Take the train to our next meeting

Just a reminder that the next meeting is due to arrive at platform two at the Room at the Top on Tuesday next, 2nd August.

I hope the 'Train Journey' we have all undertaken had held the carriage of our thoughts in fruitful storylines and we have had no truck with trivia.

Don't be derailed,

See you all on Tuesday.

Barry

Website for writing groups

Paragraph Planet, the website which publishes a 75-word piece of writing daily, is soon to feature aWriting Group and Book Group Directory on the site.

As the website is visited by aspiring writers and published authors, it seems an ideal place to let people know about writing groups in their area.

If you want to find out more about the site, visit http://www.paragraphplanet.com

It now features sequels, author info, exclusive interviews, and an iphone friendly version http://www.paragraphplanet.com/ihome2.htm

Richard Hearn

Paragraph Planet
http://www.paragraphplanet.com
http://www.twitter.com/paragraphplanet - follow the site on twitter

The winners...

Please join me in congratulating the winners of the2011 Spilling Ink Short Story Prize
The winning and shortlisted entries will appear in our annual print anthology due for publication November, 2011. Honorable Mentions will appear in Spilling Ink Review: Issue 6 (pending author agreement).

Thank you to all who participated!

1st Place - £250
Iain Paton
Handling Snakes
• • • • •
2nd Place - £125
Jamie Waller
The Boy Who Died in Vang Vieng
• • • • •
3rd Place - £50
Daniela I. Norris
Gathering Storm
• • • • •
Shortlisted
Nicola Belte – The Bull BoysRaylene Brown – At Last, A Seed in the Hollow WombW.F. Lantry – OriginsHarry McDonald – Dead AuthorsJames Murray – Avy and the FishKate Smith – Damascus RoadPatrick Sung – The Death of the Star GazerSammy Wright -Malcolm
• • • • •
Honorable Mention
Emily Bamford – Up in SmokeBryan Dye – SugarSarah Evans – DuopolyDiana Filar – Things That Are Hard to ForgetGill Hoffs – Firework SandKaren Jones – Colouring InBenjamin Middleton – ActorsMark Sheerin – The Bowie ActJames Smart – TherapyDaan Spijer – Cul de sacMike Wendling – Ethics Exam

• • • • •

STILL TIME TO ENTERCLOSING DATE

AUGUST 1

www.unboundpress.com

500 word max / £425 in PrizesPlus Publication and Free Anthology£5 Entry Fee

10,000 word excerpt£750 in PrizesPlus Publication and Free Anthology£20 entry fee

3,000 word max£875 in PrizesPlus Publication and Free Anthology£5 entry fee

BBC writersroom newsletter

Welcome to the BBC writersroom newsletter.

Rapid Response: #Hackgate--------------Do you have an urgent response to the phone hacking scandal? We are looking for 5-10 minute scripts for film, TV, radio or online; dramatic or comic, that we can publish on our website as the fastest possible response to the rapidly unfolding events surrounding #hackgate.

Find out how to send us your script:http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunity/rapid_response_hackgate.shtml

TV Drama: The Writers’ Festival--------------A big thank you to all who attended this year’s Writers’ Festival. We’ve posted some audio excerpts from The X-Files writer Frank Spotnitz’s session on U.S. style Team Writing, and from Paula Milne’s masterclass on The Night Watch. Stay tuned for more highlights in the coming weeks.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/2011/07/team_writing_us_style_-_frank.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/2011/07/the_night_watch.shtml

Alfred Bradley Bursary Award 2011--------------BBC Radio Drama North are looking for talented writers based in the North of England, with compelling stories to tell. The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award is an opportunity for new writers to win a bursary of £5000, have their work produced on BBC Radio 4 and secure a twelve month mentorship with a Radio Drama Producer.Find out how to enter:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/2011/07/alfred_bradley_bursary_award_2.shtml

Scripts-------Our scripts are in PDF format - if you can't read them, download Adobe Reader from http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/categories/plug/acrobat/acrobat.shtml?intro

