LLWG November

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Last night was the November meeting of Lowestoft Library Writing Group.  Our homework from last time was to write a 500 word account of being on a bus and being accosted by a drunken person.  Here is my attempt.

*****

Typical.  Just typical.  The bus is pretty much empty and the weird guy is making a beeline towards me.  If I just shuffle over then he’ll have to sit somewhere else.  Nope, too late.  Just ignore him.

“I know,” he whispers, leaning in uncomfortably close.  He’s been drinking.  The smell of stale alcohol bombards my nostrils.  I gag.

I nod and make a non-committal ‘hmm’ noise as my hand scrabbles around inside my bag for my iPod earbuds.  Where are they?

“I know,” he whispers again.

I smile and move closer to the window.  There’s no more room.  Where are my earbuds?

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” he whispers.

“Ok,” I say, laughing nervously.  I wish I hadn’t said anything.  I turn my head and look out of the window.

“I know … the truth,” he whispers.

I look at him.  He looks over his shoulder then back at me.  He slides down in the seat.  We’re in a traffic jam.  Great.

“Where are you headed?” he whispers.

“Town,” I say.  I don’t want to give away more than I have to.  I don’t want to give away anything, but I also don’t want him to stab me for not being cooperative.  I don’t have a clear route of escape.

“I understand.  You’re on a secret mission,” he whispers.  He brings his forefinger up to his lips, makes a ‘shh’ sound, and winks at me.

I smile.  It’s fake.  I feel sick.

“That’s a brilliant disguise,” he whispers.

I laugh quietly.  My heart thuds.

“It’s so good, I almost didn’t recognise you,” he whispers.

I bring my hand to my face.  I know I’m not wearing a disguise.

“I like this one the best.  I saw you a couple of weeks ago on the television.  You looked so different back then.  You looked uncomfortable though.  The clothes, the hair, the face; they didn’t suit you.  But today, you’re so much more natural.  I guess that’ll knock your assailants off guard.  They won’t be expecting you to look like this,” he says.

He’s drunk, he doesn’t know what he’s saying.  If I just humour him he might leave me alone.  Or he could think that I like him, and he might follow me.  I have to get off now.

“I have to get off now,” I say, almost asking his permission.

“I thought you said you were going into town,” he says.

“I am, but I fancy a walk,” I lie.

“Very good,” he says, tapping the side of his nose and winking.

I half stand up and smile, hoping that he’ll move out of the way to let me out.  He stays put.

“That’ll keep them on their toes,” he says, grinning.

“Yeah,” I say, nervously.  “I really have to get off now.”

“Oh, of course,” he says, standing up.

I walk past him and hold on to the rail.  He puts his hand over my hand.  I shudder.

“Good luck Mr. Bond, your secret is safe with me,” he smiles.

*****

For the activity in the session, we had to choose a picture from a selection that had been brought in.  They were all of people.  We then had to write a dialogue between the characters.  I chose the following picture.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, gripping his shoulder.  "I told you not to come."

"I couldn't let you go through this on your own."

"But it's my problem."

"What kind of friend would I be if I let you go through this alone?"

"Friends.  Is that all we are?"

"I thought that's all you wanted."

"Didn't that night mean anything to you?"

"What with you and James, I didn't want to come between you two."

"Me and James are over.  In fact we never even started."

"Really?"

"Really.  Things have never been right between us.  We've always been at different stages in our lives.  It would have never worked out."

"Would you have wanted it to work out?"

"If ifs and buts were candy and nuts."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know.  But what I do know is that I want you, if you'll have me."

"Of course I'll have you."

They kiss.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"I'll be waiting right here for you when you've finished."

"Promise?"

"I'll never leave you alone from now on."

"I love you."

"I love you too.  Now go and pass your driving test.  I know you can do it."

*****

There was a bit of time left at the end of the session, and we were asked to choose something physical about ourselves that we didn't like and write about how we'd change/hide it.

My chin:  I'd have a sex change, dose up on the hormones, and grow a beard.

*****

Our homework for next session is to write one person's perspective of a conflict.  The next session will be Tuesday 11th December, at 19:00.

Writer - Tony Walker

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I'd like to welcome you to my interview with writer, Tony Walker.  Enjoy.

Tony Walker

Hello Tony.  Can you please introduce yourself?

