AGM etc

Here's a little reminder that our most important Annual General Meeting takes place on Tuesday next, 3rd November, in the Room at the Top with a start time of 7.30. We have to remind you as well that the annual subscriptions are also due.  

If the meeting is over in time then we will have a very short creative writing exercise. 

Hoping that you will all be able to attend and help structure our future. 

The AGM agenda is included later in this communication.

Meanwhile we have heard from  from our friend Ray who says:

Spectacular Tales 2 has just been published both in paperback and for the Kindle.

                       This includes a short story by me titled 'Red Moon Rising'.  This story began life as a piece written as a homework exercise for the Scribblers called 'The End' about two survivors who meet up on a Cornish chapel. All that remains is the first page of the original but the idea of the story exists.

                        So thanks again to everyone.

                         Ray

Well done Ray! Good to see our homework assignments come in handy!

We've also heard from Suzy in St Ives who says:

Went to a talk re writing short stories - Linda Cracknell - who said they are under-rated in this country .... so suggested to St.Ives' library that they have a short story reading session, which was referred to Rod the Organiser who said it would be "tedious".    !!!!!!!   He hasn't been to Scribblers !    He said i should organise it.   Was wondering if any Scribblers would send stories to be read out here in the West Country?   Might even generate enough interest for a short story writing group, as, in amongst all the music, art, and poetry there are no short stories!  How can this be ?!?!? 

Suzy also mentioned the following from the short story talk with Linda Cracknell:

Writing a short story combines a "curious mixture of crafting and intuition".

"Start late" (after something significant to the plot has happened) and "end early" (so the reader has to work out for themself what happens).

To increase empathy with a character: reveal their 'back story'.

When change happens: use a lot of sensory detail.

Every word must contribute to the point of the story.

She begins by writing the plot as a haiku (19 syllables?).  If she can't do that, she knows the plot needs more work.

A good way to publish short stories is to have them printed individually.  (There used to be a short story provided in every cabin on the sleeper from London to Edinburgh.  (Mairéad had/has a short story printed singly - using ribbon!     Hey, that's an idea - have really interesting covers made out of stuff other than paper.  ???)

BBC has annual short story competition 2,000 words.   Short stories, inc the winner,  Radio 4   Tues   Wed    Thurs   3.30

Happy Autumn!         All good wishes, suzy

All good tips, though many, I am sure, we will be aware of. Some interesting ideas too! 

It really is good to keep in touch with our friends who have moved away from the area which leads me to a short story I have just received from Chris down there in Cairns and aim to read it next.

Meanwhile, I hope you are all well and in good voice for Tuesday!

Until then,

Keep Scribbling!!!

Dave

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FELIXSTOWE SCRIBBLERS

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

7.30 PM TUESDAY 3^rd NOVEMBER 2015

THE ROOM AT THE TOP

FELIXSTOWE LIBRARY

THE AGENDA

     Apologies for absence

     In Attendance

1    Secretary's Report.

2    Treasurer’s Report.

3    Chairman’s Report.

4    Ratification of existing committee and or election of new officers.

5    Weblog Report.

6    Introduction of a membership list.

7    Structure of Meetings:

i)  Alterations to frequency of Bill Budner   trophy.

                                          ii)  Renaming Creative Writing Exercises.

                                          iii) 1000 word homework and themes.

iv) Selection of eras and places for historical  and geographical themes.

v)  Ghost/Halloween homework.

vi) Suggestions.

            8     Planning for the future:

i)             The Felixstowe Book Festival 2016.

 9    Publicity.

10  Writeathon.

11  Stories for Suzy’s planned group in St. Ives.

12  Social Events.

13  Any Other Business.

London Review of Books

Their website is at :-

http://www.lrb.co.uk/

Well worth a look...

Message from Suzy in St Ives

It's nice to hear from our writers who have moved away. We received this from Suzy who seems to be busying herself down in Cornwall with organising readings of short stories at her local library. She tells us she went to a talk by Linda Cracknell re writing short stories - her collection 'The Searching Glance' and says:

In case it's of interest .......

Linda said:  Writing a short story combines a "curious mixture of crafting and intuition".

"Start late" (after something significant to the plot has happened) and "end early" (so the reader has to work out for themself what happens).

To increase empathy with a character: reveal their 'back story'.

When change happens: use a lot of sensory detail.

Every word must contribute to the point of the story.

She begins by writing the plot as a haiku (19 syllables?).  If she can't do that, she knows the plot needs more work.