The Night Watch by Paula Milne
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/downloads/scripts/the_nightwatch.pdf

Every Child Matters by Chris Reason (Sony Gold award winning Afternoon Play for Radio 4)http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/downloads/scripts/every_child_matters.pdf
Hefted by Bill Grundy (BBC Future Talent Award winner 2011)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/downloads/scripts/hefted.pdf

Don't forget you can browse through all of the scripts in our script archive.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/script_archive.shtml

Submitting your script to BBC writersroom
-----------------------------------------
Want to write for the BBC? Find out what to send us on our script submissions page.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/writing/submissions_writersroom.shtml

Blog
----
Charlotte Riches talks about this year’s Alfred Bradley Bursary Award and BBC Future Talent Award winner, Bill Grundy shares his experiences of TV Drama: The Writers’ Festival 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/writersroom/

Opportunities
-------------
Random - Spoken Word CompetitionDeadline: 27 July 2011S
ee your words made into a short film and broadcast on Channel4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunity/random_spoken_word.shtml

Rapid Response: #HackgateDeadline: 01 August 2011
Send us your 5-10 minute scripts in response to the phone hacking scandal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunity/rapid_response_hackgate.shtml

The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award 2011Deadline: 15 September 2011
Opportunity for northern writers to win a bursary of £5000 and have their work produced on BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunity/alfred_bradley_bursary_2011.shtml

Sixty Second StoriesDeadline: 03 October 2011
Opportunity to produce a sixty second story for a feature film that will premiere at the 2012 Berlinale.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunity/sixty_second_stories_2011.shtml

MEETING REPORT FOR 19th JULY 2011

Apologies: Barry, Dick, Caz, Martin, Ruth
Present: Ray, Carolyn, Cathy, Sally, Sandy, Beryl, Les, Robyn, Liliane, Tony and Dave (chair).

The attendance was just a little lower tonight than expected. Unfortunately Barry is still suffering from hospital treatment in London last week and so we wish him well and hope to see him back with us next time.

Dick was double booked and involved with a ghost evening at Landguard Fort so no doubt he was at our meeting in spirit only. Hope it didn’t rain too much!

Ruth is heavily engaged with promoting and selling her latest novel, ‘The Sacrificial Man’. Tonight she was in Cambridge. An author’s life is a very busy one!

Caz is away for a few days whilst Martin was unable to attend.

Mention was made of an 87 year old writer Stateside who is just being published for the first time. This reminded us of our late member John Crowson who was to be published for the first time in our last anthology. John, 97 years young and our oldest ever member, lived in St Albans and was a regular guest at the Castle Lodge Hotel. He had written short stories and poetry over the years but his family failed to appreciate his talent. Invited along to a Scribblers meeting back in 2007, he jumped at the opportunity to share his work and was thrilled with the opportunity of having some of his work published in our anthology. So sadly John passed away just days before the anthology was released.

Tony had his annual Music and Mayhem night last Saturday when several Scribblers attended. By all accounts – from those who could remember! – a good time was had by all. There is a whisper that Tony’s massive fantasy novel based on our homework assignments might be considered by Ruth’s publisher. Good luck Tony, it really is a work of creative art.

News from Down Under our friend Chris is that he has another Book Creators Circle Book Expo coming up in September, and he says he’s ‘got a lot of 'stuff' to do’. Good luck Chris, hope the hard work pays off. Staying on the Australian side, Belinda and Geoff made it home again – they left England in the rain, stopped off in Hong Kong where it rained continuously then landed in Brisbane where they got another load of the wet stuff. Nice to hear they got back safely though and are waiting for the ‘skies to lay off the juice’. How nice it was to see Belinda at one of our meetings whilst over here on holiday.

Tonight’s meeting was a move away from the ‘norm’ dedicating the evening to hearing extracts from two novels, both of which are works in progress with working titles, followed by a discussion and feedback on each.

