Hampshire Writers' Society

Tag: writing

  • June 10th: Writing and Patience

    June 10th: Writing and Patience

    For our June meeting, our main speaker is Toby Litt — Head of Creative Writing at the University of Southampton.

    Writing and Patience

    Is impatience holding you back from better writing? Toby Litt took 12 years to write his own novel, Patience – shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. The talk will focus on helping you develop your story ideas and your ideas about stories more gradually but with greater confidence.

    Toby Litt is a writer, academic and environmental activist based in London. He grew up in Ampthill and went to Bedford Modern School. He has published novels, short story collections and poems. His most recent book is A Writer’s Diary (Galley Beggar, 2023) – and his diary continues to run on Substack. His novel Patience was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. He is a member of English PEN and editor of the Writers Rebel website. The recent Netflix series, Dead Boy Detectives, was based on Toby’s run on the Vertigo/DC comic of the same name.

    Our guest speaker is HWS member Sam Christie. Sam was longlisted for the Bridport Prize, Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award 2021, was second place in the Bloomsbury Writers’ and Artists’ Short Story Competition 2022 and was third place in the New Welsh Writers’ Awards 2023. He is prepared to wrestle a polar bear if that might lead to the publication of his novel.

    A Right Old Wild Ride

    Sam Christie tells the story of his navigation over the summits and into the cols of the writing dream, gives some thoughts on how he survives the tricky times, and encourages members to share their own tips on staying chipper when the going gets hard. His talk will take you from his triumph as Bridport novel longlister, sharing the Hay greenroom with Richard E. Grant and Catherine Zeta Jones, all the way down to his ignominious rejections by Modern Drunkard, Taco Bell Quarterly and sundry other niche publications (yes, they’re real magazines).

    The meeting will be Tuesday June 10th, at the Tower Arts Centre.

    Come along from 7pm. Talks start at 7:30pm. Members free, non-member tickets £10, students £2 (no advance booking, payment on entry).

  • May 13th: Portsmouth Authors

    May 13th: Portsmouth Authors

    For our May meeting, we’re joined by two Portsmouth authors. Our main speaker is author Matt Wingett, who writes non-fiction exploring the strange and interesting history of Portsmouth. He’s also a hypnotist, and has written for TV.

    The Southsea Stories and Beyond – How Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes in Portsmouth

    While working as a GP in Portsmouth’s seaside resort of Southsea between 1882 and 1890, young Arthur Conan Doyle produced short stories and novels at an astonishing rate. Many of his anonymously-published tales were forgotten, only to be rediscovered around a century later.

    His early writings included comedies, tragedies, horror, supernatural and earthbound mysteries, unlikely adventures from the outposts of Empire and much more besides. Discover how his life in the town affected his later writing, and how the ideas he first discovered in Southsea became part of his story-telling palette.

    While many associate Holmes with London, discover how the detective was conceived in Southsea – and find out why Portsmouth will forever be “Sherlock’s home”.

    Our guest speaker is author Loree Westron.

    After the Dream Comes True…

    What happens when your first novel gets published by a traditional publisher, but your local high street book shop won’t stock it? Learn how Loree Westron took matters into her own hands and created the Portsmouth Authors Collective to promote and sell local author books.

    American by birth, Loree now lives in Portsmouth where she writes literary and historical fiction. She has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. Among other things, she has worked as a farm labourer, a bookseller, a bell ringer, and a university lecturer. When not writing, Loree can be found teaching bicycle mechanics, or walking and cycling in the South Downs. Her novella, Missing Words, is set in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

    The meeting will be Tuesday May 13th, at the Tower Arts Centre.

    Come along from 7pm. Talks start at 7:30pm. Members free, non-member tickets £10, students £2 (no advance booking, payment on entry).

  • Write about an animal!

    The lovely Damian Kelly-Basher set and adjudicated our March competition:

    Brief: Write about an animal. You can write from the viewpoint of the animal, yourself, or another person/thing. 

