Tuesday, 20 April 2021

New Micro Monday prompt.

The new Micro Monday prompt is :-

"Limitless."

Guess what? There's a 200 word limit yet again!

Please post your stories direct to our WhatsApp pages by Monday 26th April.

New Repository prompt will follow in due course.

Wednesday, 14 April 2021

Micro Monday prompt

A little bit late this week but hey, it's better late than never!

This week's prompt is:

"Wakey, Wakey."

Your stories should be no more than 200 words long and be posted direct to the WhatsApp page by Monday 19th April.

Good luck everyone!

Tuesday, 6 April 2021

Now in their 15th year the International Welsh Poetry Competition is the biggest in Wales and is now open and accepting entries. To enter please click here.

Award-winning poet Kathy Miles is judging this year. Kathy is a previous winner of the Bridport Prize as well as the Welsh Poetry, Second Light, Penfro and Wells Literature Festival Poetry competitions.

1st Prize - £500
2nd Prize - £250
3rd Prize - £100

Closing date: 6th June 2021.

We shall also be producing an anthology of the winners from the years 2017-2021.

Entry forms and all other details on our website - www.welshpoetry.co.uk

This gives us an opportunity to mention David's suggestion that we incorporate a poetry homework sometime during the year. What do you think? I think it is a brilliant suggestion.

David has sent some sad news to us. Penny Cutler, a former chairperson of the Felixstowe Café Poets passed away at her home a few days ago. Thoughts go to her husband, relatives and friends.

Scribblers WhatsApp prompt for the week as usual is for a maximum of 200 words on "Doctor's Orders." Your stories to be posted directly onto the WhatsApp pages by Monday 12th April.

The theme for our Repository story is for a :-

Story based on a Biography, Autobiography or Memoir.

Whether you feel inspired to write something from your own life, or the life someone else, we want to read some interesting tales from real life.

Historic, heroic or modern, everyday happenings, be inspired by a life lived large or small.

There is no word limit, and no limitations on genre or style.

Email all contributions to Georgina by 20th April please.

Good luck everyone.

Stay safe, keep smiling and, don't forget, keep scribbling!

Friday, 2 April 2021

Always check your junk mail...look what I found in mine!

Just found an interesting email hidden away in my junk mail. Good job I check from time to time. The email comes from the John Peel Centre in Stowmarket and reads:

I’m Miranda, and I work in the marketing team at the John Peel Centre in Stowmarket.

This month, we’re launching a new initiative called JPC Create, which is designed to promote and celebrate creative work being done in East Anglia. While we’re mostly known for music programming at the moment, JPC Create will embrace everything - from creative writing, comedy and theatre, to visual art and dance.

I’m getting in touch because a big part of our plan is a regular writing competition, which is due to launch for the first time in April. The details will be released soon, but the important bits are -

The competition will be based around a prompt, and is open to poetry and short fiction up to 1,000 words.

It’s free to enter, and although we are not currently able to offer monetary awards, there will be prizes for the winners, as well as a permanent listing of winning entries on our website, and promotion via social media and our newsletter. Writers will retain full rights to all winning submissions.

We realise that this is a small competition and a new initiative, and while we of course plan for it to grow, the heart of the project lies in our amazement at the incredible creative work being done even under today’s intensely challenging circumstances, and a desire to encourage and celebrate that.

We will also be running regular, fun opportunities for people to create new work and share their experiences, and to hopefully to increase their feeling of connection to our local creative community.

If you or any members of your group might be interested in taking part, please feel free to share this email, our Instagram - @jpccreate / https://www.instagram.com/jpc_create/, Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jpccreate, or website - https://www.johnpeelcentre.com/jpc-create/. You can also get in touch with me at jpccreate@johnpeelcentre.com any time.

Thank you!

Miranda Overett.

This all sounds very interesting!

Dave.

Easter time.

Happy Easter Scribblers!

A late advice about the Micro Monday prompt... which is:-

"Nuts and Bolts."

Georgina says it is a strict 200 word assignment and should be posted on the WhatsApp group page by Easter Monday or, 5th April to be exact!

Meanwhile the Repository Soundbite theme is extended until Tuesday next, 6th April when a new prompt will be issued.

Despite these two assignments, I hope you all get plenty of time to yourselves this weekend and, hopefully, can re-unite with family and friends now the lockdown is being eased. Perhaps this may become a step closer to Felixstowe Scribblers meeting up again. Won't that be great when we can? Then the old writing habits will, hopefully, return to the heights of all those glorious words that have been written and read out in the past. Practise, they say, makes perfect so why not start your own practise with stories on either WhatsApp or the Repository? We'd love to see you posting there.

That's it for now. I've got to go see if I can find an Easter Egg somewhere but, methinks, some hopes!

Happy Easter!

Tuesday, 23 March 2021

The current prompt for this week's story is:

'Good for the soul.'

Please post your stories of up to 200 words

in our WhatsApp group pages

Monday 29th March 2021

Don't forget the Repository story, the current work based on a song. Details on the Repository and the weblog. Stories to Georgina by 30th March please. Remember there is no word limit.

Good luck with your writing!

Stay safe and keep scribbling!