Both authors, Beryl and Ray, submitted their work in advance by email which allowed time to read their stories. This was very helpful, allowing members to get a first impression of their work.

Beryl: Entitled ‘A Sense of Justice’:

Beryl read a synopsis of the fictionalised account of the lives of her Russian Jewish grandparents who lived in London’s East End and her parents. The story is in three parts, and here Beryl gave a flavour of the first two, of Roma in the first part and Bascha in the second. Each part covers a different period of time and uniquely both women write in the first person. The complete reading covered a whole host of different situations, giving a real flavour of life within the Jewish community, the area where they lived, the sweatshops where they worked and references to Trade Unions and anarchy!.

Extremely well written with deserved positive feedback. We all learned a great deal from the enjoyable work whilst Beryl was very pleased with the overall comments and suggestions.

Ray: Entitled ‘Heavy Metal Cowboys’.

Again a fictionalised story partially based on real characters. Humorously written, the excellent description of the location, upmarket Acacia Avenue and its residents, revealed Lyn’s concern over the new arrivals at number 22. Had it been sold to a housing association? Was the new family coloured? Issues sensitively covered. The mystery soon began to unravel when the new owner arrived wearing jeans, leather jacket and Iron Maiden T-shirt, followed by his motorcycling daughter and friends. Lyn’s own ally, Shelley, is attracted to the new resident, her feelings seemingly reciprocated.

Excellent humour, believable characters and a flowing storyline. Again there was positive feedback from the floor including suggestions over chapter lengths. Like Beryl, Ray was pleased with the comments he received.

Ray has since sent in the following:

“I thoroughly enjoyed last night and all the comments about my piece. As you will appreciate this was a little out of my comfort zone and wondered if the story would work. Once home again I looked at the points raised and I've gone back to the point where I first asked if you wanted me to stop. New chapter starts there. So that's a positive then. So thank you all not only for the critique but for the encouragement. Ray.”

So ended a really good evening’s entertainment and discussion provided by two of our very talented Scribblers.

Cathy commented how good the evening had been and that every writer, given this opportunity would benefit and whilst everyone agreed that this sort of meeting should become a vital organ in our ever developing body of writers. In depth feedback such as this could never be given on the normal 1,000 word homework assignments, for a start there would be time issues, though Robyn suggested that everyone could provide their homework online three days before every meeting to enable their work to be read in advance.

In response most members are hobby writers and some are only able to create ‘last minute’ homework. Some are not computerised in fact they are not stereotyped so placing an additional onus on them to provide advance work could ultimately have an adverse affect on membership.

Feedback has always been an issue. Everyone likes receiving constructive feedback, but, such is the way in this beautiful county of ours, giving feedback in a limited time is difficult. We are too nice!!! In the last ten years or so (when Dave was secretary), many solutions were sought to provide this requested feedback. Suggestions included that copies of the work were made available to be taken home, digested, and comments fed back to the writer failed to work.

There were calls for work to be posted on line for feedback in a members only website – but the first, in August 2005, ‘Online Jotters’ failed, was replaced by Online Scribblers which again failed to attract input and also closed down. Next the more recent ‘Keep On Scribbling’ secure weblog had a promising start but there was a reluctance to provide feedback - the object of the site. Sadly this has been consigned to history.

Tonight’s feedback meeting worked well, it was a success just like the first one staged earlier this year. Perhaps this is a way forward but we must remember that our objective is to provide a varied programme of meetings to assist creativity for all writers. The programme is always open to fine tuning and suggestions on likes or dislikes are welcomed.

Our next meeting will be on 2nd August when the homework assignment for up to 1,000 words will be ‘Train Journey’

Until next time,

Keep Scribbling!

For all your research and information
visit your local Felixstowe Library
and the Suffolk Record Office .

Finally the bomb under the sea off Clacton's shore...

...was detonated today. Everyone safe.

That's two bombs in recent times - there's got to be a third.

Take care if swimming in the sea - mind you it might be worth checking your fishponds as well....

