Hampshire Writers' Society

Author: Catherine Griffin

  • November Competition Winners 2011

    My favourite School memory

     

    1st Prize Celia Livesey

    My favourite school memory is when I ran home shouting,’ Nan, there’s a new boy at school called Paul Small-Hamburger-Bones, he lives in a sweet shop.’

    Nan laughed. ‘ You mean Smallbones.’

    ‘No! Paul Small-Hamburger-Bones,’ I insisted.

    Next day he gave me a Chinese burn. Heaven … Paul Small-Hamburger-Bones loved me too.

     

    2nd Prize Hermione Wilds

    My favourite school memory is the day I stole ten pence.

    Some of us believe that to write well you’ve got to write the truth; dead people like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Dean Howells. Maybe they’re right because that was also the day I learnt I was a writer.

     

    3rd Prize: Helen Adlam

    My favourite school memory is: Mr Lancaster – dedicated teacher and passionate believer in the freedom of choice. Misbehaving boys could choose the shoe with which to be beaten from an array of volunteered footwear; chatty girls could be tied to a chair or locked in the stationery cupboard. In the sanctuary of darkness I filled my pockets: pens, pencils, rubbers, paperclips. Revenge – sweet, innocent and deliciously satisfying.

     

  • Jack Sheffield – Tuesday 8th November

    Dear Members of the Hampshire Writers’ Society,

    Another day cannot pass without sharing with you the highlights of the third meeting of the Hampshire Writers’ Society, at which Jack Sheffield spoke so informatively…so entertainingly about his Journey Toward Publication in his carefully prepared talkPaperback Writer. Please do share this with other writers who may be interested in joining us for the next meeting which featuresThree Poets at Work.

    ‘Jack, You Have Commercial Potential’ was a revelation to this aspiring novelist

    A cornucopia of talent took centre stage at the November 8 meeting of the Hampshire Writers’ Society.

    Special Guest, Councillor George Becket, Winchester City Council opened the evening with his praise for the Creative Industries that are forging a place in Winchester and the District and his confession that he would like to write his memoirs as a musician, nurseryman and a politician.

    The packed audience listened intently as Jack Sheffield, a retired Yorkshire headmaster and author of the bestselling

    Teacher, Teacher series of novels, described his new career as a novelist. His carefully prepared talk, Paperback Writer; The Journey towards Publication described his meeting with a literary agent at the 2005 Winchester Writers’ Conference who wanted to represent him to publishers.

    He explained the precision of his editing process and the auction of his manuscript among six mainstream publishers that resulted in Transworld Publishers offering him a contract for his first four novels Teacher, Teacher; Mister Teacher; Dear Teacher and Village Teacher, under the Corgi imprint. These were the Waterstone’s Books of the Year for 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. He explained the publisher’s commercial need to change the name of his fifth novel, Please Sir, which was published this year. When his publishers declared: ‘Jack, you are a brand’ it was a revelation to him. He though he was just a writer.

    He cautioned ’never set your wit against a child’ a proverb attributed to the 18th century essayist, Jonathan Swift and he illustrated this with a child’s observation that ‘ a new born baby can’t talk, it just thinks all day’ Another child wistfully answered, ‘Christian have only one wife…it’s called monotony.’

    He advised writers to write about what they know best. He displayed his diaries which he kept as a schoolmaster and from which he has drawn a rich seam of village school life. ‘Listen for natural dialogue and the cadence of the language and write them down. Otherwise, they vanish’.

    He described being rescued from a car accident by the a police officer ‘who looked all of 15’. He fastened a protective leather collar around Jack’s neck so tightly, that I couldn’t identify myself nor could I reach for my wallet tucked in my pocket. He pointed and croaked ‘Wallet’ to indicate where his identity papers were located. However the officer thought it was his name. ‘Don’t worry, Wally,’ he said cheerfully, we’ll soon have you right’. He captured the precise dialogue of that car crash episode in one of his novels.

