Our Next Meeting - The Bill Budner Trophy

Our next meeting is almost upon us. It is this Tuesday, 1st May, when we hold our in-house competition for The Bill Budner Trophy in honour of our former member who died suddenly in 2006. and ever since then we have held this prestigious competition. The rules are simple, all entries must be no more than 1,000 words in length but can be on any subject. Each entry must be typed on one side of the paper only but must not contain your name or any identifying marks.

The meeting will start at 7.30 when the door will be locked so please try and arrive in good time.

A couple of questions: Is there any interest in updating the Facebook page otherwise it will soon be finalised and removed.

Has there been any further information and interest in providing poetry for the Dementia Week?

Tony's book launch will take place in the Library on Saturday 19th May - full details will be at Scribblers on Tuesday.

Until Tuesday:-

Keep Scribbling!!!

Scribblers Facebook presence.

Our good friend Barry who set up and organised our Facebook page for a considerable period of time, has decided to come off Facebook. We are therefore looking for a volunteer to take control of the page. 

If any Scribblers are interested in taking over and updating it as necessary, then please let me know either by email or at the next Scribblers meeting. Otherwise the Facebook page will be closed. Your comments are welcome. 

Our thanks go to Barry for his continued support of our writing community. 

Dave. 

Meeting report...

Minutes of Scribblers meeting held on 17 April 2018

Present: Liliane, Dave, Bridget, Cathy, Beryl, Di C, Tony, Anne, Kay, Mairead, Steve, Liz, Hazel

Apologies: Jim, Derek

Business:

Tony’s book launch to be held at Felixstowe Library on Saturday 19 May at 7pm – sure we’re all looking forward to celebrating this with him!

Dementia friendly week in Felixstowe 21 May – 26 May: further to recent contact from Helen Greengrass of SCC re Scribblers providing some poetry to share during this week, Cathy to let her know that we are interested, but need clarification of any deadlines, what exactly is happening, etc.

Ruth Dugdall’s new book, ‘The things you didn’t see’ is out now. Until 27 April there is the chance to win a copy – just check the details out on Ruth’s Facebook page.

Readings of homework

With so many of us present, and all of us with something to read, the evening promised to be interesting, and it certainly was.

Some members had written new ‘tales of the past’, while others had brought along earlier appropriate stories, or stories relating to previous homework topics.

Liliane – Telling the children

Di – untitled

Dave – It came from the heavens

Hazel – Tamina

Anne – The out of date shopping list

Kay – The shop

Beryl – An evening in the life of Mau the divine

Liz – Best laid plans

Cathy – Musings of a Romano-British maid

Tony – It’s about time

Mairead – Tales from the past/Best laid plans

Steve – The war

Bridget – Dearest Papa

Next meeting: This will be on 1 May, and is the Bill Budner trophy competition. Usual rules apply – up to 1000 words on topic of the writer’s choice. Work to be printed out (anonymised – no names etc on it), and placed face down on the table at start of the meeting. Two readers, hopefully Beryl and Dick, will read out all work for listeners to judge. The winner will be presented with the Bill Budner trophy, which our last winner must remember to bring with them!

Another good night at Scribblers...

A very healthy attendance tonight brought a whole mixture of work on the homework theme of "Tales from the past." The work provided tales from a monkey's point of view and from a cat's viewpoint, a wartime tale from Germany coupled with a whole host of different stories that whetted our appetites.

The meeting managed to finish just on time although it was a bit of a rush in the end. 

The door bell was tested again and it works despite being quite faint in The Room at the Top. Just make sure should you need to use it, that you press the button firmly in the centre. The door will always be locked at 7.30pm.

Tony's book will be launched on Saturday 19th May at 7.00pm in the Library so hopefully he will get the support he richly deserves.

Talking of new books, Ruth's "The Things you Didn't See" will be available from Amazon this coming week. Another one not to miss!

Our next meeting is on May 1st when we hold The Bill Budner Trophy meeting. This is for attending members only - a maximum of 1,000 words on any subject. The entries must be typed but show no indication of the author's name.

Until next time...

Keep Scribbling!!!

Our next meeting

Our next meeting is rapidly approaching and will take place on Tuesday 17th April when the homework assignment is to write up to 1,000 words on "Tales from the past." As always the choice or period and whether your story is fact or fiction is entirely up to you. Of course if the theme doesn't appeal to you then please bring along a piece of your work on any subject but remembering not to exceed the maximum word count.