My name’s Tony Walker, and right now, I’m based in Scarborough, N. Yorkshire, after detours via London and a period of exile in Arizona (18 years).

How long have you been writing?

My first attempt at writing took place in 1972, when I was dealing in military collectibles in Portobello Road, London. A friend knew I specialised in US Army items, and asked me to write an article on them for a new magazine he was publishing.

I wrote 1000 words, it was published, and most importantly, I was paid for it!

What first got you interested in writing?

Realising that I could get paid for doing something I enjoyed.

Do you attend a writing group?

We moved back to the UK from Arizona last November, and began to attend the Scarborough Writers Circle in January last.

Why do you attend a writing group?

I’ve been a professional (well, I’ve always been paid for my work) writer for years, so I joined to see if I could be of help to anyone wanting to write.

What genre(s) do you write?

My magazine writing was mainly for shooting magazines, both here and in the USA, but I’ve also had pieces published in collector magazines.

My fiction work is ‘thud and blunder’ stories, or action thrillers as they are called now.

Are there any genres that you don't enjoy writing?

I can’t get interested in vampires, zombies, sci-fi, or romance. Vampires? Boring people, who you’ll never see eating Italian food (too much garlic), or stretched out on a sunbed. Zombies? I prefer villains who can move a little faster. Sci-fi? Too much of it is little more than cowboys and Indians in space suits. Romance? There’s romance in my novels, but I prefer some action too.

If you're only interested in making money from writing, perhaps you should jump on the vampire bandwagon!  What types of things do you write?

I did once, when we lived in a little place called Apache Junction in Arizona, start to write a country song. The first verse began like this:

We-ell the pickup’s broke,

My wife’s done gone,

And now the cat’s got cancer

Couldn’t think of anything else depressing enough to write, so I gave it up as a bad job. 

Have you ever had anything published?

Non-Fiction: 

Military Collectibles, published by Salamander Press in the 1980s

How to Win a Gunfight, self published 2005 and still selling! 

Fiction:   

Snides, self published 2004

Pilgrim’s Banner, self published 2009 

Have you sent your writing to agents/publishers?

In the USA, I had an agent, who loved Snides. After signing up with him, he sent it to all of his ‘A’ list publishers (Penguin, Dutton, Doubleday, etc.) and received rejections from them all. Having no illusions about my work, I suggested he try his ‘B’ and ‘C’ list, but he didn’t want to do this, so we parted ways. I then found another agent, who promised me the sun, moon and stars, but I found out that her hard work consisted of listing the book on her website, with a banner saying ‘Open to offers’.Having dumped her, I decided to go solo. 

I don't blame you at all!  Would you ever consider e-publishing?

I have self-published 3 books, two of which are available as ebooks, with the third being prepared for e-publishing as we speak.

Ebooks are fine, but I do prefer the feel of paper.

Who/what influences your writing?  Where do you get your inspiration from?

Samuel Johnson. He wrote, ‘No one but a blockhead ever wrote anything, except for money.’

My inspiration for my fiction comes from my background in the shooting industry in the USA, and from my time as a dealer in dodgy antiques and militaria in London. 

How do you come up with your characters' names and personalities?

In order to avoid possible lawsuits, I use place names as last names. The characters’ personalities are drawn from people I have known. 

What is your writing routine?

I write when I feel in the mood. 

Do you start out with a complete idea for your stories, or do you just start writing and hope for the best?

I usually start with the ‘McGuffin’, as Alfred Hitchcock described it. This is the treasure, the secret plans, or whatever, that the good guy wants and has to fight the bad guys to get it. After that, I rough out a plan of where the story needs to go. 

Do you have an editing process?

I usually edit after every 3 chapters. When the book’s completed, I hand it over to my editor in chief (my wife), who then makes further comments and suggestions.

Generally speaking, I write once and edit at least half a dozen times. 

How important is it for you to share your writing?

I’ve never written just for myself. I always wanted someone to read my work.

What's the best piece of writing advice you've ever been given?

Write – even if it’s rubbish. Don’t sit in front of the screen waiting for inspiration.

What's advice could you give to a new writer?

First: You’re not a writer until you’ve actually written something, so stop mooning about and blogsturbating about how hard it is to be a writer. Forget the blog, because 99% of the people who see it won’t care. Instead, write something that people will want to read.

You do know that this interview is going up on a blog, right?!  What do you enjoy the most/least about writing?

