Drama was what Mia Gallagher promised and drama's what we got. We had to overcome a volcano, soaring airfares, lost luggage, last minute cancellations and a clapped-out car to make the July 2010 workshop with Mia happen, but by God, it happened. We were only four, but as I've said before, good things in small packages. We settled in quickly, enjoying a little World Cup Football fever on our first night. The next morning we kicked off with the job at hand, chiefly adding drama to our writing.

Anyone who has read Mia's novel, Hellfire, will know that this is a writer who thoroughly understands the dynamics of dramatic writing. Mia's six-hundred page tomb is so jam-packed with dramatic climaxes, it's the literary equivalent to Brittany Spears personal life. Her teaching techniques proved to be as gripping as her prose. We took turns re-writing classic fables; practising all manner of voices in order to expose our inner reservoir of characters and devising a myriad of scenes and scenarios in which to stage our cast of players. As ever, during the sessions we took respite on the sun soaked beach and enjoyed the fare at select bodegas dotted around Tarifa's old town. The bbq on the Saturday night was a treat as always with a fine selection of Tarifa's local musicians joining and serenading us for the evening. By the workshop's end, each participant had gained an added appreciation for the mechanics of dramatic writing and was grateful to have such a wonderfully enigmatic spot in which to learn. Mia was too good to let go. Watch this space for the next workshop with Mia and In The Write Light!