Manuscript Evening - 18th April, 2016

At our Manuscript Evening on 18 April, four writers brought sections of their novels-in-progress for feedback from other group members. Godfrey Forder's 'Mr Dickens and Mr Powell', tells the tale of the Victorian criminal underworld, set in an atmosphere of fog and gaslight. 'Watching' by Sandra Daniels opens with creepy cases from the files of a psychologist, but the reader begins to wonder if things are as they appear. Marcia Woolf's sequel to her first novel, 'Road Kill' is called 'The Cat' and explores an undercover investigation. 'Angels' of Islington' by Sam Davey depicts the angelic world investigating a powerful criminal cartel. Discussion followed about story continuity, the structure of the first chapter and the role of a prologues, the uses of long and short sentences, reducing the number of adjectives by boosting verbs and page layout in manuscripts being submitted to agents,

Drama Entries - 4th April, 2016

On 4 April, a valiant band read, acted out or directed their entries for the group's second competition of the year: dramatic writing. This year, the brief was to produce a piece suitable for the Hastings Fringe Festival to he held from 1 to 4 September. The organiser of the event, Heather Alexander, will judge, and the lucky winner will have the opportunity to have their work performed if they wish. As always, there was a dizzying array of material, including monologues: the philosophising of an elderly Rastafarian, a passenger's musings at a train station and a woman's attempt to plumb the secrets of the universe. There were stage plays set in a quiet, suburban living-rooms, a salon, an office and the kitchen sink, exploring themes as diverse as dementia, war, archaeology fundraising and Brexit. We rounded off the evening with a radio play, depicting what could have been the perfect murder.