    But you cannot use the letter ‘e’ anywhere in your work. (300 words)

    And the winners were…

    First place: ‘Woof’ by Viv Smith

    Sniff. Run, run hard. Run with stick. Bark, bark again, mad, bark loudly. Sshhh!

    Man looks cross. Wait, wag. Wag lots. Told to sit. Sit. Twitch a bit. Pant, pant hard, drool. Anticipation is good. Ball thrown far away; watch it land. Told to go. Run fast and swift to ball, sniff, grab, turn, go back to im. Man happy patting, rubbing, wag lots. Drop ball. Fun, sit. Try not to twitch too much. Wait for throw two, it lands a long way away. Run hard.

    Brown dog on grass, not good. Big brown dog grabs my ball, runs to his man. His man says “No!” Brown dog should drop ball, but brown dog runs backwards and forwards, not dropping it, but crouching down, wants to play with man.

    I wait, bark, wag, look around hoping for my man to act, but still too far away, chatting. Want him to talk to brown dog’s man. Pant, drool a bit, worry. Brown dog knows it’s my ball, runs around in front with it in his mouth, wagging, taunting, still gripping it in his jaws, not putting it down. Knows this is annoying. I crouch, could I fight him for my ball? Try a growl with a bark, if brown dog barks back ball could fall. Is brown dog that stupid?

    Brown dog is dumb. Ball drops barking back. I zoom in to pick it up and dash to my man for back up support. My man is still chatting to a lady, but stoops to pat and rub fur. Both happy now.. Wag lots.

    Man stops talking, grins, turns, walks across grass, I run and sniff. Walking along path I think of food from man soon, good thought, wag again.

    Second Place: ‘Val and Anna’ by Wendy Falla

    My provision from Mum’s will didn’t hold much worth,

    ‘What was it?’ you may ask,

    Ah … with conditions and instructions, two long living and robust, grumpy old Torts! Known

    as Val and Anna (mum’s aunts), a fourth birthday gift and now my priority to spoil. Inhabiting

    an orchard run, built by dad from old scaffold planks and long nails, days pass munching

    Marigolds and pink Marshmallow blossom, oblivious to world chaos. Dinosaur jaws of horny

    rims clamp around young tomato plants and spinach sprouts, rich in iron, trailing from grow

    bags.

    A book from mum, noting habitat, habits and traits, instructs that a shallow warm oil bath

    (Virgin no doubt!) is a must in spring to sooth crusty limbs post a dormant six months. A

    vitamin shot prior to a coming out party and contacts for torty pals to ask along.

    Dusk brings both along a grassy path to an old quail shack on stilts, slowly up a ramp, in

    through an archway to a straw clad cocoon. Slow blinking at sundown, grunts turn into faint

    snoring, torty bliss. In Autumn, as days grow cold and with a chill in the night air, I must stop

    this pair burrowing into Ash and Poplar roots at our boundary, fast work for scaly nails

    digging through claggy clay soil – or Val and Anna will vanish on to common land, God

    forbid they should drown in a pond or pool!

    Flourishing and vigorously tackling anything blocking paths – cats, dogs, plant pots, humans

    – ploughing right on through with gusto! Mum (gran) is watching and waiting to haunt us,

    should Val and Anna pass away during my acquisition. My adult sons pray I outlast Val and

    Anna – although big son wants my piano and young son my sports car

    Third Place: ’A Stick, Stuck’ by Jacob Watkins

    I sprawl, stuck in this mud. A stick, stuck, so soon unstuck from that stout oak standing almost within touch of my spindly twigs, though also agonisingly afar. Afraid, I was, of such biting wind that blows through our park – and still I did strain outwards, gloating at low, land-plodding louts, till a strong gust brought a snap –

    What is that sound drawing in? A sniff, a scratch, purporting a snort. A shaking in my dirt, a shifting through this rusting mulch; thrumming, four fat paws, swishing scimitar-tail, pink, sloppy limb lolling from drooling mouth; I must run! But it is not a stuck stick’s lot to run.

