We are a long established Writers Circle based in Felixstowe, Suffolk. This Weblog will be about us, Writing, Writing Competitions, Writing in Felixstowe, life and generally what we are up to as a Group and individuals and what interests us.
We are based in Felixstowe but our membership comes both from a wide area within Suffolk and we also have many 'online' members from around the UK, Europe and the US.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Please note our New! contact address is scribblers@btinternet.com . Please note all previous email addresses are now defunct.
Our next meeting is approaching rapidly. Tuesday 3rd July, 7.30pm in the Café Libra at the Library. Commencing at 7.30 pm, we have a 500 word homwork theme of rain,rein or even reign. How appropriate with some of the weather we have been having, mind you we luckily escaped the deluges that other parts of the country, notably Yorkshire, have suffered. Perhaps this provides an element for the homework....?
The 1,500 word work will be provided by Liliane and Tony....
Through this email I know that we should be congratulating Scott and Aimee on their wedding tomorrow, Saturday 30th June. Wishing them lovely weather, a memorable day and a loving future together.
Did anyone spot brave young Liam Fairhurst being interviewed on GM TV this morning? There was a picture of Jack with Kai, his dog. Brought a lump to the throat. Liam will be attending William and Harry's Concert in memory of their mother.
Until Tuesday when we will be in competition with Rod Steward who is appearing at Portman Road, Ipswich,
Here it is! Gordon's daughter has beaten him to it!
"Isabel"
by Karen Rosario
Somewhere, in the middle of a fallen island, a dreamer and her creator are falling in love... To any ordinary person, Isabel is alluring and captivating and so delightfully pretty. However, as you will discover, there are very few ordinary people in this story. Very few spoons too. And just one unicorn... This is a story for dreamers; for those who would like to study hard but find themselves consumed with thoughts of flying... If you like this story, tell someone. (If you know me and want to buy the book from me in person just let me know! This is the larger version, pocketbook is also available)
Playwright, local actor and valued member of Felixstowe Scribblers, Tony Shearman became the inaugural winner of The Bill Budner Trophy with his short story "Stevie and the Kid".
The idea for the competition that will be run quarterly, is for each attending writer to produce an anonymous short story that would be collected and read out by another Scribbler. At the end of the readings, each writer then votes for their first three choices. The votes are then counted, the winner announced and the trophy accordingly engraved.
Awarded in memory of Bill Budner, a Felixstowe Scribbler who died suddenly on Tuesday 14th February 2006. Bill joined Felixstowe Scribblers in August of 2005 and quickly made a lot of friends within the group. He enjoyed his writing and produced some prolific words in his short stories. His mild manner and quiet voice vividly portrayed every word that he wrote.
Away from Scribblers Bill was a lay preacher heavily involved with church affairs having taken on the role of editor for the St Mary's Church, [Walton] magazine and had spoken of many vibrant ideas for improvement.
Sadly Bill was unable to see his plans through as he passed so suddenly. He left a wife and family in shock and mourning and the Felixstowe Scribblers shared their grief.
Bill's wife Maureen sponsored writing competitions in his memory for adults and children awarding cash prizes for the top three stories in each category. The adult section winner, Belinda Janz, a Scribbler now back home in Australia, donated her winnings to the purchase of the new trophy. The junior section winner, Rosemary Woolley has since joined the Scribblers and produced some incredible work for one so young.
Apologies for absence were received from Lisa, Louis, Alex and Les.
In attendance were Liz, Rosemary, Barry, Tony, Morag, Liliane, Ken, Ruth, Peter, and Dave.
Welcome to Liz who found the Scribblers under creative writers on her search engine. Nice to know we’re out there in cyberspace! Liz hails from Felixstowe but has spent the last ten years in London before recently returning to Suffolk. An unpublished writer she enjoys short stories and thoroughly enjoys historical work.
Scribblers News:
Lisa was very apologetic in a phone call having to miss another meeting. Her baby sitter is unwell and that means another meeting on the sidelines. She is hoping to resume next time.
