the writer is a lonely hunter

writing by Gail Aldwin and other authors

Jun 16

First 3 pages of a novel: adjudication

by gailaldwin

It’s the Winchester Writers’ Conference on Friday and I submitted How to be Brave into the first 3 pages of a novel competition. Shortlisted entries will be posted at the conference on Saturday morning and winners announced in the evening. So, it was with some surprise that I received the adjudication to my entry yesterday. Actually, the feedback is quite handy as I can work it into my pitch when I meet publishers and agents during the one-to-one sessions I’ve booked.

Here is my elevator pitch for the story:

How to be Brave uses an alternating narrative style to show how misplaced childhood guilt impacts on adult life.

Here is an extract from the feedback:

This story has a unique premise which feels quite current and commercial and the two timelines is always a clever way to show backstory and help your readers really understand your characters.

There were also comments on things I need to address, so it’s giving me more direction on moving forwards.

I’ll let you know how I get on at the conference in my next post.

 

 

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Jun 12

Writing places: a new project

by gailaldwin
Thomas Hardy's Cottage

Thomas Hardy’s Cottage

The National Trust, Literature Works and the Poetry Archive have formed a new partnership to offer to offer a programme of events celebrating the literary heritage of the South West. The launch of the programme was held on 2 July (the birth date of Thomas Hardy) at Max Gate. As an invited guests, I toured the house, listened to Andrew Motion read from a forthcoming collection of poetry and found out more about the project. Five National Trust properties with strong literary connections, including Max Gate and Hardy’s Cottage,  will have professional writers appointed to act as writers-in-residence. The purpose is to explore ‘the domestic lives of some of the country’s greatest writers, revealing how the houses and landscape that they loved inspired them to create their masterpieces, and how these places continue to be relevant today’.  A programme of workshops and events will be developed so that writers and visitors can contribute to the project. Find out about developments as the programmes progress by visiting the Writing Places blog.

As a result of the launch, I’ve discovered it’s well worth visiting the Poetry Archive.  I spent a delightful couple of hours listening to poets read from their work. By following  a tour of the archive with Mark Grist and David Almond (there are many tours to choose from), I was introduced to new poetry, which I loved. The experience encouraged me to try my hand a writing a poem – the first one since school days!

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Jun 5

Representing the Tudors, an interdisciplinary conference

by gailaldwin

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Join this weekend conference at the University of South Wales (Treforest Campus, Pontypridd) to find out more about how the Tudors are represented in popular culture. Images of the famous monarchs, Henry VIII and Elizabeth 1, abound  and have a particular resonance in the arts, literature, the media. At the conference, historical novelists Vanora Bennett, Suzannah Dunn and Elizabeth Fremantle will talk about their work and read from their books. Panel sessions include:

  • television and the Tudors
  • writing fiction
  • constructing an image
  • shaping the past in the present

Click here, for further information. The price for attending the full conference (including 2 nights accommodation and food) is £120. Postgraduates/unwaged pay £60. If you can’t attend the whole event, there are various options.

I look forward to seeing you there!

 

 

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May 30

How to find a pen name

by gailaldwin

At one particularly difficult writing group meeting, when I yet again presented the synopsis of my novel for discussion, a fellow writer told me that it wasn’t worth bothering with a synopsis, as I was too old to be published! Although I am probably one of the youngest members of the group, there is a grain of truth in the comment. Many of the debut novelists that I follow, some now into their second or third book, do have youth on their side. This got me thinking.

Chuck Palahniuk’s advice, which I’ve written about here, suggests getting an author photograph taken while young, and reuse it frequently. Not that I am young or that I’ve done anything about this, but the idea remains. Another problem is my name. Many first names are indicative of the timeframe of birth and although Gail was never a particularly popular name, it does have echoes of the 1960s. Indeed, when I checked this out, I found that Gail was the 94th most popular name in America in 1961.  If you click on the screenshot that follows and insert the information required, you can find out what your name would be today, according to the ranking of popularity for your year of birth.

Read the rest of this entry »

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May 18

Blogs to follow

by gailaldwin

I have been doing a little work for the Dorset Writers’ Network in compiling a list of blogs to support flash fiction writers. You can find the link by clicking here. In the process, I reflected on the blogs which I find helpful and came up with the following. This is not an exhaustive list, just a taster of what’s out there. If you have any blogs you’d like to recommend, please let me know by clicking here to contact me. Enjoy!

I first became interested in writers’ blogs after attending a social media workshop delivered by Emma Newman. I wanted to gain ideas for promoting my writing and reporting on writing progress through a blog. Emma suggested following a few blogs before launching myself onto the web and I duly took her advice. I still find Emma’s blog worth reading and it’s especially pertinent for writers working in the genre of young adult fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction and the science fiction and fantasy genre.

Em’s place

http://www.enewman.co.uk/blog

A particularly useful blog which promotes free to enter writing competitions is offered by Patsy Collins. She has an established reputation for writing short stories published in women’s magazines.

Patsy Collins – words about writing and writing about words

http://patsy-collins.blogspot.co.uk

Patsy has also taken over the popular womag writer’s blog so you can learn more here:

http://www.womagwriter.blogspot.co.uk

Emma Darwin attended the same part-time, distance learning MPhil studies in creative writing that I’m currently undertaking with the University of South Wales. She now has two well-received historical novels published and offers an erudite blog to support others.

This Itch of Writing

http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/

In terms of poetry, Josephine Corcoran’s blog has a substantial following. Her recently published pamphlet, The Misplaced House, is now available and she writes regular posts about the process of writing.