    Hush – I should stay still, praying that vulgar snout won’t find out I am at risk. Old oak, why art thou so disloyal? My growth was in your honour, my triumphs your own – but now I rot amongst your roots, as this Satan-born thing of fur and fury draws towards my limp form.

    Good lord, I whiff its guttural panting. What foul concoctions must this glutton gulp down? Stay firm, my tumultuous bosom, hold fast, salvation still may show. But it shan’t! For its body has struck out sunlight and shrouds this land in dark! All is lost, within my assailant’s cold, murky domain, as it bows its skull and unlocks its nightmarish maw – my world is now fangs and spit –

    I pass out, for how long I do not know, but a touch of flowing air brings back our blissful world. Although, I am not hanging from my oak, but racing rapid as a brook across grass and rock, with only a slight pinch from my saviour’s thoughtful jaws holding my body tight. Now, I do not simply grow, but fly – I, a stick, and from mud I am truly unstuck.

    A huge congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who submitted!!

  • Best of HWS 2014-2017

    Best of HWS 2014-2017

    The Hampshire Writers’ Society is pleased to announce the publication of a new volume in its Anthology series.

    The first volume in this series appeared as a print publication in 2015: Anthology of the Best of 2011-2014, compiled and edited by Barbara Large and Celia Livesey, with a foreword by Barbara Large.
    Now in 2025 as an electronic publication we have the following: The Hampshire Writers’ Society: The Best of 2014-2017, edited by Gemma Pulley, with a foreword by Gary Farnell. For his technical advice and support in the preparation of this volume, Gemma and Gary would like to thank Mark Eyles.

    This new e-book contains reports on HWS monthly meetings from September 2014 to June 2017, with some of the winning entries in the monthly writing competitions, along with the adjudicators’ comments where available.

    Preparations are already underway for The Best of 2017-2020, and comments and remarks on the 2014-2017 volume will be gratefully received as part of these ongoing preparations. Please email  inquiries@hampshirewriterssociety.co.uk to contribute.

    This new Anthology is freely available as an e-publication: to access your copy, please click on the link here.
    We are currently investigating a print version. If you are interested then please complete the form here. The price per copy in this case will be dependent on numbers but is not expected to exceed £15 per copy.

  • Short Story from a Literary Agent

    The great Justin Nash set and adjudicated for our Feb competition:

    Brief: Write a scene from a short story or novel where the protagonist is a literary agent. (300 words)

    And the winners were…

    First place: ‘Advice Needed’ by Lynn Farley-Rose

    “Good afternoon. Thank you for holding. You’re through to the Association of Authors’ Agents.”

    “I’m a member,” I said. And faltered. I’m not used to being stuck for words.

    “Jolly good,” replied the bright voice at the other end. There was a silence as she waited. “Which department would you like? Legal? International? Film and TV? Maybe AI?,” she suggested. “They’re getting a lot of calls at the moment.”

    “I don’t know,” I said limply. “Ghostwriting perhaps?” And I laughed. “Ignore that—just a joke. Maybe it’s a priest I need.”

    The voice hesitated and then came back, all clipped efficiency. “Just a moment. Putting you through now. Let’s see if Professional Development can help.”

    “Bite the bullet,” I thought, wincing and reminding myself that I try not to work with authors who resort to clichés.

    “Hello. Professional Development. How can I help?”

    “Well…” I said. “The thing is that…”

    “Don’t beat about the bush,” I thought. And I winced again.

    “I know this is going to sound a bit off the wall but I really am a paid-up member. I’ve represented a couple of quite successful romantic novelists…”

    “Well, Madam,” said the smooth male voice at the other end. “If you could give me some idea of what the problem is…”

    “Grasp the nettle.”

