Write Now! is a writers' group that meets in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England twice a month.
Meeting - 1st december 2009
Present: Nigel, George, Janice, Carolyn, Barry, Wilf, Rosie, Pat, Tony, Julian
Chair: Nigel
Introductions: We had a couple of new faces at the meeting. Wilf is a local writer who is working on a fantasy novel, and poetry. He works in the publishing industry and has already given us some insight into the marketing aspect of the Anthology venture. Janice is a friend of Carolyn down from Liverpool for a few days - she came along out of literary interest.
News: Of the few items, Tony mentioned his early success (150 copies sold so far) of The Ant-Lion. He has added another book-signing at Waterstones in Bury on the 17th December. He also anticipates a review in the East Anglian Daily Times coming out shortly. Julian meanwhile has a further meeting lined up with the potential publisher of his 'Keele' memoirs, for whom he is writing a preface.
AOB: The Anthology project is progressing. We need to firstly get content. Then read/edit/finalise submissions. When we can estimate size we can get some quotes. An important consideration is finance, either from grant or loan. If we go ahead, we must produce a well-designed, marketable, and profitable book. Any comments from members unable to attend this time are welcome.
Readings: Pat read a 'credit crunch' version of the Twelve Days of Christmas: "Twelve smiling bankers, eleven bonus payment, ten banks a-bailing, nine shares a-shrinking..." - if you want to read more I am sure Pat will email you a copy. Julian read a poignant extract from his memoirs, called Happiest Days. Nigel read an extract of his novel. George brought along a poem, Mud, and Carolyn her poem Tod Hullabaloo. Barry read a well-received story entitled The Home of Santa Claus, which ended... "We shook hands, Herr Wilke and I, and bade each other a happy Christmas. I left the old man with his album, standing alone among potted plants and fusty mahogany. Living a long-ago adventure in the manly uniform of the Reich, in a place, crystal-white, where land and sky and forest are one, and a monster hides." A powerful tale. Wilf read an equally strong extract from a fantasy novel he is working on. Rosie had a humorous memory from a camping holiday in France, in which she was rescued from a toilet by local residents!
Readings completed, we settled on the date and theme of the next meeting and said our goodbyes. The weather was cold, it was dark and the night uninviting, but we took the warmth of the meeting with us...until next time,
George Wicker
co-founder, Write Now!