Josephine Corcoran

https://josephinecorcoran.wordpress.com

Joanne Philips is a prolific indie writer. She has self-published romantic fiction, a collection of short stories and the Flora Lively Mystery series. To find out how she achieved this success, see:

A writer’s journey

https://joannegphillips.wordpress.com/blog

I always look forward to reading posts on Helen Yendall’s blog. She writes about the trials of trying to make progress as a writer within the context of a busy life. Her posts are funny and informative.

Blog about Writing

https://blogaboutwriting.wordpress.com

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May 9

From page to stage workshop and performance

by gailaldwin

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I’ve been attending workshop facilitation training with the Lit Up Writers’ Pool since the beginning of 2015. It’s provided a fascinating opportunity to share practice and receive training on working with a range of groups in a variety of settings. The participants are hugely talented and come from many different writing backgrounds including novelists, poets, playwrights, performance poets and more. Please find below information about an event that is being hosted by members of the Lit Up Writers’ Pool. There are workshops for adults and children aged 7-15 years and the opportunity to showcase your work at an event in the evening. Do go along – I’m sure it will be lots of fun.

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FROM PAGE TO STAGE

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

Write, develop and refine a poem, rap, story, song, short play and perform it in The Talent Showcase that same evening.

Price: £7-50

Where: At the Twisted Teapot, 16 Sea Road, BH5 1DB

When: 30th of May 2015 workshop from 13-30pm to 15-30pm and Talent Showcase from 18-30pm to 22-30pm

Also workshop for  7 to 15 years old

Write, develop and refine a poem, rap, story, song, short play and perform it in The Talent Showcase that same evening.

Price: £5

Where: At the Twisted Teapot, 16 Sea Road, BH5 1DB

When: 30th of May 2015 workshop from 13-30pm to 15-30pm and Talent Showcase from 18-30pm to 22-30pm

For further information contact: sistermym@yahoo.co.uk and Facebook Myriam Word Maker

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Mar 23

Weaving it Real

by gailaldwin

See Jayne’s Skellett’s wonderful display currently at Bournemouth Library. Weaving it Real brings together ideas around identity through the work of local writers (including me!). There is a huge wall display, images and biographies lining the staircase and bookcases with mounted work. Here are a couple of photographs:

 

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There is also a table of prompts to help get you started with your own ideas. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a look.

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Jan 17

Lit Up with time, place and action in writing

by gailaldwin

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I have joined a course of CPD to support skills in creative writing workshop delivery and facilitation. The programme is organised by Lit Up! with 16 sessions offered by Simon McCormack. With two session already completed, I thought I’d share one of the activities I’ve developed.

Participants were asked to think about time, place and action in writing. Frequently, it is possible to combine two of these elements and Gun fight at the OK Corral was given as an example. The idea made me reflect on product placement as an effective way to:

  • give a timeframe for writing
  • provide an insight into the setting
  • allow readers to know more about the characters

Examples of product placements might include Pressure Cooker, Sherbet Lemons, Vim Scouring Powder.

I was reminded of the powerful effect of product placement when I reread the following extract from The Devil’s Music by Jane Rushbridge.

Janice brings a tray with tea in a teapot and four lemon puffs on a plate. The ritual of pouring – milk jug, strainer, sugar cubes and tongs, the teaspoon stirring – steadies you, but one bite of Lemon Puff and the nausea washes through you again. The teaspoon clatters down in the saucer and you ask Janice where you can go to powder your nose.

Although the story is set in 1958 (before I was born), I can taste those Lemon Puffs.

For the purpose of using this activity in a workshop, I would ask participants to list products that bring time and place to mind and use one or two as a prompt for story writing.

Anyone game to give this activity a go?

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Jan 11

Launch of Dorset’s Digital Stories with Natasha Solomons

by gailaldwin

The Dorset Writers’ Network is running a competition for local writers. The aim is to produce an e-book with stories up to 500 words each which reflect the diversity of the county. Workshops to support new writing are scheduled at rural locations during January and February. Further details can be found here.

To celebrate the launch of the competition, Natasha Solomons has been invited to talk about her books and her writing journey. She lives in Dorset and has written novels that are set in the county. Her first novel Mr Rosenblum’s List was shortlisted for the Galaxy National Book Awards, and tells the story of  an immigrant trying to settle in England after the Second World War.  The Novel in the Viola is based in the now abandoned Dorset village of Tyneham, and follows the lives  of service staff at Tyneford House. Natasha’s most recent novel is called The Gallery of Vanished Husbands which shares the experiences of Juliet Montague following the disappears of her husband.

This is a FREE event!

Saturday 24 January 2015 at 2:30pm

Dorchester Library and Learning Centre

Charles Street, Dorchester

Advance booking is required – please telephone 01305 224440

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Jan 4

Social Media for Writers with the Dorset Writers’ Network.

by gailaldwin

A new challenge for the new year – get to grips with social media!

Saturday 10th January 2015

10.30am  – 3.00pm

Winfrith Village Hall, Winfrith Newburgh, Dorset, DT2 8LR. Click here for location details and further information about the venue.

The morning session will give you the opportunity to explore how to use social media to promote your writing with Liz Gordon of brilliantfish. brilliantfish works with writers through all stages of the publishing process and uses their expertise to provide excellent support for writers entering the world of publication.

Lunch will be provided and there will be time for networking.

During the short afternoon session, the updated Dorset Writers’ Network website will be shared. Please have a look and contribute to the discussion about what your want from the site.

Cost £7.50 (including lunch)

Please book early as this is likely to be a popular session. Further details and a booking form is available from sue@dorsetwritersnetwork.co.uk

 

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