Most: It’s an easy way to earn money.

Least: Sometimes it’s a chore.

But I guess the money makes up for that.  Apart from writing, what are your other hobbies/interests?

Handgun shooting (in the USA), photography, archaeology, reading, drinking gin (Tanqueray) and tonic while the sun’s up, and Jameson Irish whiskey when it sets, avoiding all forms of hard work.

What types of things do you read?

I read history 1700 – 1945, biographies, and a little fiction.

If you could have written anything, what do you wish that could have been?

The Bible – it’s still in print – think of the royalties!

What are you working on at the moment?

Volume 3 of the John and Sally Pilgrim series, currently titled Pilgrim’s Traitor.

Do you have a website/blog/Twitter/Facebook dedicated to your writing?

My website is www.tonywalkerbooks.com.  This is based in the USA, so I guess I’ll have to start a UK-based site soon. 

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

You’re not an author until you’ve written something that’s been published (self, electronic or otherwise). Until then, you’re a writer.

Would you be able to provide a short piece of your work?

This is part of a chapter from my novel, Pilgrim's Banner.

Arizona - 1981

Sally Pilgrim woke up with a start, as she heard the  unmistakable ‘slack-slack’ sound of a pump shotgun being racked outside her bedroom. In one swift  movement, she rolled out of bed, grabbing for  the Colt  Diamondback .38 revolver on the nightstand. Taking cover behind the bed, she saw a tall, masked figure silhouetted in the doorway. Pointing the gun, she called out, “Freeze! I’ve got a  gun! Get out, or I’ll shoot! Get the hell out of here!”  

The figure paused for an instant, and then swung the shotgun’s barrel towards where she lay behind the bed. Sally fired two fast shots into the intruder’s chest, and then ducked back and rolled across the floor, appearing again from around the end of the bed. He was still on his feet, so she fired two more shots at him, and the man staggered back, and pulled off his mask, revealing the smiling face of her husband, John Pilgrim. 

“That was good, really good. I liked the way you warned me before you fired.” He rubbed his chest, where the rubber training bullets had hit him. “Good hits, too.” He put down the shotgun. “I think you won that one.” 

© Tony Walker 

Thank you Tony.

LLTW November

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Yesterday was the third meeting of Lowestoft Library Teen Writing Group.  Five girls came along; four regulars and a new girl.  Slowly, their confidence is building and they're becoming more talkative, which is nice to see (even though the conversation does go off at odd tangents sometimes - one topic we touched on yesterday was what would happen if a goat mated with a chicken.  The result would be a delicious, bi-meated animal, that laid eggs and also produced milk.  One animal; one meal!)

I set three pieces of homework last session.  The main part was to bring along a page of a story they had previously written.  I will be using these in a future activity.  Secondly was to think of a name for the group.  No-one could think of anything, and I'm always pretty unimaginative when it comes to names, but I guess I'll have to put my thinking cap on for this one.  Lastly was to write a character profile.  No-one did that; myself included.  I have no excuse, other than I've been spending so much time getting my NaNoWriMo novel written that I haven't had much time to write anything else.

So we got down to the business of writing, and the task was a game of consequences.  There are various versions of this game, but as we only have an hour to write, I limited it to six sections.  Each person writes one section on a piece of paper, folds it over, and passes it to their right.  Everyone then writes the second section, folds it over, and passes it to their right.  This is repeated until all sections have been written.

• Man - who is he?  name/age/job/hobbies/appearance

MEETS

• Woman - who is she?  name/age/job/hobbies/appearance

AT

• Place - where is it?  building/event/institution
• He says
• She says
• What happens in the end

Everyone ended up with the piece of paper they started with.  Mine looked something like this:

Man

Ted is 40 years old.  He's overweight but not to the point of obesity; he just gets out of breath walking up stairs.  He's unemployed and spends most of his time playing World of Warcraft and eating Pringles.

Woman

A student of art, she is profound and unique.  She favours fashion, but hides it and paints instead.  Her name, Emma, is that of her grandmother's.  When she paints, it covers her hands and face and sticks her brown hair together in clumps.

Place

The man meets the woman when he was working.  He was a vending machine workman and he got stuck whilst trying to dislodge a Twix bar from the twirly thing.  She saw him and freed him.

He says

When they first meet he doesn't speak to her with spoken words, but in a letter, and signing it as your mystery man.