Louis emailed from London to explain that he was in a business meeting that was expected to last until 5.30 and, as he had driven in, would mean facing the traffic congestion of London’s rush hour.
As explained last meeting ‘Walkies’ Les is away dog-sitting in Kessingland but should be back next meeting
Alex texted pre-meeting that he was attending the Pulse Festival in Ipswich and would miss the meeting. It will be nice to hear a report of the plays, the scripts or story lines at our next meeting.
Good friend Gordon has emailed to say that his daughter Karen has self-published a book called “Isabel” which he describes as a fantasy. She used http://www.lulu.com/uk where you can set your own selling price with the service apparently costing nothing. Copies are produced on a print on demand basis which means avoiding having scores of copies laying around unsold. Gordon was most impressed with the production and delivery of the book. There is a downloadable version which would work out cheaper than the printed version. Karen, he says, has also a “home made” CD of songs she composed and performed with friends from Leeds University and this also on sale on Lulu. Go to http://www.lulu.com/uk and type in Karen Rosario for details.
Caz sends her wishes to Scribblers - she says she isn’t strong enough to resume yet, but has this message to say about young Liam Fairhurst who began fund raising in memory of Jack. Liam, also a cancer sufferer, has now surpassed the £100,000 mark raising funds for the children’s cancer care charity CLIC Sargent . A full report of his fantastic achievement was recently published in the Ely edition of the Cambridge Evening News. You can read this article here Liam has already received a Princess Diana Award, been invited as a special guest to William and Harry’s Concert in memory of their mother and been named the Most Courageous Child in the Cambridge Evening News community awards. Liam has a website at www.justgiving.com/liamsmile
Congratulations to Morag who has just sold a story to People’s Friend, six months after submitting it! Patience is obviously a virtue. Morag mentioned that she had spent a rewarding day with Maureen Blundell on a script writing course. Maureen, who, incidentally, helped Ruth with her first novel, runs an editing service and courses which she will tailor for either a day or a weekend to suit your writing needs. Maureen’s has a website called Liberato Morag’s day at Polstead Lodge cost £60, including lunch and a very comprehensive critique of her work included in the price.
Ruth was invited to speak at a Literary Lunch in Assington along with another local author, Tessa West. The lunch, in aid of the Somebody’s Daughter Appeal, was quite expensive at £35 and had a disappointing low number of bookings.
A reminder that Scott and Aimee’s big day rapidly approaches. They marry on Saturday 30th June and all the Scribbler's and their partners are invited to the reception at the Brook Hotel, Felixstowe from 7:00pm. Here’s hoping the sun will shine on them for a memorable day. So Congratulations and Good Luck!
Margareta has sent her best wishes to the group from her home in Vienna and asks to be remembered to all her friends at Scribblers.
THE BILL BUDNER TROPHY
Ruth brought along the gleaming Bill Budner Trophy, a silver cup, supplied by Scott’s firm, Mr Cobbler and appropriately engraved. It was presented to our first winner, Tony, by Dave. Tony will hold the cup until the next competition which will be in approximately three months time. Well done Tony! AN AUSTRALIAN GUEST
Following on from the communication with Chris Shaw in Australia, we discussed his attendance at our meeting on July 17th and agreed that after the general introductions, we will allocate one of the 1,500 word slots to him at the start of the meeting. The work is the first short story that Chris has written. Entitled ‘Happy Anniversary’, he would appreciate some feedback and then have a chat with members during our coffee break.
THE SUMMER SOCIAL - A BEACH PARTY … again!
Hoping for warmer weather than last year and also for a drier time than we are currently experiencing. The date has been agreed and the party be held on Tuesday 24th July at 7.30pm. It will be on the beach next to Ruth’s hut which is between the Spa Pavilion and The Alex. Those attending are asked to bring along some light refreshments, nibbles and the like. If any members are musically inclined and have a guitar then perhaps we could have a bit of a musical interlude too. Bring along some written work if you wish, and perhaps we will try building a story - or failing that sandcastles or, more likely, a rockery!
