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Latest Messages
My 15 minutes?
Posted: 27 Feb 2010 by Mary Ellen
Roger Ebert, Anglophile (better known as Roger Ebert, film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times and half of the Siskel & Ebert film program on American TV) just tweeted one of my blog posts, the one about having tea at Fortnum & Mason (http://mefoley.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/tea-at-fortnum-mason/ ). My hit-count is going through the roof today! It won't last, but it's nice for now, and it was a nice thing for him to do.
Flemish visitor to Wanborough writes of his experience
Posted: 25 Feb 2010 by Mary Ellen
Dear Mr/Mrs Secretary,
My name is Jos Deckx and I live in Mol, in Flanders, Belgium and like your members, I try to write some poetry.
By chance I found the website of the Hog’s Back Writers on the internet.
The reason for this mail is that years ago I wrote a poem about Whanborough Church.
On a few visits to our then friends, Mr. and Mrs. Hawes of Normandy, I discovered Whanborough Church and I was so impressed by de beauty of this little old church and its surroundings, that I visited it a few times and wrote a poem about it.
Of course this poem was written in Dutch, my mother tongue, but together with a friend of mine, Boni Van Beirendonck, an English teacher here, I made a translation.
I hope it will be interesting for your members to read this poem from a foreigner. I hereby send you the original in Dutch and the translation into English, and of course response is always welcome.
Yours Sincerely,
Jos Deckx
jos.deckx (at) pandora.be
Wanborough Church
Here grows the power to be
human, because this here
testifies of centuries fulfilled.
This is a cave where antique ghosts
the only dwellers are an where
a present caller rarely is observed.
The other day I saw cathedrals
loaded with treasures plentiful
but void they were and just as useless
as titles of some forgotten king
whose shallow deeds fell in oblivion.
It did not give me anything.
In this place only pilgrims came
on journeys dangerous and long
for honest comfort of their souls.
This is a book meant to be written
and rewritten time and time again,
and on these white and empty walls
my own and inner image grows.
(and now, in the original Flemish)
Wanborough Church
Hier kiemt de kracht om
mens te worden want dit
getuigt van eeuwen iets.
Dit is een hol waar louter
geesten zijn geborgen en waar
men zelden nog een zoeker ziet.
Pas was ik nog in kathedralen
met tal van schatten overladen
doch dood en overbodig als
de naam van een vergeten
koning zonder heldendaden.
Maar verder vond ik niets.
Hier kwamen enkel pelgrims
op hun verre reizen om
zielelafenis zonder gewin.
Dit is een boek om altijd
weer opnieuw te schrijven
en op deze blanke muren
vul ook ik mezelve in.
Meeting 22 February for prose critiques and other business
Posted: 19 Feb 2010 by Mary Ellen
Greetings!
The meeting thiscomin--Monday, 22 February--will begin with a bit of business discussion before moving on to our regular readings and critiques. It might be a good idea to bring your diary or calendar to this one. Also, if your contact details have changed in the last year or so, it would be helpful if you could let me know--chairman (at) hbw.org.uk--as I'd like to distribute an updated version of the roster.
I hope you can make it on Monday --
Mary Ellen
What happened at our first meeting of 2010
Posted: 6 Feb 2010 by Mary Ellen
Seven writers attended the first meeting of Hog’s Back Writers in 2010, and each brought a manuscript, so the year is off to a great start.
I’m particularly please to let you know that Catriona Reeby and Mark Easton have officially joined the group.
Catriona has put aside the novel she had been reading us and has begun a new book, in which her protagonist makes his way through the frustrations of life politely while his alter ego, in a voice only he can hear, unleashes his true feelings. This other character is virtual—an imaginary friend, almost—for now, but watch out for changes in future chapters. (Unfortunately she has a conflict on Monday evenings and will probably only manage to get together with us at one meeting per month.)
Mark, too, has put aside the novel he had been working on when he first approached the group, and is trying his hand at short fiction. The story he read—about a woman, something of a misfit, who’s chatted up by a man at her local in a rural mountain community—had a twist in the tail that none of us expected.
First-time visitor Jocelyn bravely bicycled to Wanborough on a truly cold night, and also bravely volunteered to read first. She gave us a chapter of a novel full of wit, the humour coming at such a pace it left us breathless, as well as leaving everybody wanting to know what happened next.
Richard never fails to show up with a new story, but this one was the shortest ever. What happens when a poor defenseless man is crowded into a train carriage packed with a group of students visiting from Spain, all of them lovely señoritas? Let’s just say that the story aroused interest—as well as sympathy for the poor chap.
Rosemary read us a chapter of her fantasy novel-in-progress in which the protagonist, who has been raised among unmagical people but who has gone to live among the magical, is sent for lessons in the correct use of magic and the etiquette surrounding that use. Here there be dragons…
Bob is nearing the end of his memoir, which is bittersweet for all of us because we’ve loved hearing it. In the section he read, we found out that his sister, who the family had left behind in Pakistan, has saved up enough money for her fare to England and would soon be joining them. Saving up would have been more difficult for her if the dastardly Nick had been around, since Nick turned out to be light-fingered, and was pinching (oh, alright, he was nicking) Bob’s savings.
And my chapter? I’ll leave you in suspense, because we didn’t have time for mine!
For those who couldn’t make it, you missed a good evening – hope to see you next time.
Create a comic superhero
Posted: 29 Dec 2009 by Madeleine Price
Dear Secretary,
I would appreciate it if you would pass this along to your members.
CWC are hosting a short story writing competition that is a little unusual.
The concept is to create a superhero character that will develop organically through original ideas from the writing public.
A graphic artist has already created this character and given him a set of background circumstances as a starting point. From there it is up to the entrants to create stories around this character.
A panel of CWC published authors will judge the competition and select the ten best entries.
These will then be turned in to a series of graphic short stories which will be distributed free in the greater London area.
There are a range of prizes from £100 to £10 for the prize winners.
The hope is to interest not only seasoned short story writers but also people who may not have tried writing a story before.
The competition closes on March 30th 2010 and the entrance fee per story is £4.
Full details can be found at http://www.creative-writing-courses.co.uk/pages/Sleeper-competition.html
Kind Regards
Fiona Jamieson
CWC (www.creative-writing-courses.co.uk)