She says

The woman frowns.  "You're mental," she announces.

What happens in the end

They both went their separate ways, promising to meet up in a fortnight.  But alas!  The man got hit by a train on his way to the meeting, killing him instantly.  So they never saw each other again.

We then spent the rest of the session each writing a complete story based on or inspired by our own series of events.

**

On a miserable Wednesday morning, art student Emma skived off college to sit in a graveyard and contemplate the meaning of life.  She gazed at the headstones, imagining the lives of the people she stepped over.  She stood by Alfred March who'd died when he was only 24 years old, in 1876.  She ran her fingers through her long, brown hair, picking out flecks of dried paint and dropping them to the ground like confetti.  At lunch time she wandered into town, and paced the streets trying to decide what to eat.  Bored of sandwiches and fast food, she wanted something different, exciting.  Passing through the shopping centre, she rummages in her bag for her mobile phone.  Oblivious to her surroundings, she bumps into a man.  "Oh, I'm sorry," she says, looking at the large man in the navy blue overalls.  He smiles at her.  "Are you ok?" she asks.  The man shakes his head.  He moves his body to the side and Emma notices that his hand is stuck inside a vending machine.  "Do you want some help?" she asks.  He nods.  "I'm Emma, by the way," she says, smiling at him.  With his free hand the man points to a security badge hanging around his neck.  Emma lifts it up and reads it, "My name is Ted.  I'm an official vending machine repair man.  I can't speak but I can hear.  Thank you for your cooperation."  Ted smiles at Emma.  "Nice to meet you Ted.  Now let's see what we can do here," Emma says.  She leans inside the vending machine and untangles Ted's sleeve from the twirly contraption that holds the chocolate bars in place.  She notices that his wrist is bleeding.  She takes a tissue from her bag and holds it tightly on the cut.  "There you go.  You should get that cleaned up though," she says.  Ted smiles and bows his head in thanks.  He takes a Twix from the vending machine and passes it to Emma.  "Oh thank you," she says.  He smiles and nods.  He puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out a five pound note.  He slides it into Emma's hand.  "I can't take this," she says, surprised.  He holds her fist closed around the money and bows his head in thanks again.  "Are you sure?" she asks.  He nods.  "Thank you," she says.  As she walks away, she looks at the five pound note.  Wrapped up inside is a small piece of paper.  She reads the note.  "I have loved you for years but I've never been able to tell you until now, from your secret admirer."  She turns and walks back towards Ted.  She taps him on the shoulder and he smiles when he turns around.  She passes him the note and says, "I don't think this was meant for me."  His face flushes red.  He drops his face into his hand with embarrassment.  He takes the note from her and stuffs it back into his pocket.  He shakes his head and smiles.  "You're mental," she announces.  Ted nods.  Emma laughs.  Ted takes a notepad from his bag and scribbles; 'I'm going on holiday next week, but would you be free to meet the week after, maybe for a coffee, just to say thank you for helping me and for bringing back my note.'  He adds his phone number to the bottom.  "Sure, why not?" Emma says.  Ted grins and bows his head.  "Have a good holiday and I'll see you in a couple of weeks," she says.

Emma sits in the coffee shop at a table by the window.  She checks her phone every five minutes, wondering where Ted is.  After waiting for half an hour, she picks up her bag and leaves.  Driving home, she turns on the car radio and listens to the news.  Earlier this morning, Ted Winston, a 40 year old vending machine repair man, was killed after three angry youths pushed him off a busy train platform into the path of an oncoming train.  He died instantly.

**

The homework for next session is to write a story of no more than 500 words, about anything, but it must include at least four of the following words:

• light
• plastic
• death
• paint
• tortoise
• map
• cabinet
• follow

I randomly opened a dictionary to various pages to find these words.

Our next meeting is Monday 10th December, 17:00-18:00, at Lowestoft Library.

CIE Writers' Group

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Welcome to my interview with Mattie Lenon from CIE Writers' Group.

*****

Hello Mattie.  Can you tell us a bit about your group?

We don't meet as such.  We are a group of people who worked for a transport company (CIE).  About eight years ago we got together and published a collection of our writings, There's Love and There's Sex and There's the 46A.  In 2010 we brought out a further collection, It Happens Between Stops.

How many members, on average, does your group have?

About 20.

Who are you and what is your role within the group?

