CHANGE OF DATE

CHANGE OF DATE

Due to the Queen’s 60th year Jubilee Celebrations our next meeting (a manuscript evening) will take place on May 29th 2012 instead of 5th June 2012.

15th May 2012 Competition 4 Fantasy/Science-fiction story

Adjudication of Competition 4 Fantasy/Science-fiction Story by Anne Potter.

 

Anne used these seven elements when choosing the winners. 

1. Good Story
2. Succinct use of words
3. Format, Punctuation Grammar and Style
4. Use of senses
5. Story moved forward with dialogue
6. Satisfying Conclusion
7. Credible new technology

 She said all the stories were good satisfying reads and it was a difficult decision to make.

 

The Winners

 

1st “Endangered Species” by Elizabeth Bencze

2nd “The Story of the Allegorians” by Alex Sykes

3rd “2212” by Victoria Bartlett

 

Recent Successes

Victoria Bartlett’s poem was highly commended in this year’s Open Poetry Competition. “Gumbo” is featured in the 2012 Anthology which can be bought for £6 plus £1 P&P.

Please send your cheque made out to “Norwich Writers’ Circle”. to

The OPC Secretary, 1 Stannard Road Norwich NR4 7JD

Maureen Nesbit’s article “Black to Nature” entered in Walkopedia 2011 Travel Writing Competition is to be published on their website. Although not a prize winning entry it was judged as an excellent piece and will have a permanent place on their site.

Lyn Fountain’s short story: “The Bantam Menace” published in 19th May 2012 edition of Peoples Friend.

8th May 2012

Cenelly Hernandez Castillo, author of “Everybody Treats Me like an Idiot” is hosting fundraising events at her home in Norwich for Amnesty International every Thursday this year from 9.30 – 11.30 am. Everyone is welcome, for more details and directions e-mail her on cenellywillis@yahoo.com  or phone 07875548286.

Open Poetry Competition Results

17th April 2012

The winners of the 41st Open Poetry Competition,

adjudicated by Helen Ivory:

1st Mother by Dorothy Fryd

2nd Hotel Small Hours by Gina Shaw

3rd Love, the Verb by Dana Smith

Family: My Parents Staying by Nicolette Golding

Humorous: Epitaph for our Time by Gerard McKee

Minimalist: Little Stars by Chris Hardy

A further sixty-two poems were selected from the 622 entries and featured in this year’s anthology with ten “Highly Commended” and twelve “Commended”.
The evening was made very interesting as many of the poets had travelled to Norwich to hear the results and read their poems. Altogether it was a very successful year and the evening was most enjoyable.

 Chairman Adrain Dearnley

 Judge Helen Ivory

 Vice President Elizabeth Bencze presents 1st Prize

Dorothy Fryd reads winning poem "Mother"

“The Incomparable Mr Dick”

3rd April 2012

Peter Mieville's talk reflected on life and works of Charles Dickens. He noted that the author had many local connections to this region and was partly inspired to write “David Copperfield” after a visit to Norwich. Reviewing his early career culminating in his fame with the publication of “The Pickwick Papers” his prolific writing was in part motivated by his desire to support a large number of relatives. Peter gave moving readings, illustrating Dickens level of perception, consciousness and humour and a lively discussion rounded off a very enjoyable evening.

Information supplied by Adrian Dearnley

Results of Competition 3

Tuesday 20th March 2012
The winners of Competition 3 for the Colin Sutton Cup for Humour, A Tall Tale judged by storyteller Andrew Brammer

1st “A Portrait of the Forger as a Young Man” by Sally Newton
2nd “Mrs Patterson’s Flowers” by Victoria Bartlett
3rd “Barney’s Continental Adventure” by Doreen Rosser

Laughter was the main ingredient of the evening with a twist in the tale, a misleading statement and a bumbling hero. The winners were chosen from 14 entries all of whom found life farcical and entertaining.


Forthcoming event
Our next meeting on 3rd April has a more classical bent with Peter Mieville reflecting on life and works of Charles Dickens with a talk titled “The Incomparable Mr Dick.”

A Kindle Success

Anne Funnell published three e-books on Kindle Direct Publishing.

The first “Light Bytes” by Anne Funnell, is a collection of eighteen of her short stories available on Amazon E-books.consisting of quick, amusing reads intended to lift the spirits of people staying in hospital after surgery. All proceeds from sales will go to Papworth Hospital Charity (Patients’ Relatives Accommodation)

Two other Amazon e-books by Anne Funnell are available: “The Widow Maker” and “The Monster Mincing Machine”

7th February 2012 Adjudication of Competition 3

Heidi Williamson’s adjudication of Poetry Competition on “The Journey”.