Thynks Publications latest poetry competitions

I am just circulating the information page regarding our current and forthcoming poetry competitions in case anyone of your writers would like to enter their work for any of them: - http://www.thynkspublications.co.uk/competitions
Good wishes
Chris

http://www.thynkspublications.co.uk

What's in the sea?

Latest news on the WWII mine off the Essex coast which the Royal Navy had been tracking and had its planned detonation delayed by bad weather, should go ahead today.

The mine, dredged up some distance off the Clacton shoreline, is a reminder of the unexploded bomb that 'went missing' off Felixstowe back in April 2008. It was eventually found and detonated, an exercise that caused the evacuation of an area of the town.

The planned detonation of Clacton's mine should pose no threat to the Essex town's residents.

Our next gathering..

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 19th July 2011 in The Room at the Top, start time 7.30pm. This is another evening when one of our new features is brought to life.

Although there is no homework assignment for most of us, two of our members, Beryl and Ray, will take centre stage to read extracts from their novels after which the floor will be thrown open to discussion and constructive comment.

This will be the second staging of such an evening, the first being an undoubted success.

Come along and hear the words of our talented writers - maybe they will give you inspiration for your own literary work.

Support Jack's Memorial Walk in aid of Cancer Research UK

From the 'Letters' column of the Evening Star published Friday 15 July...

Simply click on the image to enlarge.

Jack was a very talented young man who was an active member of the Felixstowe Scribblers for nearly four years of his young life. Not only was he talented as a writer but he was a character in his own right, a friend of the young and not so young members alike. Although membership moves on, Jack is fondly remembered by many who still attend the meetings.

Please, if you can, support the walk, the proceeds of sponsorship will, as you see from Richard's letter above, go to a fine cause, Cancer Research UK.

Assalam-o-Alekum dear friends!

We're really excited to be sharing some footage from our first, of hopefully many, PenTales salon nights in Pakistan. Our friend Jeanny Gering invited young, creative Pakastanis to a local cafe in Lahore to swap tales and songs on Love and Heartbreak.
Of that experience, she writes:

"Public life is restricted in Lahore but there are at least two sure realities about the place. One is a fine layer of fear covering everyone’s minds like smog and dust coat the city`s air. Random bomb blasts are part of everyday life, creating a constant atmosphere of anxiety. Beyond that, social segregation between the sexes deters half the population from moving about freely. The other reality is that, like all places, there are stories everywhere, though the stories here stay mostly behind closed doors.

It is in this setting that I launched PenTales Lahore this past June. I invited a handful of creative Pakistanis to Cafe Bol to share their stories, poems and songs on the PenTales theme “Love and Heartbreak”. A gathering of this kind is an exception to Lahore’s typically bleak social calendar. I was excited at the prospect of hearing the personal, human stories that are all too often neglected when we hear about a place of conflict like Pakistan..." READ ON.

Check out our youtube channel to take a trip around the world with PenTales... even, if you're stuck at the office. Oh, and if you've got your own Love and Heartbreak story to share, email it to writepentales@gmail.com (text/image/video) and we'll make sure to include it in our growing encyclopedia of stories.

Created in New York City by two childhood friends who've always loved to swap tales, PenTales empowers people to share stories (in photography, illustration, writing, audio, and video) on the topics that unite us all. We aim to create nothing short of a Global Encyclopedia of Stories – a true catalogue of the human experience, one perspective at a time.

©2011 PenTales New York NY

AESTHETICA CREATIVE WORKS COMPETITION

Many thanks for your help in passing on the word about the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition to your members at Felixstowe Scribblers. There are now just less than 2 months left for your writers to enter the competition and I was hoping that you might be able to remind them of the opportunity.

It's a fantastic opportunity for both established and aspiring writers to showcase their work to a wider, international audience and it would be brilliant to see more writers from across the UK well-represented in the competition.

