Safe Hands

Mickie Dann's competition winning short radio play Safe Hands is now available to listen to online.

Please go here to listen to the radio drama.

Return to this Blog soon for the latest instalment of our online Midwinter Murders series.

Phyllida's Creative News

Following on from her recent BBC Radio Norfolk interview and play broadcast - both of which were featured in our current Midwinter Murders online series - Norwich Writers' Circle member Phyllida Scrivens' success has now been acknowledged by the University of East Anglia's Creative Writing School.

For more information, please go here.

Mickie Dann Chats

Our Midwinter Murders online series continues with the opportunity to hear another BBC Radio Norfolk interview.

Please go here to listen to Maggie Secker's Sunday afternoon chat with Norwich Writers' Circle competition winner Mickie Dann.

Mickie won our Radio Script Competition, which was adjudicated by BAFTA award-winning writer Glenn Chandler, with her short play Safe Hands.

The drama continues very soon as we will be giving you the opportunity to listen to the winning play.

Anne's Second Youth

In addition to her Twitter account, Norwich Writers' Circle member Anne Sanderson has recently launched a new Blog.

The Blog, entitled Anne In Her Second Youth, follows Anne's retirement adventures in the ballet world and much more.

To read Anne's Blog please visit anneinhersecondyouth.blogspot.com.

Switch Over Beethoven

Phyllida Scrivens' short radio drama Switch Over Beethoven is now available to listen to online.

The radio play can be listened to by going here.

Please return to this Blog soon for the latest instalment of our online Midwinter Murders series.

Phyllida Scrivens Speaks

Our Midwinter Murders season begins today with the opportunity to hear Phyllida Scrivens' recent BBC Radio Norfolk interview.

Phyllida appeared on Maggie Secker's Sunday afternoon show having been runner-up in our Radio Script Competition, judged by Taggart creator Glenn Chandler, with Switch Over Beethoven.

Please go here to listen to the radio broadcast.

The next instalment of this online series will appear on this Blog very soon. Watch this space for more information.

Paeony Lewis

Norwich Writer's Circle's 2010/11 programme continued tonight as we welcomed tutor and children's author Paeony Lewis to our popular writing group.

To a packed Sexton Room, full of new and familiar faces, Paeony discussed her writing career to date, along with holding a workshop on creating child characters.

During the workshop, everyone in the room collectively discussed the differences in children's attitudes in several age-groups including Under 5s, 7 to 9, and 11 to 13. We then had in fill a detailed character sheet for our fictional child.

Both the above exercises lead to several humorous responses, whilst Paeony pointed out to us what we were learning from completing each of them.

In addition to the above, the visiting author also launched our In-House Competition Four. This competition requires Writers' Circle members to write a Picture-Book Story Text of no longer than 500 words.

Paeony's recommendations for the competion were as follows:

• To think globally - many publishers seek with a worldwide audience, as it provides them with a good return.
• Do not have a cliched attitude towards children - each child is different, and to be very aware of this fact.
• Make the character stand out by being larger than life and 'in your face'.
• Be truthful in your tale.
• Give your story a happy ending.

On 1st February Lucy McCarraher will returning to the Circle once more, to judge our Novel Outline competition.

We hope to see you next time.

One Month To Go

You have only a month left to enter our popular annual Open Poetry Competition.

This year's competition will be adjudicated by Martin Figura, and has a top prize in the Open Category of £300.00.

To download an Information Pack, and for more information, please visit norwichwriters.org.uk/poetry. Alternatively, to view the Competition's online trailer, please go here.

Sex & Our Fine City

Norwich Writers' Circle committee member Lyn Fountain is celebrating another success.

Lyn's short story Sex And The City o'Nourridge was 3rd in the Friends Of Norfolk Dialect Trosher Short Story Competition 2011.

This Sunday evening - the 16th - FOND's annual pantomine at North Elmham Village Hall is set to feature the competition prize-giving and a chance to hear the winning works.

For more information on the competition and more, please go to norfolkdialect.com.

Don't Forget

Don't forget that following our annual festive break, Norwich Writers' Circle returns to its usual meeting routine - the first and third Tuesday of each month - from next week.

On 18th January we will welcoming Paeony Lewis who will be giving us a workshop and talk on creating child characters.

Please feel free to pop along to our friendly, and ever-growing, writers' group. Everyone is welcome, to what promises to be another entertaining evening from our current programme.

The Book Lovers

A Book Lovers Quiz is being held at The Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library on Thursday 10th February.

The quiz, which will be taking place between 6.30pm and 8.00pm, and gives you the chance to win some book related prizes.

Tickets for this fun evening out are £5.00 per team, with a maximum of 5 people on each team.

For more information please call Sarah on 01603 774707, or collect your ticket from the library's Sound & Vision Desk.

People's Friend

Congratulations to NWC committee member Lyn Fountain who had a short story published in The People's Friend towards the end of last year.

Lyn's story, entitled A Footballer In The Family, was featured in the issue dated 6th November 2010. We hope to listen to the story at one of our forthcoming meetings.

Poetry Outline

News of Norwich Writers’ Circle’s 40th Open Poetry Competition has now reached the 35,000+ readers of Outline Magazine.

Details of the OPC, which closes on the 15th February, not the 5th as stated, are featured within the Art & About section of the listings magazine, which is widely distributed for free throughout Norwich.

For more information on the Open Poetry Competition, please visit norwichwriters.org.uk/poetry, or read the magazine article below from the January 2011 issue:

Happy 2011

Happy New Year

from everyone at Norwich Writers' Circle.

Please go here to watch our New Year video.

We look forward to seeing you at The Assembly House

on 18th January, for our first meeting of 2011.