Play Competition Results - Monday 11 November

There was high drama at the meeting on Monday 11th November when we gathered to hear the results of our play-writing competition. This time, our guest judge was award-winning playright and adapter Shaun McKenna, who has written for radio, television and the West End stage, including the book for the musical 'Lord of the Rings'. When Shaun shared some of his own experiences with us, we fully appreciated how hard the life of a creative professional actually is. He then gave us some valuable hints and tips with us before discussing our own plays.
Shaun was very complimentary about our efforts, and said that despite the fact that writing a ten-minute play was a particularly hard task, all entries had genuine merit. The eventual results were: Highly Commended, Marcus Towner with 'Marshall's Law', fourth, Roz Balp with 'Life is Sweet', third, Janet Kates and 'Trium', second, Marcia Woolf with 'Small Change'. Our judge was impressed by the way Marcia had managed to progress the action in her play despite the characters having bags over their heads! In first place was Amanda Giles, with 'Forty-Two'. Shaun said he would not have changed a word of this play. The winning entry will be performed by the Hastleons at our Presentation Evening on 6 December.

David Buchan Journalism Competition Results - Monday 28 October 2013

It was Results Night again for the group on Monday 28 0ctober, when we met to hear the results of the David Buchan journalism competition.
     Our judge was former member and professional journalist Angela Everitt.  Angela gave us some valuable hints and tips about how to make an article appealing and readable, and then announced the results.
     In fourth place was Rosemary Bartholomew, with 'Sorry For Any Inconvenience', an entertaining, and so true, piece about the frustrations of dealing with utility companies.  Third was Stephanie Gaunt with the topical 'Hastings to Bexhill Link Road', In second place was Marcia Woolf, with 'The Squeezed Middle Ages', an unusual piece about the plight of middle-aged people, trapped between the demands of elderly parents and their still-dependent adult children. The winner was Jill Fricker, with a passionate piece about a very topical issue: 'The Bedroom Tax'.
     Hastings Writers' Group meets fortnightly at the White Rock Hotel.  The group is currently fully subscribed, but if you would like to know more about our activities or to be put on our membership waiting list, please email membership.HWG@gmail.com or telephone Stephanie Gaunt on 01424 252888.
     Our current anthology 'Animal Writes', which benefits RSPCA Bluebell Ridge and also Dogs for the Disabled, is available, price £6.99, from Bookbusters in Queens Road, Hastings, or it can be purchased on-line from our website, www.hastingswriters.co.uk.  You can also find our page on Facebook.