Woking Writers Circle meeting at Strollers on Thursday 21 September 2017

 

Present: Tricia, Heather, Shaun, Liz, Peter, Alan, Ramzan, Carla.

Apologies: Hilary, Greg, Cathy, Sarah DD, Sarah SH, Dermot.

 

News

The centenary of the first world war is being marked in Surrey with a community literature project called Learning to Fly , with workshops where people can access to archive material to write something based around this. Peter said that he suggested that WWC members might be able to write something without the need to attend the workshops. He is inquiring into this and will keep us updated via email.

Alan had written a play Pyrford Stone for radio which is not being produced, as was intended. He said he would be happy to offer it to any interested parties to enable it to be performed. He is currently proofreading his book which has been taken up by a publisher.

Heather has published a new cat book.

South 56 have accepted a poem by Carla. She will be reading this in Newbury on 10 October at 7.30pm.

Shaun is now in the top 2000 Amazon authors list.

Liz reported back on the latest reading group book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  Generally, it was enjoyed but Liz struggled with the employment of the continuous present throughout the book. A discussion on this ensued and it was agreed, that like any other technique if it was well done it could work.

Liz brought a card so we could all wish Dermot a speedy recovery as he is still unwell.

 

Readings

Deadline: by Tricia

A gory story of murder where a repressed young man turns on women who look like Barbie dolls following the death of his mother. The final image has a row of women pegged to the washing line, hence the title. Shaun said that he liked the fact that clichés were not used too much, but suggested ditching “thick and fast” He also commented that criminals do not speak to journalists for fear of reprisals. Dialogue could have been included more to reduce the long tracts of prose.

Deadline: by Ramzan

This was based on a trip to the cinema where the narrator watched Raid on Entebbe and how this compared with a visit he made many years later to that same airport. This was made more poignant as Idi Amin holds a significant place in the memory of all the Asians he forced out of Uganda in 1972, including the narrator’s own family. His interest in the Israeli missions was also highlighted. People commented that they liked the calm controlled storytelling, history with a personal touch. A discussion ensued about the Israeli conflicts and Idi Amin generally and Peter mentioned a girl who is doing a project in Leicester based on the stories of Asian families affected by these events.

A Steep Learning Curve: by Heather

Another hilarious tale about Heathers mother, whose very individual personality provided the listeners with endless amusement, people thought Heather should turn these anecdotes into a book. Very well written in a style that really suited the content. More of the same please. A lovely piece of writing.

Blurb for new book We are being Lied to – The war on Drugs – by Shaun

Shaun asked for feedback on the rewording of the blurb. Lots of different suggestions were made, consideration given to the reference to colour, and whether this should be mentioned or not. “Blistering expose” was thought to be quite powerful.

My Daughter’s Graduation:  by Carla

Carla chose this because it was to do with deadlines as her daughter worked on her final piece. There was clear evidence of the pride the whole family felt both in the lead-up and at the actual event. The writing flowed well and although the use of English was not always accurate, some people felt this added to the piece whilst others that it detracted a little. Some people did not think that the type of degree was clear, it could have been more succinct. A beautiful journey between mother and daughter was outlined in this well-written prose.

Jock: by Liz

A tale about one of Liz’s husband’s work colleague who, having always been portrayed as a notorious character who did not mince his words, turned out to be quite the opposite when Liz finally met him. However, she did tell us that he had recently had a major health scare so possibly this could have softened his outlook somewhat. Shaun liked the sentence referring to tattoos and suggested that there was one nervously too much and this detracted from the powerful description. People suggested that maybe Liz could do a collection of such characters. Alan liked the heavy no nonsense women and saw a possibility for some interesting contrasts; the use of alliteration was liked. Heather would have liked more detail, especially about the environment.

Vested Interest: by Alan

Alan’s action-packed tale was full of pace as poor Craig rushes to complete his task before the deadline, otherwise his suicide vest will explode. Full of twists and turns, with a final twist.  The countdown really added to the excitement of the piece. Alan said he had started without this and the impact was better with it. The use of language was very tight, no wasted words, and descriptions such as “blackened teeth like rotten fence posts” and “heartbeat crashing against his ribs” were commented on. Alan manages to evoke real tension in this piece.

 

Next meeting: 19 October 2017

Topic: Friendship

Chair: Tricia

Minutes: Heather

Wine: Carla

Milk and biscuits: Liz