The results of the competition produced a variety of subjects and styles. Heidi’s criteria included structure, craft, detail and language but most of all the experience of entering another world. She stressed the importance for poets to look out for spelling mistakes and to keep the rhymes and sustain the subject throughout. She stated that the poem is the event not just a record of an event

She found the winners poems impressive, imaginative, unexpected and well crafted.

1st
Elizabeth Bencze with “A letter” (a message from Mars)

2nd
Margaret Turner with “Queen Margaret” (A personalised account of the life and funeral of a Gypsy Queen who died in 1740)

3rd
Anne Sanderson with “From Earlier Ages via Modern means to Earlier Age” (cultural experience of a visit to China)

Commended:
Mickie Dann with “The Gingerbread House” (likening a journey into womanhood after leaving school and the experience of a first job in a sweet factory to a fairy tale)

Visit Heidi’s website for details of poetry workshops.

http://www.heidiwilliamsonpoet.com/

Recent Successes January 2012

Lyn Fountain was featured in the press having won a competition run by FOND (Friends of Norfolk Dialect) with her story “Things that go Bump in the Night”.

Neil Walker was Highly Commended for his entry in the Dormeasan Story Competition 2011 in association with Your Healthy Living magazine with his story “The Richest Man in the World” The competition drew over 1,000 entries.

Anne Funnell has produced a book of short stories suitable for people staying in hospital (Watch this space for more details.)

Descriptive Language Workshop

17^th January 2012

Andrew Brammer’s enthusiastic explosive opening to his storytelling workshop “It’s Alive” set out to help us to develop and enrich the descriptive elements of our writing. It proved to be an exciting and entertaining experience bringing alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia, metaphor, simile and analogies to intensify the effect of oral storytelling to his audience. These tools transferred to the written page allow us to imagine for ourselves the constructive layers that paint a landscape of the senses within the stories that we create.

An evening of humorous storytelling by Andrew Brammer on Friday 23rd and Friday 30th March 2012 at 8pm at the Forum. Tickets available from Theatre Royal Box Office 01603 630000

Descriptive Language Workshop

Don’t forget that we begin the New Year on 17^th January with Andrew Brammer’s workshop “It’s Alive.”   Andrew intends stimulating our minds to enliven our stories by using more descriptive language.

Spelling Mistake

Due to technical difficulties with our website we are unable to make corrections on the on-line programme where Peter Mieville’s surname has been misspelled with an e (Mievelle). We apologise for the mistake and hope that we will be able to address this error in the near future. Meanwhile we look forward to Peter’s talk on Charles Dickens on 3^rd April and his adjudication of Competition 5: “Charles Dickens Story” on 19th June.

Christmas Social 2011

Christmas Social

Saturday 10th December 2011

3.30 – 7.30pm

at St Anne’s Church Hall, 115 Colman Road, Norwich NR4 7HF

Please bring food contribution and a raffle prize.

Everyone welcome.

Joseph Freeman

Don't forget Joseph Freeman is adjudicating competition 1: Horror Story on December 6th.

Problem with Website

It appears that we are not able to access our website, in fact nobody seems able to view The Norwich Writers' Circle website. However, it is possible to access the blog direct, so if you are able to read these posts perhaps you can pass on the message that we are aware of the problem and we are trying to rectify it.

Joseph Freeman Horror Story Competition

Anyone attending "As the Nights Draw In" an Evening with Joseph Freeman, on 4th October 2011 will know they're in for a treat when he returns on 6th December 2011 to adjudicate the first competition, a horror story, of our new programme. Not only did he set out the guidelines giving tips and details of how to write horror stories but he gave us an insight into the pleasures of writing the horror genre and the inspiration one has to generate for oneself.

Manuscript Evening

The new arrangement for the manuscript evening was tested last night (15 November 2011) in the Sexton room at the Assembly House. Members and visitors were divided into small groups so that more people were able to read their work and discuss each others writing. It was agreed that the time flew by as it was so enjoyable and we actually over ran the intended allocated time limit.

Manuscript Evening

Tuesday 15th November we will be trying out a new table arrangment for the manuscript evening in the hope that more people will be able to read during the evening.
Visitors welcome.
Remember to bring something to read; a script, story, poem or chapter of novel etc.