WOKING WRITERS CIRCLE MEETING, 21 October 2021, St Mary’s Church Hall, Horsell

Apologies: Alix, Alan, Melanie, Heather, Sarah DD, Amanda, Peter.

Present: Emily, Greg, Hilary, Liz, Carla, Tricia.

News:

Emily has been offered an internship with a new lifestyle magazine reviewing afternoon teas. This sounds like a marvellous learning opportunity. We all look forward to hearing more about this exciting venture.

Greg’s poetry collection Marples Must Go! has been published. It includes a sequence of five poems about the Sean Henry statues in Woking, and there has been an article about the book in the Woking News & Mail headlined “Poet creates back-stories for town centre’s famous statues” – a very favourable piece. A fellow poet has also made a short film starring Greg and four of the statues that can be seen on YouTube.  Fellow WWC member Carla has reviewed Greg’s book for the online literary quarterly London Grip.  

Carla’s article titled ‘Intertextuality in The Handmaid’s Tale’ has gone through a rigorous peer-review process and has been accepted for publication in The American Review of Canadian Studies. Carla will let us know when it has been published.

Can everyone have a think about a Christmas Gathering. We could hire the hall as usual, but please come to November’s meeting with some ideas.

Readings:

Tricia read another instalment of her pandemic saga. This focused on a coma patient awakening and having no experience or understanding of the Covid virus that made her sick. The consensus was that this would work well as a starting point for the whole story and that her awakening should be more gradual.

Carla read a poem, ‘Variable conditions’, inspired by a walk near a lovely, ruined castle in a windswept area of the Northumbrian coast. The poem was highly regarded, and Carla’s use of language was positively commented upon. The first verse conjured up images of a beautiful memory shared. There was much discussion about the breeze waving through the clothes and how maybe another word would suit better. “The landscape” slashed was very evocative.

Greg read his poem ‘Just Desserts’. This was a hilarious tale of revenge “best served cold” from Greg’s youthful days where an old neighbour who complained about Greg and his flatmates entertaining their girlfriends overnight got his  ‘Just Desserts’ through the letterbox – puds galore. It was funny and very well crafted, the use of both French and Italian desserts and the rat-tat-splat. Very much enjoyed by all. Liz suggested that the word ‘that’ could be replaced with ‘We’d’.

Emily read another part of her romantic novel. The piece focused on the boredom experienced by the main character with family life and her hankering after “Jack”. The feeling was that this needed to be more fleshed out with added details, and more showing rather than telling. Suggestions were made as to how this might be achieved, such as confidences with a friend at toddler group, and dialogue between her and the partner.

Liz gave treated us to another chapter in her diary of a somebody. This is based on Liz’s own journal writings. It was generally felt that elements that included dreams and a recent retirement and the changes that had brought about, were very insightful and of much interest and that it would be good to have one or two themes that ran through the whole diary rather than every little element. This would provide a more cohesive narrative.  The piece was generally enjoyed.

Hilary read another chapter in her novel about Linnet. This centred on her childhood friendship with a girl called Rosa, which came unstuck because of Linnet’s conflicting emotions in coming to terms with her parents’ separation and her father’s alcoholism. Somewhat innocently Rosa comments on the father begging outside Lidl and the pair argue. By the time Linnet realises the importance of the friendship, her friend has left town. This was powerfully written, and the tension was palpable. It was a good introduction to why Linnet has such difficulties with her relationships. The emotions described felt very authentic and drew you in to the character.

Next meeting: Thursday November 18 at St Mary’s church hall, Horsell

Jobs:

Wine: Carla

Minutes: Greg

Chair: Tricia

Can someone bring milk and biscuits, please.