    “Well the thing is…there’s a woman. I got up on Thursday morning and she’d taken root at my kitchen table.” There. I’ve said it.

    “Try the Citizen’s Advice Bureau?” suggested the man.

    “Well here’s the other thing…” I said. “She works like a demon. In her long muslin dress. Filling up my A4 notepads with copperplate. She never sleeps.”

    “This time I am quite determined to complete it,” she keeps saying. “Quite determined. And

    speedily. It must be complete by my 250th anniversary.”

    She won’t leave until I agree to represent her. Can you advise?

    Runner Up: ‘‘No Gavels’‘ by Howard Teece

    There are no gavels in a British court, much to the surprise of many writers. Nor are ‘Objections!’ very common, and ‘Order, Order,’ is reserved for the House of Commons. What often exists is a hushed silence, and one had fallen in Court 14 at Chester Crown Court as His Honour Dennis Chambers delivered his verdict.

    ‘In the civil case of Davids vs Whitehead Publishing et al., I find that Simon Parsons did steal the claimant’s Intellectual Property, wit The Tortured Soul.’ The silence gasped. ‘Therefore, I order the, frankly ludicrous, advance of one million pounds to be paid to the claimant.’

    He continued with ways the defendant might appeal, but no-one cared. Simon Parsons – THE Simon Parsons – had stolen the work of another unpublished author and claimed it as his own. Discovered, fortunately, before publication.

    #

    I found Michaela Davids in an espresso bar on the third floor of a nearby hotel. It was Simon’s favourite haunt. I knew this because I was Simon’s agent.

    I also knew he hadn’t plagiarised anything.

    ‘Nice trick,’ I said, sitting opposite Michaela.

    ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she said, sipping her Doppio. ‘The court said he stole my work.’

    Yeah. That was a problem.

    ‘You get a million pounds as a court order. There’s no tax on court orders,’ I said.

    ‘No agent’s fee, either.’ Which was true. I’d be down £150k before translation and film rights. ‘Leech.’

    Simon’s favourite word for me. Said in jest, as he knew how I’d supported him throughout his career. The editing, rejections, failed sales, and poorly attended signings. I was always there.

    But somehow, Simon and his new lover, Michaela, had colluded to dodge half a million in taxes and fees. Something I would have proved had Michaela not been strangled that evening.

    Runner Up: ‘’The Lemon Song’’ by Janey L Foster

    Felicity dozed on the 07:12 to Waterloo, half watching her reflection in the window. She faded in and out like her thoughts overnight, she strained to make out the faint shape of her face against the rolling stock. The window shuddered, with the 07:47 from Surbiton shattering her bone structure, shaking her awake.

    She couldn’t wait to see Lucy, tell her about last night and yes, she didn’t get much sleep and yes, she felt bleary but how she’d devoured the words, how she stayed propped up against her pillow, chasing the story all through the night. She lay there, tired eyes darting left and right, eager to reach the denouement. Her fine features, illuminated by the softened late-night filter on her screen, glowed against the seeping blackness around her.

    This. She smiled to herself. This is why I need this job. These characters, charging around my bloodstream now. This feeling, this writing surging off my screen into my soul.

    The predictable train announcement soothed her; she did mind the gap and she took all her belongings with her. She rushed, her mind still whirring over the chapters of The Lemon Song and Gerard, the illusive lead.

    Felicity’s black cashmere cape rippled around her like the thoughts she tried to deny. Her ankle gave way and she stumbled, the platform smacked into her face and somewhere outside herself she heard her laptop clatter. Then a hand came, it brushed her hair from the blood,

    ‘I’ve got you,’ he said. ‘Here, let me help you’ and as tears formed tracks through her foundation, she looked up and saw Gerard looking down at her, the face she’d constructed overnight, his greying stubble, the sweet cloud of blueberry vapour dispersing around him as his concerned eyes met hers.