I must remind you that the door will be locked at 7.35 pm so if you are running late you will have to knock on the door and perhaps shout until the bell is fixed.

Here is an interesting email received from Felixstowe Forward: I know we are not a poetry group but perhaps you would like to consider providing a poem for the National Dementia Action Week? We can discuss it at our meeting on Tuesday.

Dear Catherine and Dave,

May 21-27 is National Dementia Action Week and the Felixstowe dementia Action Alliance will be working in the town to raise awareness of dementia. 

The week is focused around memory and poems … there will be a display in the coop Window, shops and dementia friendly businesses we hope will be wearing blue and helping decorate their windows in blue and feature poetry,.

I wondered if there was any way that Scribblers might also be involved ie perhaps your May meeting focus on writing poems around memory / poetry readings?

Please do let me know so that we can include you. 

(Its not about raising money but more about raising awareness).

Kind regards,

Helen Greengrass                                                                                              

Felixstowe Forward Change Director

Felixstowe Forward

Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils

Here's another message, this one from the Ipswich Writers' Cafe.

Ahoy,

Next meet-up for the Writers' Cafe will be slightly later in the month:

* on Monday 23rd April

* starting 7:30pm

* upstairs at the Thomas Wolsey pub at 9-13 St Peters St, postcode IP1 1XF

Bring along that 500 word story or 40 line poem or whatever else you can cram into your 5 minute slot. And in the meantime, here's a handy list of places crying our for your writing talent:

http://www.literarylightbox.com/writing-apr2018/  

Bye for now,

Ed

@ipswriterscafe

Until Tuesday,

Keep Scribbling!!!

A good news message from our old friend Ray.

           A new book of short western stories will be coming out (hopefully) this month. 'The Shot Rang Out' by Scott Harris with 51 friends - and I am one of them.

           This book is intended to be the first of four issues that will be published on a quarterly basis. The proceeds of sale will be used to set up a trust to help aspiring young writers. I am quite overwhelmed to be asked to be a part of this venture. 

Ray

Date error...

Spotted by Scribbler Liz... our next meeting will be on 17 April and not as shown in the last meeting minutes (which have now been amended). Well done and thank you Liz.

Kate Worsley Creative Writing Course.

Dear all, 

Please forgive the global email approach, but if you know of family or friends who may be interested in my first beginners course, do forward or Facebook. I’d be most grateful. 

With very best wishes 

Kate 

@khworsley 

http://www.davidhigham.co.uk/authors-dh/kate-worsley/ 

‘Kate Worsley does just what a great historical novelist should do: she inhabits her characters without strain, without fuss, but with obvious assurance, making them and their period feel utterly close and convincing. I can’t wait to see more of her fiction.’ 

Sarah Waters, author of Booker-shortlisted Fingersmith and The Little Stranger. 

ONE FREE PLACE ON NEW BEGINNERS CREATIVE WRITING COURSE IN MANNINGTREE THIS SUMMER 

Always fancied writing but don't know where to start? Are you a secret writer but haven't dared show anyone your work? Prize-winning local novelist Kate Worsley is running a new beginners creative writing course at The Red Lion in Manningtree. She will help you explore what makes fiction work and how you can turn your ideas into reality.  

The course has been arranged by The Writers’ Company. Run by professional authors, the Wivenhoe-based organisation specialises in creative writing courses, events and manuscript services. All courses are taught by professional writers with years of teaching experience.  

‘Everyone is welcome,’ says Kate. 'I remember vividly how nervous I was, the evening I started my beginners writing course at Birkbeck. But now I realise, and I reckon most writers would agree, you feel like a beginner every time you sit down to face that blank page, however long you have been writing.’ 

And one free place has been reserved for someone who needs it.  

‘We are very aware just how hard it can be to get yourself onto a course like this,’ adds Kate. 'It’s not just the fee, but arranging and paying for transport and managing caring responsibilities. Let alone finding the confidence, the time and the energy!' 

The Red Lion is Manningtree’s oldest pub dating back to 1605. The Writers Company classes take place in the Pump Room, a quiet and private ground floor room with a small step to outside which is also the venue for a monthly poetry evening. There is plenty of street parking nearby and it’s a 15-minute walk from Manningtree station. 

THE COURSE 

The 10-week course takes place 7 to 9pm from 25 April to 4 July 2018 (with a break for half term on 30 May) at The Red Lion, 42 South Street, Manningtree CO11 1BG. For more details  www.thewriterscompany.co.uk/courses. Any questions, please email   contact@thewriterscompany.co.uk and we will call you back.  