    ‘Do intensive research, look for a niche in the market and aim for it.’ His talk, interspersed with hilarious observations, was packed with sound advice on developing three dimensional characters, villains as well as ‘good guys’ and creating believable settings.

    Mr Bevis Hillier, author of the magnificent three volume biography of John Betjeman, Poet Laureate, adjudicated the writing competition ‘My Favourite School Memory’ and asked the winning writers, Celia Livesey 1st, Hermione Wilds 2nd, Helen Adlam 3rd, Susan Piper 4th, Pat Kerley 5th, Hilary Gregory 6th, Marion Dante 7th, to read their 50 word submissions, which we are including below. Transworld Publishers presented some of Jack’s books as the first, second and third prizes, of course!

    I hope you enjoyed this meeting as much as I did. Do remember that the Hampshire Writers’ Society meeting on Tuesday, 13 December, 7:30 pm will be held in our new venue, the Lecture Room, upstairs in The Stripe Building. The programme, Three Poets at Work, will include Mark Rutter, Peter Dixon and Tom Masters, a fantastic trio. December’s competition: Write new words for a traditional Christmas carol.

    Free parking will be available in the Dytche behind The Stripe and also on the Burma Road, which faces the Main Reception. Take the lift in the Student Union building, (part of Reception Office) down to Level One and walk across the tarmac to The Stripe. It will be easy.

    I look forward to welcoming you and more new members and visitors then.

    Barbara Large MBE

    Chairman, Hampshire Writers’ Society

  • October Competition Winners 2011

    Lovell H G Taylor along with Celia Livesey were joint first prize winners for the 50 word short story in the October Competition.

     

    Simon Hall stepped into the darkness of the room. One blow of the hammer had killed his mother. There was a note inside the biscuit tin which said, if you’re reading this then I’m dead. I’ve given the money to the Battersy Dogs’ home. I know you hated dogs.

    by Lovell H G Taylor

     

    Simon Hall stepped into the darkness, his body suffused with exhilaration. His phone diverted his attention. ‘Yes?’

    ‘Simon. Another girl’s missing. They need your help.’

    ‘I’m on it, Charles.’ He closed his phone. As its illumination faded, two eyes stared at him in horror.

    “Now where were we?’ he grinned.

    by Celia Livesey

  • Simon Hall – 11th October 2011

    Following Simon Hall’s amusing talk,Writing Crime, Reporting Crime last evening at the University of Winchester, our Steering Committee thought you would like to have the following record of his advice for writing marketable crime fiction.

    Simon Hall Advised Writers ‘ To Keep the Faith’

    Simon Hall ‘s talk Writing Crime, Reporting Crime not only informed but entertained a capacity crowd of writers at the University of Winchester on Tuesday evening, 11 October at the second meeting of the Hampshire Writers’ Society.

    His direct discussion of the techniques of crime writing informed writers how to use a strong protagonist to help solve the crime, the subtext to Simon’s tvdetective novels.. He demonstrated how Ben, his protagonist, as a tv reporter, is a mixture of highs and lows but that he is believable and memorable. His dog, Rutherford, adds another dimension to this character.

    He reminded the audience how he uses his notebook to record the quirks that bring characters to life. He described a lady in a pub who rattled her empty glass as a signal to her obedient husband to return to the bar to replenish her drink and then nibbled food from her husband’s plate when he had left the table. ‘A character to weave into my plotline’.

    As the BBC crime correspondent for the south east, he often works with the police to report crimes ‘These are often searing experiences’. He recalled being asked to report on the terrorist suicide attacks in London in 2005, to seeing the terror on the faces of total strangers as he approached the railways stations and his shock to see a police traffic sign with the words ‘Avoid London: Area Closed’!

    He urged writers to be guided by their principles, that this leads to the ‘voice on the page’ and also to develop a relationship with the reader, to invest in their research and to provide all of the clues that are need to solve the crime satisfactorily. Aim for a plot with a series of twists and turns. ‘Readers want value for money…so do publishers’.

