t mean the story isn’t worth fighting for. Figuring out the problem and propping up the sag can often add even more depth and dimension. Let Tiffany Yates Martin show you how to diagnose what’s stalling out your story–and give you practical, actionable tools to get it back on the road!

2:20 to 2:45: Break Grab a fika. Make a(nother) friend. Buy a book. Be happy.

3:00 to 4:30: Master class, “Live editing with Tiffany Yates Martin”

Using anonymous works-in-progress, Tiffany shows how she reworks texts so everyone can learn the transformative power of effective edits. (We’ll come back with how you can submit as we get closer to the Festival.)

Day 3: Sunday, August 31

8:30 to 8:55 Mingle and fika

9:00 to 10:20: Buttonhole the Expert, Baroque Hall

This is one of the (many) highlights of SWF. In the Baroque Hall, our beautiful main plenary room, we have all participants find a seat. They are joined by a random faculty member who takes 20 minutes to field questions about their area of expertise. When the (world famous) SWF cowbell rings, faculty rise and switch tables. We repeat the cycles of “speed dating,” for a total of four rounds. Buttonhole is a way of giving everyone the chance of engaging in small group conversations with our friendly faculty.

10:30 to 11: 45: Breakout Session 3 (Select one breakout during ticket purchase)

BREAKOUT 3A: Literary strip tease – secrets, twists and reveals with Tiffany Yates Martin

Pulling off a successful reveal is a tricky tightrope act between giving readers enough information to feel invested and holding back enough to keep them hooked. It's the striptease of literature: show too much and you lose all the excitement and buildup. Too little and nobody cares. Balancing these considerations often relies on three key elements: knowing what and how much to keep as a reveal, when to reveal it, and how to unspool the hidden information for maximum suspense and impact.

BREAKOUT 3B: Getting “unstuck”: How to activate your editor brain with Sophie Austin

Writer's Block is often used as a catch-all term to mean "anything that stops us from writing". But we believe there's something very specific that causes writers block – and there's a way to fix it. It starts from understanding that writers aren't just writers. We're editors, too. And when both these "sides" of our brain compete, we get stuck. In this interactive session, learn how to balance both sides by analyzing stories and learning how authors engage with their audiences. A fun, lively presentation that teaches one of the most valuable skills an author can master.

BREAKOUT 3C: From personal to universal: Creating memoir and narrative non-fiction with Miriam Mulcahy

Memoir writing and narrative non-fiction can be deeply rewarding, mining the truth to weave narratives with universal impact. It also holds its own unique challenges. Author Miriam Mulcahy uses her best-selling memoir, “This is My Sea,” as a teaching tool for writers looking to create their own memoir or non-fiction narrative. In this session, she’ll explore how to test if your subject can “hold” a full-length manuscript. And how to shape your story, translating it into a manuscript that connects to readers.

12:00 to 1:00: Lunch

Take this opportunity to meet with your fellow writers in the beautiful environment of the museum. Or sneak away to write in one of our dedicated rooms.

1:00 to 1:30: Author book signing

Buy a book and get it signed. Mingle in the glorious Baroque Hall with your community!

1:45 to 2:30: Breakout Session 4 (Select one breakout during ticket purchase)

BREAKOUT 4A: Crowdfund your book with Lisa Ferland

A comprehensive session designed for authors who want to understand how to use crowdfunding as a tool not just for funding their book but for building a committed audience. This workshop will focus on actionable strategies to develop a compelling campaign, attract backers, and leverage your campaign to launch your book successfully. Turning your backers into long-term supporters and readers. Includes practical worksheets and relevant examples.

BREAKOUT 4B: Creating historical fiction that resonates with modern audiences with Sophie Austin

Historical fiction brings together compelling narratives with actual fact. The challenge when writing it is creating an authentic authorial voice that works regardless of the time period. One that draws on research without getting bogged down by it.

BREAKOUT 4C: Housebuilding: Getting your foundations right so your book will stand tall with Miriam Mulcahy

There are so many moving parts to a book and sometimes one thing – character, plot, dialogue is not quite right and it creates a crack that becomes a rip that tears the boundaries between rooms and before you know it your floors are slanting, your windows are on the ceiling and there are doors in walls that open onto nothing. Join Miriam Mulcahy as she draws on the inspiration contained within Annie Dillard’s, “The Writing Life.” The session addresses when to make the decision to deconstruct a narrative. And shows how to begin the heartbreaking task of tearing the house down and beginning again. 

3:00 to 4:45: Literary Idol (With a 15-minute break), Baroque Hall

With agents John Baker, Abi Fellows and Jemima Forrester: At SWF18—our very first year—we debuted this event. Now it’s a regular feature. What is it? A fun (yet respectful) gameshow-style happening. Participants can submit the first page of their anonymous work which is then read to our expert panel of agents and editors. Judges indicate when they would stop reading and give constructive critique. Whether you submit your own writing or not, you will learn by witnessing live what agents respond to, and, importantly, what makes them stop reading.

4:45 to 5:00: Reveal of the SWF24 Microfiction contest winner

5:00 to 5:30: Mingle and goodbyes!

Agent One-on-Ones

In these sessions, participants get ten minutes with the agent of their choice to pitch their work and receive feedback. These are booked according to demand throughout the Festival. You’ll be notified of your time before SWF kicks off on August 29.

PS: A note on writing (what else?)

Every year since our first in 2018, we’ve had ticket buyers ask for a time during the Festival to write. Our answer is always: “Absolutely. Write during lunch!” But apparently, that’s not enough. So, this year we’re creating a space for those looking to focus on wordsmithing during the festival. We’ll provide a peaceful environment where you can work on your own projects, use our writing prompts, or craft something for our flash fiction contest. We’ll announce these spaces in the schedule over the course of SWF25.

Every effort will be made to adhere to this schedule. However, all program elements and times are subject to change.

*Fika means “coffee break,” in Swedish.