I'm the secretary and the founder of the group.

How are your sessions structured?

We have had a couple of workshops over the years, that's all.

What types of things do you cover in your group?

Articles, essays, short stories, ballads.

What have been some of your most popular/successful activities?

The production of the two collections.  Our latest collection, It Happens Between Stops, is available from Original Writing.

What kind of support does your writing group provide for its writers?

The opportunity to publish as soon as there are enough pieces.

Where do you get your ideas/writing prompts from?

We were all dealing with the public, so plenty of material there.

What is the best piece of writing advice you've been given?

Write it.  Rewrite it.  And then write again.

What is the best piece of writing advice you give?

Start now.

Does your writing group have a website/blog/Twitter/Facebook?

No, but I have a website; www.mattielennon.com

How would someone go about joining your writing group?

We're based in Ireland and so far we have been made up of transport workers but we might be willing to "stretch a point".

Thank you Mattie.

Writer - Nicky Peacock

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I'd like to welcome you to my interview with writer, Nicky Peacock.  Enjoy.

Nicky Peacock

Hello Nicky.  Can you please introduce yourself.

I’m Nicky Peacock. I’m a published author who writes horror, paranormal romance and supernatural YA.

How long have you been writing?

All my life but only seriously and with success the last two years.

What first got you interested in writing?

My mum. She always wanted to be a writer. 

Do you attend a writing group?

I run the Creative Minds Writing Group in Corby and put it together two years ago after I decided I needed to meet like minded individuals who would motivate me to write. 

Why do you attend a writing group?

Motivation, Inspiration, sharing my work and to have a good laugh!   

What is the most valuable thing you've taken away from your writing group?

The value of what you do. Family and friends can be supportive but only other writers will know what you went through to get that story written. 

What genre(s) do you write?  What drew you to this/these genre(s)?

I write horror and paranormal romance both for adults and young adults. I read this genre and so writing these types of stories always felt right and interested me. 

Are there any genres that you don't enjoy writing?

I don’t like writing generic fiction – I find it hard not to throw in a dark element to what I write.

What types of things do you write?

I write short stories for anthologies and have my first novel being published end of this year.

Congratulations.  I bet you're excited!  Have you ever had anything published?

Yes. I have over 30 stories published/accepted for publication in 5 countries.  My novel ‘Bad Blood’ will be end of the year (if all goes well with the editing). 

Have you sent your writing to agents/publishers?  Have you received any rejections?

I have received rejections. It’s part of any writer’s life and its something that you have to come to terms with quickly if you are to make it. The best advice I can give is to know that you can’t please everyone all the time – one publisher may reject you but the next one might snap you up! 

Would you consider self-publishing/e-publishing?

Many of my books are available in both ebooks and print. Personally I prefer to go with publishers rather than self-publish. With everyone and their dog out there self publishing the quality is questionable. As a reader I would only ever read something that has a publisher backing it.

Do you have a writing routine?

I write mostly at night – I tend to be more creative in twilight hours.

I'm the same.  Do you start out with a complete idea for your stories, or do you just start writing and hope for the best?

I always start with an idea and a vague plan – I then write and let the story evolve organically.

Do you have an editing process?

Yes – I have a drafting system. I do at least 6 edits and each one looks for one point in particular. For example – tenses, info dumps, clichés, story sense etc.

Who/what influences your writing?  Where do you get your inspiration from?

I mainly tend to write the stories I would want to read. I also write to order for anthology call outs.

How do you come up with your characters' names and personalities?

A lot of my characters have a personality trait of my own in there to make them believable. The rest is woven around what I need them to do as characters. I use a baby name book and just pick what feels right.

Have you ever entered any writing competitions?

I won runner up in the Stamford Ghost Story competition.

Have you ever been to an open mic event for spoken word performers?

Yes – It was awful and performers really hadn’t been vetted!

Oh, that's a shame.  How important is it for you to share your writing?

Very, why write if no one reads it? 

Exactly!  What do you enjoy the most/least about writing?

That I can create anything I want to and entertain other people with my ideas. 

What is the best piece of writing advice you've ever been given?

Always read publishers guidelines – they are not all the same and not formatting your work correctly can mean that it’s just rejected without being read.

What advice could you give to a new writer?

Join a group. Start small and work up to a novel. Write the genre you read. Read, read, read! 

Apart from writing, what are your other hobbies/interests?

