Our first
guest speaker of the evening was Catherine Smith, who had judged the
annual Catherine Cookson Cup competition. She told us what she looked
for in a short story, likening the genre to a fish tank,
which provided a glimpse into a different world without distractions
from the wider sea. She warned of the dangers of trying to 'cram a
quart into a pint pot' and said some entrants had tried to write a
novel in 3000 words and encouraged them to go on and write that
novel. She said she wanted to be enchanted
and intrigued and added
that when she had finished the stories placed first and second, she
had been so convinced that she imagined the main characters would
actually walk into the room. The 2014
cup winner was new group member, Elizabeth Allen, with 'Growing Pains';
Catherine said the story was a polished gem with a distinctive style
which drew her in. Sam Davey was second, Roz Balp third and Diana
Lock fourth.
After the
break, our patron, Tamara McKinley, spoke about the hard work and
passion that has to go into professional writing and gave fascinating
and inspiring examples from her own long and successful career as a
best-selling novelist, which illustrated the dedication and
self-sacrifice necessary to garner any rewards, particularly in the
current world of publishing. She then handed out certificates to all
members who had been placed in the group's five internal writing
competitions before announcing the winner of the Writer of the Year
Award given to the member who amasses most points across all
competitions. This year, after a neck-and-neck battle, the shield was
shared between Jill Fricker and Roz Balp.
The evening
was rounded off with a raffle for Christmas hampers, and a group
photograph was taken by the HWG''s very own world famous
photographer, John Coles.
