Historic Writing Results – 31 October, 2016

On 31^st October, Alan Judd, novelist and biographer, gave his feedback on our historic writing competition entries. He told us how the high standard of writing and interesting range of subjects made the selection of a top four extremely difficult. His positive comments and interesting anecdotes made for a very amusing and enjoyable meeting. First place went to Vicky Armstrong’s ‘And The Band Played On’.  Alan Judd commented on the excellent use of local sources of information to create a fascinating view of life in Bexhill in 1916. In second place was ‘A Bluebell Among The Thorns’ by Sandra Daniels. This was judged to be a very well researched account of the life of Bluebell Klean, a celebrated classical composer and musician, and prize winning local sea angler. John Taylor was awarded third place for the ‘Warlingham Murder’, praised as a very effective account of a historical event that allowed the reader to make up their own mind about the outcome. In fourth place was ‘The Madness of Victorian Women’ by Godfrey Forder. This piece depicted some of the circumstances under which Victorian woman found themselves to be considered ‘mad’ and provided interesting descriptions of some of the usual treatments administered.  

Novel Writing Workshop - 17th October, 2016

On 17^th October, HWG member and successful novelist, Glyn Harper, generously shared everything he has gleaned from  both his writing experience and his own reading in a workshop entitled 'Planning Your Way Through a Novel'. We romped through stories and their elements, protagonists, premise, goals, conflict, tension, stakes, twists, character arcs, themes and viewpoints. We looked into place and setting and how to analyse characters and depict their emotions as they confront all the obstacles and setbacks thrown at them at every turn by the dedicated author, who is intent on putting them through an Act I Crisis, an Act II Revelation, a Mid-Point Reversal, an Act III Disaster and the final Climax until the reader is rewarded with a Satisfying Ending. It was a thorough and entertaining talk, and we all left feeling inspired to have a go ourselves.

Historical Writing Entries - 3rd October, 2016

It was like taking a roller-coaster ride in a time machine on 3^rd October, when members read out their entries for the group's last competition of the year: non-fictional historical writing. There were vivid childhood memories: of finding a bayonet at the end of World War I and the sweet sin of licking jam out of tarts during the 1953 coronation celebrations. There was an array of colourful ancestors: a camp conscientious objector who did time in Wormwood Scrubs, a star cricketer with an unusual name and a débutante who made a life-changing secret liaison with an African prince. There were portraits of two fascinating and feisty women: Mary 'Slasher' Richardson, the suffragette who sliced the Rokeby Venus, and Bluebell Klean, who stopped 'chasing musical dreams to chase fish'. Places also came under scrutiny: the history of Church in the Wood, founded in 1090 by a priest who wanted a church hidden from the devil, and the Bexhill celebrations of 1917, when the band played on and elegance was everywhere. On a darker note, we also learned about the 1948 Warlingham Murder, when a shotgun rang out from 76, Harrow Gardens, and the so called madness of Victorian women. It was a very entertaining evening, and judge, Alan Judd, has his work cut out.

Planning Meeting - 19th September, 2016

On 19^th September, it was our annual planning meeting, at which members gather to suggest competitions, judges and activities for the following year before voting to finalise the programme. A small but enthusiastic group assembled to discuss what we all wanted to do. There was agreement and disagreement, but fortunately, it was always amicable. This was a particularly important meeting as 2017 sees us celebrate our platinum anniversary as Hastings Writers' Group was founded in 1947 and is one of the oldest in the country. Another item on the agenda was, therefore, the celebration anthology, Strandline 11; it was unanimously voted to have an anthology and to have it unthemed but 'drawing inspiration' from the platinum celebration year. Many of the members present immediately volunteered to be involved in the project as writers, editors and proof-readers. 2017 will be a very busy year for the group as honorary member, Rosemary Bartholomew, is also organising a children's anthology to raise money for three local children's charities. Stories and poems are invited from primary-aged children (5 to 11) who live in Hastings or St Leonards. For more information, please email hwg.childrensproject@gmail.com

Manuscript Evening - 5th September, 2016

On 5^th September, the group focused on the craft of writing through various problem-solving activities. In the first half, veteran Bill Petsing, read out 'Mistaken Betrayal', his ongoing memoir of World War II. He had acted on previous critique from group members, and everyone noticed the work was much improved. After the break, our Vice-Chair and best-selling author. Kate O'Hearn, shared a real and thorny problem with her current manuscript, 'Phoenix, Fire and Raynne'. As a children's author, she said she was finding it difficult to write from an adult's point of view, particularly as the adult in question is a terrifyingly evil demon and so was having to do it via another adult's perspective. She read out a section, but everyone said that it was convincing and that there was nothing to worry about, so she now feels more confident about carrying on. However, it just goes to show that even the most experienced and successful of writers need a bit of encouragement now and again. As always, all members learned something about the perennially fascinating challenge of writing.

Poetry Results - 15th August, 2016

On 15^th August, poet, Roz Goddard, came to give feedback and announce the winners of our poetry competition. She said the first element in poetry should be the heart rather than the head and gave her comprehensive judging criteria, including the creation of lines and phrases that ‘caught' her, the poem’s effectiveness when read aloud, its look on the page and the skills of ‘poetic handicraft’ that it demonstrated. In first place was 'The Father's Tale' by Vicky Armstrong, praised for its excellent use of the Icarus myth, its skilful layout and its 'heartbreaking' effect. 'The Bryn' by Diana Lock was second, Jane Hempson-Jones' 'Peace' was third, and 'Haiku on Kuniyoshi' by Roz Balp was fourth. Roz Goddard commented on the effective use of imagery and the adoption of rhyme schemes which might either enhance or ‘hem the poem in'. In the question and answer session, she advised: ‘letting the words flow’, writing a first draft in prose and allowing the structure to emerge as well as reading lots of contemporary poetry through magazines like Rialto or Under the Radar. She encouraged the non-winners by saying that all judgements are ‘subjective and tell us much about the judge and her reading and experience.’

History Workshop - 1st August, 2016

On 1^st August, we were privileged to welcome our speaker, Ann Kramer, who gave an invaluable and inspiring workshop on writing historical non-fiction to prepare us for the group's final competition of the year. She has a long career as a professional author and has written 60 books on history for both adults and children, as well as many articles. Ann managed to condense her considerable experience into some very clear advice on how to go about approaching the task.. She responded with ease to questions from the floor, outlining a clear procedure for planning, finding an original angle as well as giving a very thorough guide on how to tackle the thorny problem of research, giving useful tips on how to find and use a variety of sources. Finally, she gave us two practical activities to get us started, which propelled us from vague ideas to a definite starting point. Throughout the evening, Ann was positive and encouraging, so we all feel more confident about taking the first step on this unfamiliar path.