Don’t forget to keep an eye on our weblog, it will be updated more often than of late so you may find some items of interest there: - http://nar8or.blogspot.com
The there is the Online Scribblers site at http://onlinescribblers.com, essentially for those unable to attend meetings.
The 1,500 Word Homework Assignment:
Peter : My Dad and Me : Describing the relationship with his father, working as a blacksmith and then on a farm before setting up his own business.
Ruth : The James Version (the extract that won a competition leading to self-publication) : Ann helping Maria Marten get ready for a date with William Corder.
The 500 word homework assignment on ‘Steps’.
Ken : Steps : Excerpt from a novel about an atheist who dies and is sent back to earth and the steps to convince people that God exists.
Liliane : A selection from ‘Day of Moving In’: Another intriguing family tale.
Morag : Retracing his steps : Young man moving a bookcase for his grandmother and making himself late for his date.
Tony : The Monastery (Perry Trachett): A tongue in cheek spoof.
Barry : Steps : About the Spanish Steps in Rome. Antonio sees beautiful red-haired woman on steps and uses her for his sculpture, the Cupid and Psyche statue.
Rosemary : Habits (her fifth attempt at the subject) : Locked out of the house she sits on the steps. Turns out to be a burglar! There is a storm, a flash of lightening, she counts to two and the thunder rolls (now we don’t quite know how Rosie stage managed this but at the exact time and the exact count the lightening flashed and the thunder rolled over Felixstowe!)
Dave : Holiday Home : Couple hear an unknown intruder, husband goes to look - ghostly goings on.
THANKYOU to Morag for chairing the meeting and taking the notes.
Our next Felixstowe Scribblers meeting is set for Tuesday 3rd July at 7.30pm in the Café Libra at the Library and will be chaired by Dave.
The homework assignment is to write 500 words maximum on “RAIN / REIN / REIGN”.
The 1500 word work will feature work by Tony and Liliane.
Face2Face with Tony Jordan -------------------------- In addition to having been a lead scriptwriter and storyline consultant on EastEnders for many years, Tony Jordan created the hit TV shows Hustle and Holby Blue, and is the co-creator of Life on Mars.
BBC writersroom in association with The Royal Court Theatre are holding an open and free event in London on the 11 July 2007, where Tony will talk with Kate Rowland, the BBC's Creative Director of New Writing, about creating, writing, and sustaining popular television drama series. http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/insight/tony_jordan.shtml
A reminder that our next meeting takes place this coming Tuesday, 19th June in the Café Libra at Felixstowe Library. Commencing at 7.30 pm, the 500 word homework topic is 'Step(s)'. The 1,500 open themed homework will be created by Louis and Peter.
A quick note from Caz informs me that Jack's friend Liam has now raised a tremendous £95,290 for CLIC Sargent to go towards providing a holiday home for those poor children and parents needing a much deserved respite from their usual surroundings. Ironically we hear this weekend of many deserved people on the Queen's honours list, and this makes me wonder if young Liam should be recognised in some way for his wonderful fund raising efforts.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend and hope to see you all on Tuesday.
Arts Council YouWriteOn.com is a free site which started in January 2006 and we would like to invite you and all interested writers in your group to join.
We are funded by the UK Arts Council to help new fiction writers develop through feedback from fellow writers, with free Arts Council funded professional critiques each month for the highest rated new writers from editors for leading literary agents and publishers, including editors for Curtis Brown, Orion and Bloomsbury, who represent authors such as J K Rowling, Ian Rankin and David Lodge. Our affiliated agents also include The Christopher Little Agency, and Sheil Land. Please click on the following link to view the site: www.youwriteon.com We also have a Book of the Year Award competition and several of our first year winners have received interest and representation from leading agents and publishers.