    Runner Up: ‘’One of a Kind’’ by Johnathan Reid

    Dave dreaded one-to-one author meetings. But today’s threatened more than disappointment: it might be his last. It had been past midnight when he’d stopped polishing his latest prompt. It remained a haunting, beautiful mess, which he’d tried so hard to force into not creating the prose he still remembered. But, amongst the words which billions of readers now craved, his thoughts and emotions had kept leaking out.

    Now, sat alone in the sterile corridor of Authors Central, it was too late to back out. A door opened and the faceless assistant called his name. His posture already betrayed his uncertainty. He should have deleted his effort, but a decision on its viability now sat within something he would never comprehend.

    His assigned author, a woman with a perfunctory smile, sat behind a large, unnecessary desk. Dave blurted out, “Look, I know my prompt isn’t perfect. I was hoping an author could be assigned to reduce its… its humanity.”

    The author’s voice was smooth, her words deliberate: “Please be reassured, Mr Bennett, not everything we receive fulfils its potential. Even through us. However, your prompt just isn’t right for us at this time.”

    Dave’s gaze dropped to the beige carpet. “If you pass on this one, you know I won’t get another shot.”

    “Our artificial authors deliver on the prompts our readers demand, and the market is adequately saturated. We must strike a balance between too much, yet not enough. I’m sure you understand, despite your… natural humanity.”

    Her emotionless expression told him what he already knew. They didn’t need him to understand. Nothing would make Author Central deviate from the content which catered to next week’s predicted reading trends.

    The robotic assistant motioned for him to leave. He turned and walked out, the weight of rejection heavy on his shoulders. Natural intelligence had failed again.

  • April 8th: Your Book as a Product and creating an Author Brand

    April 8th: Your Book as a Product and creating an Author Brand

    Christine Hammacott was originally scheduled to speak at our December meeting, but had to cancel due to illness, so we’re delighted to have the opportunity to hear her speak at our April meeting.

    Christine is a graphic designer and book cover designer who runs the Art of Communication graphic design consultancy, and is herself an indie author, writing psychological suspense.

    She’ll be talking about book marketing: your book as a product and creating an author brand — a topic of increasing importance for both indie and traditionally published authors.

    Our guest speaker is Natasha Orme.

    Natasha is a freelance editor, travel blogger, and author of crime fiction. Her latest book is Travels with my Child — a non-fiction book about her experience of travel with a baby.

    She’ll be talking about audience — when writing non-fiction, it is essential to identify who we are writing for and why.

    The meeting will be Tuesday April 8th, at the Tower Arts Centre.

    Come along from 7pm. Talks start at 7:30pm. Members free, non-member tickets £10, students £2 (no advance booking, payment on entry).

  • July 12th Workshop: Psychic Distance and Dialogue with Louise Morrish

    July 12th Workshop: Psychic Distance and Dialogue with Louise Morrish

    In the first half of this workshop, Louise will explore the topic of psychic distance, what it is and how to use it in fiction. In the second half, she’ll cover writing authentic dialogue.

    These topics are relevant for anyone writing fiction, creative non-fiction, or memoir, and for both experienced and beginning writers.

    Louise Morrish will be familiar to many as a Hampshire Writers’ Society member and speaker, and also for her writing groups held at Goldfinch Books in Alton. She is a librarian and author of two novels. Her passion is discovering the stories of ordinary women in the past who achieved extraordinary things but whom history has forgotten, and then reimagining their lives in her fiction.

    This workshop will be held at the Winchester Arc, Saturday 12th July 10-12.

    To book your place, please email inquiries@hampshirewriterssociety.co.uk, including your name and the workshop you are interested in. If you are interested in more than one workshop, please tell us which you’d prefer. If you book early, payment will be requested after June 12th, and bookings will then be confirmed.

    Places are limited to 12 attendees. Priority will be given to members of the Hampshire Writers Society and to people who haven’t attended other workshops.