I've included further details below so please do pass these on to your contacts and members and feel free to join us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aestheticamag.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: AESTHETICA CREATIVE WORKS COMPETITION

The 2011 Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is now open for entries! Aesthetica Magazine is inviting all artists, photographers, writers and poets to submit their work into the Creative Works Competition, Now in its fourth year; the competition is dedicated to celebrating and championing creative talent across the disciplines and welcomes entries from writers working in poetry and short fiction!

The Competition has three categories, Artwork & Photography, Poetry and Fiction.
Winners and finalists are published in the Aesthetica Creative Works Annual.
Winners of each category receive £500 prize money plus other prizes.
Entry to the Creative Works Competition is £10.
The entry fee allows the submission of 2 images, 2 poems or 2 short stories.
The deadline for submissions is the 31st August 2011.
More guidelines on how to submit can be found online at http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/submission_guide.htm

Many thanks for your time and I do hope that your members will be interested in the opportunity.

Kindest regards

Bryony

Bryony Byrne
Marketing Officer
Aesthetica Magazine
PO Box 371York
YO23 1WL
01904 479168
bryony@aestheticamagazine.com
www.aestheticamagazine.com

Connect with Aesthetica on Facebook MySpace Twitter

Keep up to date with arts and culture news on the Aesthetica blog at aestheticamagazine.blogspot.com

Unbound Press Flash Fiction Award

http://www.unboundpress.com/

Special Guest Judge: Laura Marney

Closing Date: August 1, 2011

Winning and shortlisted entries notified no later than August 31, 2011

500 Word Max / All Genres Welcome

Further Details

£425 in Prizes / Publication / Free Anthology

1st Prize - £250, publication, free print anthology

2nd Prize - £125, publication, free print anthology

3rd Prize - £50, publication, free print anthology

Shortlisted - Publication, free print anthology

£5 Entry FeePayable by PayPal or Post(See website for details regarding cheque payments)

For More Information and Details About How to Enter Visit:

Unbound Press Flash Fiction Awardhttp://trk.cp20.com/Tracking/t.c?M45e-JRNG-eyWhe3

Any Suggestions?

Here's a big question for everyone...

WritingRaw.com has basically gone MIA.

The reason: I'm at a crossroads & wondering if all the time and energy spent is worth it. I believe that we have had a good run but submissions are down, hits and growth have been stagnant for about a year, and time restraints on my part have been interfering.

Should the site die a slow painful death after 3 years? Should it be restructured once more (and, if so, suggestions - ideas)...

Any thoughts and ideas would be greatly appreciated.... I am reaching out here. I believe that the site has a place and is doing a great job in presenting wonderful material that would otherwise never be seen, but if there is no growth - are we just making a tiny little ripple in an ocean of obscurity... if something is published and no one is reading it, does it really matter... I need help, suggestions, guidance... and need to hear the truth.

Feel free to contact me directly at weeb@writingraw.com with anything you have to say.

Weeb
WritingRaw.com

Message from our number one - Ruth

When my novel The Woman Before Me was published last year I asked you to help me `beat Goliath`.... I think we managed it, so a big thank you! The Woman Before Me is now ranked in the top 1000 Amazon books, rights have sold internationally and it is a finalist for the People’s Book Prize.

This proves that good old-fashioned word of mouth can beat the big guns.

Last Saturday my new novel The Sacrificial Man was launched. Would you help me spread the word again please, by forwarding this e-mail to 6 friends & asking them to forward it to 6 of their friends.

** As Featured on Radio 4 Woman’s Hour**

“Utterly chilling and enthralling from the first line to the last” Karen Maitland

“An unflinching journey, chilling and insightful, into the darker reaches of the human mind” Michelle Spring


For a limited time THE SACRIFICIAL MAN is just £4 on Amazon.com. Here’s the URL:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sacrificial-Man-Ruth-Dugdall/dp/1908248009/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1309200065&sr=8-3

Thank you for your support!

Ruth

find out more at http://ruthdugdall.com/

Red Rose Chain Theatre Company looking for help...