YouWriteOn.com's premise is simple, members upload opening chapters or short stories, and their stories receive reviews and ratings to help writers develop their stories. Each month the five highest rated stories receive a free professional critique from one of our literary professionals. To view details of all our literary professionals, please visit the following link or view our About Us page:
We can also exchange website links if your group has a website and wishes to, as our aim is also to encourage members into community writing groups . We will be introducing poetry to the site in the future, and there will be free critiques from poetry professionals.
I hope you and your fellow writers may be interested in joining.
Apologies for absence were received from Ruth, Lisa, Morag, Dick, Judy, Ken, Alex, Zoe and Les.
In attendance were Rosemary, Kay, Liliane, Trish, Barry, Tony, Peter, Louis and Dave.
Scribblers News:
The Scribblers had their lowest attendance for a number of years, perhaps a worrying sign after the massive attendances two years ago. Attendances have been fairly steady since then but the question has to be asked why our attendances have dropped off? Is there an underlying cause? Should we be concerned?
The answer really speaks for itself.
Morag and Dick were on holiday, Judy is out sailing, Ken delayed by work, Les dog sitting at Kessingland, Ruth meeting up with a University friend, Alex under the weather and Lisa almost forgetting her wedding anniversary! Zoe was unavailable. Kate is still recuperating from her operation whilst Caz still needs time before feeling able to attend meetings again. Then there is Scott currently out on dancing lessons and preparing for his fast approaching marriage to Aimee.
Perhaps things aren’t really as bleak as initially thought!
Mind you there is enthusiasm out there for there are whispered reports that both Les and Lisa arrived for the meeting the previous week…
After all this it was nice to welcome Louis back Scribblers. His work does interfere with his ability to attend meetings. Something that affects us all at times.
The cheque from Maureen Budner for Belinda’s donated prize money has been received and passed to Peter for banking and also to send a receipt to Maureen. It was such a lovely thought to hold the competition in the first place and then to have the winner donate the money to our group was fantastic.
I am sure that both Maureen and Belinda will be extremely pleased to know that this has gone to the provision of a silver cup that has been engraved with The Bill Budner Trophy and also the name of the fist winner - Tony. The cup will be presented at our next meeting.
Other news:
Received a recent email out that will interest the Scribblers. It reads
“Greetings Dave and to your fellow scribblers! My name is Chris Shaw and I live in Cairns, Far North Queensland in Australia.
“A very quick introduction: I was born and brought up in Felixstowe, went to Fram College, did Pharmacy, worked in London, went to West Indies for seven years, and now live with my Librarian wife Rebecca in a suburb called Lake Placid, just outside Cairns.
“In 2001-2002 we spent 12 months in UK, with me doing Locum pharmacy work and spending some quality time with my ageing parents. I wrote some newsletters back to friends in Cairns, about where we had been, and when I got back I put them all together and came up with around 40,000 words! Since writing a two page letter had been a chore in the past, I felt very pleased. The upshot of that was, that I have continued writing, well, yes, scribbling really, and I have found that I enjoy it no end.
“This is the climax! I will be in Felixstowe from around 8/9th July to about 20th July, which includes one of your Tuesday meetings, and I would be very happy to attend. May I be invited? I should really like to meet you and chat, and, since I haven’t really exposed my work to the public, I would value your opinion on a piece or two, if time permits
“The reason for my flying visit across the globe is that my dear Father is turning 100 on 13th July and really, I should be there. I may have to do it all again in a couple of years since Mother is 98 and looks like holding out!
So that’s my intro, and I have to congratulate Alex on the beautiful and easy website.
“Cheers,
Chris and Rebecca.”Now that really is a good reason for flying into Britain - to celebrate your father’s 100th birthday, isn’t it? I have replied to Chris inviting him to one of our meetings and have suggested that maybe he joins Online Scribblers to post some of his work for feedback. I’m sure the organiser Vincent will welcome him into the fold. Another good reason for the online group is that it does provide the ability to keep in touch when unable to attend meetings. Go to http://onlinescribblers.com
I am now able to post again on the weblog so updates will be provided from time to time and certainly will want them to be posted at least once a week. Watch this space - or better still go to http://nar8or.blogspot.com
News of the summer social will follow at our next meeting.