I’m a hardened shopper, so anywhere money is exchanged for goods – I’m there!

I think I have that addiction too!  If you could have written anything, what do you wish that could have been?

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

What are you working on at the moment?

A sequel to my book and also a few novellas to start a couple of other series.

Do you have a website/blog/Twitter/Facebook dedicated to your writing?

Yes:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/NickyP_author

Blog: http://nickypeacockauthor.wordpress.com/

Group Website: http://www.creativemindswriting.co.uk/

Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4958833.Nicky_Peacock

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Nicky-Peacock/e/B007UH2ACW/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_4 

Would you be able to provide a short piece of your work?

This is the opening of my story Fountain of Flesh. The challenge was to write a vampire story with a twist. I set the whole thing in Venice and the twist was that the vampire is unconscious for the whole story but is the catalyst for the bad things which happen.  

The Venice Carnival, a sea of annual decadence, pushed itself through the Italian streets; men and woman dressed in a mixture of colourful costumes and fake finery danced and drank with a sense of belonging born from years of tradition. The aroma of a hundred different Italian dishes mingled together in the air, giving the carnival an almost edible scent, making everyone who smelled it crazed with thirst and hunger. 

© Nicky Peacock 

Thank you Nicky.

Creative Minds Writing

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Welcome to my interview with Nicky Peacock from Creative Minds Writing.

*****

Hello Nicky.  Can you please tell us a bit about your writing group?

Creative Minds Writing, held every second Thursday at 7.30pm at the Beefeater pub in Corby.

How many members, on average, does your group have?

11

Who are you and what is your role within the group?

I’m the organiser.

How are your sessions structured?

We have an initial chat, then talk about work that has been previously emailed around. We then update each other on what we are working on. Sometimes we also do writing exercises and games. 

What types of things do you cover in your group?

Anything to do with writing, publishing and reading as well.

What have been some of your most popular/successful activities?

We all wrote a paragraph of a story and had to identify who wrote which piece.

What genres do the members of your group write?

There is a lot of diversity - everything from thrillers to creative non-fiction.

Have you ever written collectively as a group, such as producing an anthology?

We have all written stories inspired by a theme, but not put them together into an anthology.

What kind of support does your writing group provide for its writers?

Help with formatting, editing, opportunities.

Where do you get your ideas/writing prompts from?

They just seem to come up whilst talking to one another.

What is the best piece of writing advice you've been given?

Read the publisher guidelines.

What is the best piece of writing advice you give?

As above! Plus actually write something! You’d be surprised how many writers there are out there who don’t actually produce any work.

Do you have guest speakers at your group?

Yes. 

Do members of the group get a chance to run/lead a session or part of a session?

No.

Does your writing group have a website/blog/Twitter/Facebook?

www.creativemindswriting.co.uk

How would someone go about joining your group?

They need to get in touch with me Nicky, my email is on the website.

Thank you Nicky.

Writers Forum

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Welcome to my interview with Lawrence Upton from Writers Forum.

*****

Hello Lawrence.  Can you tell us a bit about your writing group?

It's called Writers Forum (no apostrophe). It's held at The Betsey Trotwood in Farringdon Rd and we meet on average every three weeks except for a break in high summer and in the Christmas period. During the summer, as it stands, the dates for the next academic year are announced: It makes more sense than the calendar year. There is no charge. Occasionally, when we have needed money for something, we ask for a donation but don't enforce it

Meetings last two hours with a bit either side in the bar at people's whim. Until 10 years ago it used to last late and sometimes early in terms of all being in the pub before and after. Now it's become more sedate. Getting older I suppose. Certainly getting busier.

We seem to have a good relationship with the pub and that includes cooperating if they double book etc. They are very supportive and friendly and we try to reciprocate

It was founded in the 1950s by Cobbing as first among equals.  In those days it was rather formal, poems printed in advance, or so I believe, and discussions towards analysis.

It was refounded in 1963, again by Cobbing and others. Within a decade he was largely on his own. He continued, helped now and then by others, including me, as he got older. As he approached death in 2002 he passed it on to two of us, of whom I was one. The other left in 2010 and now it is me, with Tina Bass as  my deputy.

From 1963, wf did a lot of publishing. Nowadays it does much less; but the world is different. I wouldn't want us wasting time trying to be THE little press publisher. Some have wanted that. Nowadays there is a range of publishers and printing is easier and more affordable than it was. Being the lead organisation is a waste of effort. If it happens, it happens.

