NEXT MEETING: Tuesday 22 September 2020
Stuck in lockdown, your imagination free to roam the world!
We welcome writers from all walks of life as the more varied your opinions, the richer the workshop experience.
The Original Writers Group is now online. With regular Zoom meetings and a social Slack Group, we have set out to beat The Virus. We meet online every Tuesday, starting at 19:00 till 21:00. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive invitations to our Zoom meetings.
Please come along to our online meetings. Even if you are just starting out and are just interested in writing, but have nothing to read, come along and experience the evening. As sometimes the best motivation to write is to hear how others got there before you.
We have many members: poets, novelists, playwrights, scriptwriters, historians, philosophers. It is a rich mix and makes a lively evening. Bring your work, whether these are short stories, poems, essays or just ideas and join us for an evening of chatting, sharing, planning, commiserating, pontificating - and all things about writing. This is the perfect place to workshop your writing.
Occasionally writers ask if they can read from their published work. This doesn't work for us as part of the enjoyment for listeners is in giving feedback. A published book is like a word carved in stone. There is nothing we can say. And that, as they say, is most disappointing. So we stick to work in progress, whether that is a first or tenth draft. That's when the group works best- both for the writer and the listener.
We have many members: poets, novelists, playwrights, scriptwriters, historians, philosophers. It is a rich mix and makes a lively evening. Bring your work, whether these are short stories, poems, essays or just ideas and join us for an evening of chatting, sharing, planning, commiserating, pontificating - and all things about writing. This is the perfect place to workshop your writing.
Occasionally writers ask if they can read from their published work. This doesn't work for us as part of the enjoyment for listeners is in giving feedback. A published book is like a word carved in stone. There is nothing we can say. And that, as they say, is most disappointing. So we stick to work in progress, whether that is a first or tenth draft. That's when the group works best- both for the writer and the listener.
ORIGINAL WRITERS NEWS
Latest Newsletter 13 July 2020
The Workshop
Tomorrow evening is all about ideas. We will set aside the entire session to discuss fresh ideas. This is something we did back in September when we first started the Short Story challenge, and it is something we want to try again tomorrow evening. The ideas you propose and the feedback you receive is yours, and yours alone. I hope you find this a safe place for your inspiration.
And just a note on inspiration. We all know it strikes at the most awkward of times (for me it is usually in the shower). I read Milton Glaser’s obituary this week. He was a wonderful graphic designer who designed the IloveNY logo in the ‘70s. The story goes that he scribbled down the idea in the back of the cab. You can see the torn envelope in MOMA. I love the fact that he carried around coloured crayons but didn’t have a notebook.
I think we should always be prepared. The backs of envelopes are fine, but I always carry a notebook. Don’t leave home without it! Everything feeds into our work. Films, books, newspapers, adverts, love letters, things you see or hear on the street. See everything as flotsam and you never know when you can fish an idea out of the water. Here is a short film with Milton Glaser talking about what makes life meaningful.
Short Story Challenge
This month a bunch of us entered the Royal Society of Literature VS Pritchett Short Story competition. Gal and I began the challenge last September and guess what - after all the talks and discussions, I still left it to the last minute to write and edit the story. Finally a week before the deadline I knuckled down and wrote the story and the story surprised me. It wasn't what I would have planned to write. It wasn't great, but it also wasn't half bad. In my mind it was better than what I planned to write. It kept me amused by taking me in different directions.
Thank you to everyone who took part! It was also a pleasure because it was a shared experience. Who knows? Come November, one of us may receive an email in our inbox and we can all celebrate together! A victory for one is a victory for all.
so....
The Costa Short Story Competition
Are you willing to try a fresh challenge? How about entering the Costa Short Story Competition?
The best of it is, in my eyes, you win just by entering a finished short story by 5pm on Friday 28th August.
The London Library
Congratulations to Chez Cotton, who has a place in the London Library Emerging Writers Programme. The Programme includes writing development masterclasses, literary networking opportunities, peer support and guidance in use of the Library’s resources. Last year Qudsia Mirza had a place on the programme. Also, you get a year's free membership of one of London’s literary jewels: the London Library.
Welcome to all our new subscribers
You might think it is difficult to join in on the discussion but it is not. Please reach out. Click on this link to send an email and let us guide you in.
Our weekly Zoom workshop starts with a half-hour discussion around a writing-related topic, and then we have readings and feedback. You don't have to read, though it is always fun to give feedback.
Our writing sessions are drop-in sessions on Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoons on Slack.com. At the end of each writing session we have a short informal Zoom call to unwind.
The Workshop
Tomorrow evening is all about ideas. We will set aside the entire session to discuss fresh ideas. This is something we did back in September when we first started the Short Story challenge, and it is something we want to try again tomorrow evening. The ideas you propose and the feedback you receive is yours, and yours alone. I hope you find this a safe place for your inspiration.
And just a note on inspiration. We all know it strikes at the most awkward of times (for me it is usually in the shower). I read Milton Glaser’s obituary this week. He was a wonderful graphic designer who designed the IloveNY logo in the ‘70s. The story goes that he scribbled down the idea in the back of the cab. You can see the torn envelope in MOMA. I love the fact that he carried around coloured crayons but didn’t have a notebook.
I think we should always be prepared. The backs of envelopes are fine, but I always carry a notebook. Don’t leave home without it! Everything feeds into our work. Films, books, newspapers, adverts, love letters, things you see or hear on the street. See everything as flotsam and you never know when you can fish an idea out of the water. Here is a short film with Milton Glaser talking about what makes life meaningful.
Short Story Challenge
This month a bunch of us entered the Royal Society of Literature VS Pritchett Short Story competition. Gal and I began the challenge last September and guess what - after all the talks and discussions, I still left it to the last minute to write and edit the story. Finally a week before the deadline I knuckled down and wrote the story and the story surprised me. It wasn't what I would have planned to write. It wasn't great, but it also wasn't half bad. In my mind it was better than what I planned to write. It kept me amused by taking me in different directions.
Thank you to everyone who took part! It was also a pleasure because it was a shared experience. Who knows? Come November, one of us may receive an email in our inbox and we can all celebrate together! A victory for one is a victory for all.
so....
The Costa Short Story Competition
Are you willing to try a fresh challenge? How about entering the Costa Short Story Competition?
The best of it is, in my eyes, you win just by entering a finished short story by 5pm on Friday 28th August.
The London Library
Congratulations to Chez Cotton, who has a place in the London Library Emerging Writers Programme. The Programme includes writing development masterclasses, literary networking opportunities, peer support and guidance in use of the Library’s resources. Last year Qudsia Mirza had a place on the programme. Also, you get a year's free membership of one of London’s literary jewels: the London Library.
Welcome to all our new subscribers
You might think it is difficult to join in on the discussion but it is not. Please reach out. Click on this link to send an email and let us guide you in.
Our weekly Zoom workshop starts with a half-hour discussion around a writing-related topic, and then we have readings and feedback. You don't have to read, though it is always fun to give feedback.
Our writing sessions are drop-in sessions on Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoons on Slack.com. At the end of each writing session we have a short informal Zoom call to unwind.
Visit our Writing Habit blog where we post a weekly article on writing.
Pre-lockdown days at the Battersea Arts Centre