We are a Suffolk based theatre company called Red Rose Chain. Every year we perform an outdoor production of one of Shakespeare's most loved plays; this is our twelfth year and understandably we have chosen to do Twelfth Night! Previous productions have included A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, A Winter's Tale and many more! We perform the show in Rendlesham Forest centre, attracting large crowds of up to 12,000 over a month-long run.

This year to spice things up a little we are trying to find someone who would be prepared to write a blog for us, and having found Felixstowe Scribblers online we were wondering if anyone in the group might be interested. We will happily provide 2 complimentary tickets to our press night of the show on Friday 29th July, and the whole thing should be a really great, fun experience. We have a fantastic cast this year and the show is suitable for all ages, if you want to check us out please have a look at www.theatreintheforest.com
This year the show runs from July 27th until August 28th, so if anyone is at all interested please get in touch with scribblers@btinternet.com!
Red Rose Chain Theatre Company.

Meeting report for 5th July 2011

On a warm and very humid night we had, very aptly, as it happens, 12
individuals attend a meeting with the subject being, 'The Jury'.

Those attending included;

LILIANE CAROLYN, BERYL, TONY, MARTIN, CATHY, SANDY, SALLY, RAY, BARRY,
DAVE and a first time visitor, ROBYN.

Stories were varied and every one had the potential, having, as a rule
twelve ready made characters, of being developed into some excellent
longer pieces. These were entitled as follows;

Liliane, My doom to love you

Carolyn, Diary of a trial

Beryl, 36 times

Tony, Very 'umble beginnings

Martin, Witness

Cathy, A motley crew

Sandy, Justice at any price

Sally, Don't judge a book by its cover

Ray, Jury Rig

Barry, Thumbs up

Dave, Justice

Robyn, Read a part of Chapter One of her book Angel Cat.

Robyn also had a general chat with regard to our members being
interested in contributing towards time slots on Felixstowe Radio,
either with short readings or chats concerning the art of writing and
how we all tackle the subject.

Apologies came from Dick and Stephen who were embroiled in training
sessions at Languard fort, Caz, Trish and a final one from Les.

The next meeting will be on the 19th of July. There will be NO
homework subject for this meeting as Ray and Beryl will each be using half the meeting for a reading followed by a critique of longer pieces they are working on.

I will endeavour to get the pieces from these two in advance and
forward them to you all. You will know if you will be attending the
meeting so will have an opportunity to read and study the work, and be
ready with comments that have been duly considered.

Thanks to all who attended.

Barry.

Pen Tales youtube channel

Hey there!
We hope you've been having a great summer (or winter, depending on where you are!). We've been trying to stay cool by staying busy: in June we had two events in NYC, USA, one in Berlin, Germany and another in Lahore, Pakistan. We'll be sending out more regular newsletters, so stay tuned for tales from these cities.

Haven't had the chance to travel recently?

Check out our youtube channel to take a trip around the world with PenTales... even, if you're stuck at the office. The videos are a collection of all the great travel stories that were shared at our most recent NYC event. The night, which was themed Travel + Migration, took us to Moscow, Nigeria, Paris, Mexico and other far off places.

Oh, and if you've got your own travel adventure to share, email it to writepentales@gmail.com (text/image/video) and we'll make sure to include it in our growing encyclopedia of stories.

Created in New York City by two childhood friends who've always loved to swap tales, PenTales empowers people to share stories (in photography, illustration, writing, audio, and video) on the topics that unite us all. We aim to create nothing short of a Global Encyclopedia of Stories – a true catalogue of the human experience, one perspective at a time.

The Sacrificial Man, a review.

As you can see Ray has read and reviewed Ruth's new book 'The Sacrificial Man' . To read his review simply go to http://brokentrails.blogspot.com

As for next weeks homework, all I can say is that 'The Jury' is out on your stories. Hopefully the verdict arising from the trial on Tuesday night will be favourable.
Keep up the good work.
Barry