The Homework Assignment:
This was another special evening with both winning stories from the Bill Budner competition being read out by Rosemary and Kay on behalf of Belinda.
Rosemary: “Driftwood”: An excellent work full of metaphors, inspired by the sea from under the pier. The story concerned a girl who lost her father went into foster care.
Belinda (read by Kay): “Miss Sandy Shores Mid Life Crisis”: Another excellent work. Written in the first person this is a story relating the stunning affair between the beach and the sea.
The 500 word homework assignment on ‘Bottles’.
Liliane: The Last Wish - The 91 year old buried with a bottle of gin.
Trish: Henry Moore Wished and a poem - Written in the wake of sisters visit.
Barry: Bottle - A narrative, feeding the parrot.
Kay: Bottle - A Japanese Tanker, a poem containing 31 syllables.
Tony: Ambush - Hiding in the bushes, sent down the hill by Grebslrac .
Peter: Glass Chatter - Dialogue between bottles.
Louis: The Message Reads - Billy and Mikey and the message in the bottle.
Rosemary: To Top It All - Arthur tries to open the bottle.
Dave: A Foggy Night in Newcastle - mystery of the old disappearing soldier..
Our next Felixstowe Scribblers meeting is set for Tuesday 19th June at 7.30pm in the Café Libra at the Library and will be chaired by Morag.
The homework assignment is to write 500 words maximum on “STEP(S)”.
Winning Lines from the Bill Budner Competition at Tuesday's meeting
Hi Scribblers,
Just a reminder that the next meeting takes place tomorrow evening, Tuesday 5th June in the Café Libra at the Library. Commencing at 7.30 the homework theme is 500 words on 'Bottle(s)'.
The long work will be from our two winners of the Bill Budner competition. First Rosemary the winner of the young people's section and then Belinda's story that will be read out by Kay. It promises to be another very intersting evening!
Interested? Then why not join us at one of our meetings?
We meet on the First and Third Tuesday of each month at the Felixstowe Library in Crescent Road, Felixstowe, IP11 7BY., meetings start at 7.30 pm and we endeavour to be finished by 10pm.
The New!2009 programme is:-
All meetings are held at Felixstowe Library
Start at 7.30 pm and finish by 10.00 pm.
Suggested 50 pence donation per meeting, includes tea or coffee
January
20 Bill Budner Trophy – Anonymous competition for attending writers only
24 Social meal at Castle Lodge Hotel
25 Group session with Maureen Blundell at Castle Lodge Hotel
February
3 Meeting
17 Meeting
March
3 Meeting
17 Creative writing exercise
April
7 Meeting
21 Meeting
May
5 Meeting
19 Bill Budner Trophy – Anonymous competition for attending writers only
June
2 Meeting
16 Meeting
Beach Party Social to be arranged June/July
July
7 Meeting
21 Creative writing exercise
August
4 Meeting
18 Meeting
September
1 Meeting
15 Bill Budner Trophy – Anonymous competition for attending writers only
October
6 Meeting
20 Torchlight Halloween Meeting
November
3 Meeting
17 Meeting
December
1 Meeting
15 Creative writing exercise followed by the Christmas party.
Remember, membership is FREE, so why not come along? We ask for an optional donation of 50p per meeting to help towards running costs but that does include tea or coffee and a biscuit!
New!IMPORTANT - you can help.....do you know information or content that would help other readers of the Felixstowe Scribblers Weblog?...mail us at Dave Feakes, scribblers@btinternet.com with your comments, additions and suggestions TA! The Scribblers.
Sponsored Links
The Felixstowe Scribblers are an initiative created with the support of Suffolk County Council to help, support and encourage writers living in Suffolk.
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