A good way to publish short stories is to have them printed individually.  (There used to be a short story provided in every cabin on the sleeper from London to Edinburgh.  (Mairéad had/has a short story printed singly - using ribbon!     Hey, that's an idea - have really interesting covers made out of stuff other than paper.  ???)

BBC has annual short story competition 2,000 words.   Short stories, inc the winner,  Radio 4   Tues   Wed    Thurs   3.30

Homework pays off...

Here's a nice message from our friend Ray. It relays the benefits of doing our homework assignments! Congratulations Ray and many more successes.

Spectacular Tales 2 has just been published both in paperback and for the Kindle.

                       This includes a short story by me titled 'Red Moon Rising'.  This story began life as a piece written as a homework exercise for the Scribblers called 'The End' about two survivors who meet up on a Cornish chapel. All that remains is the first page of the original but the idea of the story exists.

                        So thanks again to everyone.

                         Ray

Meeting Report

Minutes of Scribblers meeting held on Tuesday 20 October 2015

Present:  Dave, Dick, Hayley, Richard, Mairead, Jeanette, Liliane, Jane, Tony, Beryl, Cathy.

Apologies: Gerry

Business items:
Thank you to Mairead for providing all sorts of (early) Halloween themed goodies, tinsel etc! Brave were those who ate the false teeth sweets!

Dave reminded us all that the next meeting, on 3 November, is the AGM, when the annual subs (£30) are due for those members who pay this way.

If you have any thoughts on ways in which we could improve our meetings, please bring your ideas along for discussion.

Beryl will provide the annual accounts, and Cathy a secretary’s report.

Jeanette hasn’t had time yet to get her name inscribed on the Bill Budner trophy, but plans to do it soon.

Tom, one of our regular Scribblers, is currently moving house. Once he is settled he hopes to be back with us again.

Creative writing exercise:

All members (except the secretary, who forgot hers) had brought along a postcard, and some members, helpfully, had brought along several. These were all placed face down on the table, and each person present took one to use a stimulus for thirty minutes of writing. Added to the usual groans and sighs once we’d looked at our selected images were calls of ‘Can I swap?’, ‘Lord, I can’t use this.’, plus various other pitiful cries!

Eventually we settled down to do some intense writing, and after half an hour or so everyone had managed to write convincing tales. These were read out after a break for coffee, and proved that, as always, we can all rise to the challenge of writing ‘on the spot’, however unpromising the stimulus might be.

Next time we do this exercise, the group agreed that for a change we’ll all work from the same picture. We’ve done this in the past, and it’s been intriguing to listen to the many and varied pieces of work that the group come up with, and the different ways in which we all interpret the image we work from.

Next meeting:   3 November, the AGM. No homework for this meeting, but if time allows perhaps there may be a short creative writing exercise.

Happy Autumn from the Welsh Poetry  Competition Hello poets... Just a quick email to remind you that next year we  shall be launching our 10th international competition. After humble beginnings, in the back room of  Clwb Y Bont, Pontypridd we have gone from  strength to strength and increased our entries and  support each year. In our first year we had a few hundred entries with  71% coming from within Wales, but now we  get double that number with 60% coming from  outside Wales, marking the contest as a truly  international event! After council cuts resulted in the closure of the  Cardiff Poetry competition last year we became  the biggest poetry competition based in Wales  overnight. In 2016 we enter our 10th year and hope that  everyone who has entered before and made  this competition so great will do so again. We shall also be producing a second anthology  in the summer of 2016 after the winners are  announced. www.welshpoetry.co.uk

The 10th Competition   Judges / prize money We hope to announce the judge and prize money around Christmas Launch We aim to launch the contest on St. David's Day, 1st March 2016 Self Publish Your Poetry Publish & Print We offer a professional publishing service for those wishing to get into print with paperbacks or ebooks Check us out www.publishandprint.co.uk

Every picture tells a story...

Our photographic evening proved to be another unrivalled success with so many postcards and photographs to select from. Face down on the table you should have heard the groans as their selections seemed impossible to write about.

Being a group of creative writers, each and every single writer managed to come up with a really enthralling piece of work in the allotted 30 minutes writing time.

It was really amazing to hear the quality of the work and the creations everyone made from the pictures in front of them. Well done everybody.

Our next meeting will be the AGM on 3rd November here in The Room at the Top with the normal 7.30 start time. It is hoped that there will be some ideas and discussion on the format and subjects of  future meetings, after all the group is your group and you should have your say on its direction.

If there is sufficient time then we will also hold a short creative writing session.

Oh, and by the way... your annual membership fees will be due.

Keep Scribbling!!!