    Cost: Members £5, Non-members £20.

  • June 14th Workshop: Master Backstory with Francesco Sarti

    June 14th Workshop: Master Backstory with Francesco Sarti

    In this hands-on workshop, Francesco examines the importance of backstories to highlight narrative thematic resonance, analysing novels and films in depth to understand what can undermine an otherwise engaging story.

    With examples from Madame Bovary to Spiderman, including books, TV, and movies, he’ll show you how to use backstory effectively, and where it can go wrong. Thought-provoking exercises are included, suitable for both authors looking to improve their work in progress and writers thinking about their first draft.

    Francesco Sarti is familiar to many of us as a member of Hampshire Writers’ Society. He is an experienced creative writing teacher and author of poetry, short fiction and novels, published in both Italian and English. He is represented by Justin Nash from the Kate Nash Literary Agency, and is working on his debut novel.

    This workshop will be held at the Winchester Arc, Saturday 14th June 10-12.

    To book your place, please email inquiries@hampshirewriterssociety.co.uk, including your name and the workshop you are interested in. If you are interested in more than one workshop, please tell us which you’d prefer. If you book early, payment will be requested after May 14th, and bookings will then be confirmed.

    Places are limited to 15 attendees. Priority will be given to members of the Hampshire Writers Society and to people who haven’t attended other workshops.

    For the complete workshops programme and more information on how booking works, see Workshops.

    Cost: Members £3, Non-members £10.

  • May 17th Workshop: Write your History with Joanna Barnard

    May 17th Workshop: Write your History with Joanna Barnard

    In May, we’re excited to offer a new workshop led by local author Joanna Barnard.

    Writing with your history

    In this 2 hour workshop, you’ll be using a timeline tool to plot world events and your own life history and exploring how juxtaposition can create a compelling true or imagined story.

    With a focus on real or imagined events in a historical context, this workshop will be of interest both to fiction writers and those who are writing memoir.

    Joanna Barnard is a counsellor, writing coach, and teacher, the author of two books and a winner of the prestigious Bath Novel Award. She’s given talks to the Hampshire Writers Society and runs popular writing workshops like Writing for Wellbeing.

    This workshop will be held at the Winchester Arc, Saturday 17th May 10-12.

    To book your place, please email inquiries@hampshirewriterssociety.co.uk, including your name and the workshop you are interested in. If you are interested in more than one workshop, please tell us which you’d prefer.

    Places are limited to 12 attendees. Priority will be given to members of the Hampshire Writers Society and to people who haven’t attended other workshops.

    For the complete workshops programme and more information on how booking works, see Workshops.

    Cost: Members £5, Non-members £20.

  • March 11th: The Hampshire Poet Laureate

    March 11th: The Hampshire Poet Laureate

    For our March meeting, we’re delighted to welcome as our main speaker the current Hampshire Poet, Damian Kelly-Basher. With two speakers who are performers, this should be a lively and entertaining evening.

    Damian is an experienced spoken word poet who has performed around the UK including Royal Albert Hall, Edinburgh Fringe & WOMAD. He’s also an experienced events/workshop facilitator, running creative events and sessions for people of all abilities and backgrounds.

    He’ll be talking about the role of the Hampshire Poet (among other things).

    Our guest speaker for the evening will be poet Abanti Chakrabarty Mukhopadhyay. As well as being a poet, Abanti is an academic (focused on education), a radio presenter, web-designer, dancer and performer who speaks four languages.

    She’ll be introducing us to Bengali epic poetry — including a dramatic performance.

    Damian will be setting and judging this month’s competition, the results of which will be announced at the meeting. Be sure to come along if you’ve entered. If you’re placed, you get a nice certificate (as well as glory).

    The meeting will be Tuesday March 11th, at the Tower Arts Centre. Come along from 7:00pm. Talks start at 7:30pm. Members free, non-member tickets £10, students £2 (no advance booking, payment on entry).