KATE WORSLEY 

Kate Worsley's 18th-century Essex seafaring novel SHE RISES (Bloomsbury, 2013), won the New Angles Prize for Literature and the HWA Debut Crown, and was shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award in the US. 

​ 

She is an alumnus of the Writers Centre Norwich Escalator literature development scheme, and was awarded an Arts Council Grant for the Arts to work on her second novel, set in 1930s rural East Anglia. 

​ 

She was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Essex University from 2014-2017, and has been a visiting lecturer in creative writing at City University London since 2015. She also works as a freelance mentor and consultant. 

​ 

Kate Worsley is a course leader, manuscript assessor and mentor for The Writers' Company. She will also be running a Historical Fiction Day in Wivenhoe in September. 

Meeting Report

Minutes of Scribblers meeting held on 3 April 2018

Present: Liliane, Dave, Bridget, Cathy, Beryl, Di C, Tony, Anne, Kay, Derek, Hazel.

Apologies: Mairead and Jim.

Business:

Security – after the concerns at our last meeting when we thought an unauthorised person might have gained access to the library building during our meeting, Dave locked the outside door at 7.35 – this will be the policy from now on. Unfortunately the door bell doesn’t work, so latecomers may have to bang on the door to gain attention.

Excellent turn out for the evening, and we were pleased to welcome new member Hazel to the group.

Tony is seeing his publisher again this week – looks as if his book launch will not be too long in coming – all looking forward to it.

Ex-Scribbler Angela is running her creative writing course in Italy again this summer – Dave has already circulated details.

Readings of homework

The topic was ‘The best laid plans’

Dave – The best laid plans

Anne – The hairdresser

Steve – It’s just German culture

Beryl – Coalville

Di – a story from her published book

Kay – The celebration

Derek – Marford House

Liliane – Planning something different

Hazel – Gay Paris

Tony – Three days

Cathy – A good man

The tales were amazingly diverse; of a motorbike accident, a disastrous dye result at a hairdresser’s, and the mishaps of Celeste in Paris to mention but a few. Highly enjoyable.

Next meeting: This will be on 17 April, when the homework is to write up to 1000 words on ‘Tales from the past.'

Tonight's meeting...

Another good attendance this evening and, as you will guess, there was a plethora of some really excellent stories that amused and excited everyone.

That we had a new member arrive and quickly settle in added to the enjoyment of the evening.

Tony is expecting his book launch to be in May so watch this space.

 On the subject of books, don't forget that Ruth's new novel is due out at the end of this month. 

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday 17 April when the theme of the evening will be 'Tales from the past.' It is a personal choice to decide on the period of you wish to write about. It can be creative fiction or fact. The choice is yours. As always, if this doesn't suit you then please feel free to bring along another piece of work, always remembering the maximum limit of 1,000 words.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm. Please be prompt as the door will be locked at that time. Currently the bell doesn't seem to be working but will be reported to the Library again.  

Until next time...

Keep Scribbling!!!

A Writers' Retreat...

We received this from one of our former members, Angela Petch, who has a short story in the People's Friend Special. It has a local flavour to it too.

Angela is also hosting a Writers' Retreat in her Tuscany home....

She says:

It will soon be time for us to return to Italy. May 1st in fact.

Two things:

1. I have a short story in The People's Friend Special at the moment and I wrote it as a slightly spooky story - about Freston Tower. So it's a local topic and might be of interest. 

 2. I am running a writers' retreat from September 11th to 18th in our place in Tuscany. I have an experienced tutor and author on board for the morning sessions and I wondered if any of the Scribblers might be tempted. The cost of £650 includes everything except flights. Tuition each morning, food and lodgings (except for two evening meals out and snacks on the outings we plan.)

I'll attach information about it all.

Anybody interested can mail me.

Thanks for spreading the word for me and good luck and fun with all of your writing endeavours.

Angela Petch

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angela-Petch/e/B00GSN511Q

My Books: https://tinyurl.com/ya9mfrpb and https://tinyurl.com/y7alduqc 

https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com

Our next meeting.

Happy Easter to everyone. Hope you have a good one!

Our next meeting is on Tuesday (3rd April) when the homework assignment is to write up to 1,000 words on "The best laid plans..." Life experiences could well help your creativity! Remember, if the subject is not to your taste you are quite welcome to bring along work on any topic providing it falls within the 1,000 word limit.

Rumour has it that we may see another of our former members return to the fold... Wonder who it is?

Until Tuesday,

Keep Scribbling!!!