    During question time he admitted that he writes ’nice crime: no difficult science, nor swearing, …which is an excuse for proper vocabulary, no gore but instead a worthy plot and no sex!

    Settings are important as an angle on which to base a novel. He reminded listeners of Morse’s use of the city of Oxford and the multiple settings used by John Le Carre. Periods of history, travel, journeys, even personal tragedies are good starting points. ‘Humour takes us through tragedy’.

    Simon Hall’s conclusion was that being a writer is not a God-given art…it takes much research, writing, editing and revision before you convince that commissioning editor and publisher. . We have the talent but it is important to work at it. ’Keep the Faith’!

    We also remind you that Jack Sheffield, author of the Teacher Teacher series published by Transworld will give the next talk, Paperback Writer -The Journey Toward Publication on Tuesday , November 8th 7:30 pm, University of Winchester. We can promise you another hugely enjoyable and highly hilarious evening of advice and entertainment. Do come and bring your writer-friends. We want this society to be packed with talented writers.

    With all good wishes for your writing success,
    Barbara

    PS You may like to take a look at Simon Hall’s blog about the event last night.

  • Barry Cunningham – Tuesday 13th September

    ‘Take Risks with your Writing’ advised Barry Cunningham at the launch of Hampshire Writers’ Society.
    Barry Cunningham OBE, famed as the ‘discoverer of JK Rowling’, launched the Hampshire Writers’ Society on Tuesday evening, September 13 at the University of Winchester, with his talk, What Makes a Good Children’s Book.

    A packed room of more than 80 aspiring and published writers listened intently as he talked about meeting JK Rowling, who had the necessary passion to write the incredible Harry Potter story even if it were never to be published. He stressed the difference between writing for the excitement of creating a great story and writing only with the goal of publication.’ These are separate ambitions. The former is the goal of the true writer. Being published is a random act’.

    He continued, ‘The key to writing a good children’s book is the ability to use your imagination to meet the imagination of the child. Have a good grasp of the characters and their dialogue. A hole in the plot is always fixable. Use humour. This is what made Harry acceptable to so many readers’

    He commented that ‘the blend of English humour…laughing at adversity, builds tension, diffuses anxiety and deepens and extends the emotion that we have for the main characters’.

    He spoke of the successes of Cornelia Funke and Roald Dahl, who were the secret friends of children, holding their hands through their books yet encouraging readers to stand up for themselves. He encouraged writers to include food in their stories. ‘Children love to know what’s for tea. It anchors the story’. And, he said,’ believe in valour’.

    He confessed that he was in awe of people who finished a book. But his offer ‘to help you achieve your goal, won a standing ovation.

    Dr Joy Carter, Vice Chancellor of the University of Winchester, commented ‘Hampshire is a county with huge resources of creativity and the launch of the Hampshire Writers’ Society will allow much of that creativity to flourish in a new and expressive way’.

    The Hampshire Writers’ Society, a fledgling of the Winchester Writers’ Conference, which is held annually at the University of Winchester, has launched a hugely successful season of talks by professional authors, poets, playwrights, literary agents and commissioning editors. These include Jack Sheffield, author of seven books in the Teacher, Teacher series, published by Transworld; poets, Tom Master, Mark Rutter and Peter Dixon; crime fiction author, Lindsay Ashford; Beverley Birch, Senior Commissioning Editor, Hodder Children’s Books; Rebecca Shaw, author of the Turnham Malpas/Barleybridge Village series; Sophie King, both fiction and non-fiction author; Ali Sparkes, author; Professor Patricia Duncker, on the subject of Choosing English; and concluding next June with an Evening Party and tour of the Chawton House Study Centre followed by a talk on crime fiction.

    Dynamic’, ‘welcoming’, ‘a definite asset to struggling writers’, ‘eager for the next meeting’, re-doubling my writing effort’ were the conclusions of attendees.

    Barbara Large

    PS. Follow the link to read HWS member, KM Lockwood’s recent post, ‘I’m just wild about Barry…’ on her website.