At the workshop, our emphasis is on performance of the poems and more general discussion following.

It is a strong understated house rule that you never tell anyone how their poem fails but always how it can be improved.

Anyone can bring anything – a work, an idea, a proposal. There has been from the beginning an emphasis on what is called the avant garde or other equally unsatisfactory terms; but all are welcome.

Allen Ginsberg was one of the writers published in 1963, helping to set the broad agenda of the press, hardly tremendously avant garde, or accepting of a narrow audience. It is a wide range and I value that.

People remember what interests them and thus the more supposedly “innovative” works are taken as typical by them; but I'll say again that the range is wide.

We exclude no one.  Many people move on while some stay. I have been going for 42 or 43 years of which maybe 30 were years of regular attendance

It has been by many criteria extremely successful and there is a sort of avant garde cachet in having belonged to it. For careerists who did not attend that creates a problem. This seems to have resulted in poets who have not or rarely attended encouraging others to believe they attended regularly. Also others include the words “writers forum” in their titles, apparently to encourage a belief that they have the true avant garde gospel.

I suppose that's quite flattering to the memory of Cobbing.

There is a group in Chile and another in Australia which are broadly similar and based to greater or lesser extent on our (Cobbing's) ideas and have checked with us that it is ok with us for them to use the name or versions of it. And of course it is.

It's just the passing off that offends.

But these are only annoying gnat bites.

How many members, on average, does your group have?

It varies very widely. We don't particularly want many. I'd like about 12 people attending. Currently it may be 6. Over 12 it's hard for everyone to have a turn... The mailing list is much larger; but it's spread over the world with names in every continent.

Who are you and what is your role within the group?

Lawrence Upton. I convene the meetings. Also called the director. I prefer just to be spoken of and to in my first name. 

How are your sessions structured?

We start. I invite someone (anyone) to start – that allows me to make any announcements I want to, but sometimes people just start; I cope. I keep an eye on the clock having declared things we ought to try to get through and try not to interrupt. I do join in.

Most “business” is performance or showing of work. Discussion may arise from that. Non performance stuff may well be dealt with before or after

If people take too much time... but that hardly happens. 

What types of things do you cover in your group?

We read, show and perform poems to each other.

What have been some of your most popular/successful activities?

Well! reading showing and performing poems to each other!

What genres do the members of your group write?

I'll give you a few: one writes poetry and prose either lyrical or system. I hope she can accept my description. Another has translated Romanian surrealist writing but is trying out other ideas. Another favours visual poetry and we are I would say rather interested in the relationship of the visual to the uttered. Also poetry and music – we  have a very fine violist who attends when he can.

Less sound poetry than there used to be. Lots more sonnets (8+6s).

Have you ever written collectively as a group, such as producing an anthology?

I wouldn't call that writing collectively; but we publish magazines and are interested and engage in collaborative writing and collaborative performance – cross disciplinary work too.

What kind of support does your writing group provide for its writers?

Well, in that sense and others, we are not a group. It's an open chaired workshop and also an edited publisher. The support comes from regular attendance and building a small audience that way. Having said that there is a lot of support ad hoc. 

Do you have guest speakers at your group?

Most recently

Allen Fisher (UK)

Richard Tipping (Australia)

Jill Jones (Australia)

Carlos Cocina (Chile)

They talk about poetry.

Do members of the group get a chance to run/lead a session or part of a session?

There are no sessions. Or there is one session. Anyone can propose anything.  It's more like a Quaker meeting without ministry.

Sometimes people suggest whole group experiments. It happens rarely but it's fine. They say What about...? And we say yes or no. It's nearly always yes. As I say I am only there to worry about time (and the bar stock and state of the room etc etc – but these are well-behaved adults. I convene and then I  become one of the number.

What is the best piece of writing advice you've been given?

Read; and take your time. 

What is the best piece of writing advice you give?

Read; and take more time; and read more.

Does your writing group have a website/blog/Twitter/Facebook?

www.wfuk.org.uk/blog.  The main site is still a building site.

How would someone go about joining your writing group?

You turn up. Preferably you join the mailing list first by asking on info@wfuk.org.uk on our website in case plans change; and then you are as joined as you'll ever be. 

Thank you Lawrence.