Tuesday, 16 March 2021

Prompts

Repository:

The current homework challenge is to be inspired by a song. An example appears in the Repository. There is no word limit but your work on this or any other song that inspires you, should be forwarded to Georgina by 30th March.

WhatsApp:

This weeks prompt for up to 200 words is a story inspired by a list. Stories to be posted to our WhatsApp page by Monday 22nd March.

Bill Budner competition.

You will by now have discovered the winner of the competition, well done Derek! If your would like to find the authors of all the stories, then these are posted in the Repository.

Keep Scribbling and stay safe!

REPOSITORY

The Jack Wilkinson Competition for stories about children for an adult reader, is open for entries until 1st June. Stories should be emailed in the usual way to Georgina, making clear that it is a competition entry. Your entries can be in any genre of writing and should be no more than a maximum of 1,500words. Once all entries have been received, they will all be posted on the Repository. Members will have a week to read and choose their favourite three stories. Please do not vote for your own story. Your top three choices should be emailed to Georgina stating 1st, 2nd, 3rd and the corresponding story titles. Please don’t make any comments below the stories until the outcome has been announced. All stories will be published anonymously, with only a story title and a corresponding letter of the alphabet. Once all votes are in (and scores have been double checked) the winning entries will be announced. As we are unable to present the trophy due to the existing situation, an e-certificate will be awarded to the winner. The more entries, the better, so get those scribbling sticks out! Please email all contributions to Georgina Dave

CORONAVIRUS

Due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, Felixstowe Scribblers have sadly cancelled all future meetings until such time as Government advice and restrictions are lifted.

This means a great upheaval to many of our writers, but we will do our best to keep you updated both on this weblog and by email.

We intend to maintain our writing with 500-750 word assignments that may be posted on here for a short period of time whilst our WhatsApp group will have regular 100-200 word exercises to help keep our creative minds working.

Further information will be released as soon as possible.

30 March 2020

Gipping Press

Felixstowe Scribblers chose Gipping Press to publish their 2014, 2017 and 2019 anthologies. Our reasoning was based on their enthusiastic help, great track record and, more than anything else, the quality and high standard of their work. Our anthologies are testament to their expertise.

We anticipate another anthology in 2021 and will be seeking the help once again, of Gipping Press.

We can honestly recommend Gipping Press to anyone seeking advice in publication and for their very competitive prices.

Thank you Gipping Press.

http://www.gippingpress.co.uk/GPselfpublshing.html

Where we meet

Felixstowe Scribblers meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month in The Room at the Top in Felixstowe Library, Crescent Road. Meetings start at 7.30pm and end at 10.00pm.

Details of the library are on their website at https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/libraries/felixstowe-library/.

Felixstowe Scribblers are indebted to the Library and its helpful staff for all their valuable assistance.

Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic, our annual membership fees have been reduced from £30 to £15 for the coming year until November 2021.

Meetings, when they are able to be organised again will allow people preferring to pay at each meeting a charge of £5.

Our writing programmes are available via our two avenues, The Repository and our WhatsApp group.

Membership is open to both published and hobby writers and whilst there are no age limits it is wise to be aware that there may be adult content included in some work.

For more information about Felixstowe Scribblers simply email our Secretary catherine.stafford1@ntlworld.com or our Chairman, Dave, at scribblers.1@btinternet.com.

Committee Members:

Hon President: Ruth Dugdall.

Chairman: Dave Feakes.

Secretary: Cathy Stafford.

Treasurer: Beryl Sabel.

Scribblers Repository Editor: Georgina Salmon.

Weblog Co-ordinator: to be arranged.

Anthology sub committee:

Beryl Sabel,

Georgina Salmon,

Dave Feakes.

WhatsApp administrator:

Justin Keogh

In Memory

Martin Enticknap One time member of the Scribblers who stayed in touch from his home on Sanday in the Orklands. 2003.

Nobby Clarke A keen sailor, he relayed many amusing tales from his past life. Died tragically in a road traffic accident in 2004.

Bill Budner A lay preacher who joined the Scribblers and provided so many prolific words in his short stories. 2006.

Jack Wilkinson Our youngest member for four years, he provided so much laughter and talented creativity before losing his life to cancer at the tender age of twelve. 2006.

Allen Williams Our Welsh wizard had a wonderful wit that kept the group in fits of laughter. 2007.

John Crowson At 97, our most senior member. He passed just a week before he was published for the very first time in the 2010 Felixstowe Scribblers Anthology. 2009.

Doreen Rayner Published and very knowledgeable Felixstowe historian and former member of the Scribblers. 2012

Les Smith Such a welcoming and endearing character, his laughter, matched with his personality and his humorous writing leaves the Scribblers much poorer for his loss. 2015

Mairead Reidy Such a warm hearted and generous person who was both extremely talented and knowledgeable. Liked and loved by all. Another very sad loss to our creative group. 2018

Dick Bradshaw A warm and friendly long term member. A wonderful and published writer with a wealth of knowledge and so many humorous tales. A very sad loss of a good friend. 2018

It is fitting that we also remember Liam Fairhurst of Soham who died of cancer in 2009. He raised enormous sums of money for charity all beginning in memory of his friend and ours, Jack Wilkinson.

Maurice James, the creator of the Coast to Coast competitions and a great friend to the Scribblers. 2010