Watford Writers
watfordwriters@gmail.com |
Archive MONDAY | 2018 Programme | 8 Jan | Flash Fiction Competition - on theme of Freedom- up to 100 words. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. | 15 Jan | Manuscript Evening - Writers Block Entries due in | 22 Jan | Manuscript Clinic | 29 Jan | Manuscript Evening | 5 Feb | Flash Fiction Competition - on theme of the title of a Beatles song- up to 500 words. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. | 12 Feb | Manuscript Evening | 19 Feb | Dialogue and Character Workshop run by John Ward. Bring a photo of a character, not someone you know or someone famous. | 26Feb | Writers Block Results Night
| 5 Mar | Reading Writer's Block entries and manuscripts
| | | WATFORD'S BIG WORD FEST | 12 Mar | True-Life Story Telling - workshop with Kate Walton - Part One | 19 Mar | Talk by Lionel Birnie - sports journalist | 26 Mar | True-Life Story Telling - workshop with Kate Walton - Part Two
| 2 Apr | Easter Monday - no meeting | 9 Apr | Open Mic Evening with no Mic! Bring something to read and entertain | 16 Apr | Flash Fiction Competition - on theme of "Travel"- up to 350 words. Do not use Travel as your title. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. | 23 Apr | Lights, Camera, Action. A talk on screenwriting by James Bartlett
| 30 Apr | Rowan Coleman will talk about writing and her new novel "The Summer of Impossible Things" | 7 May | Bank Holiday | 14 May | Manuscript Evening
| 21 May | Favourite Books | 28 May | Bank Holiday | 4 June | Flash Fiction Competition - on theme of "Flowers"- up to 350 words. Do not use Travel as your title. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. | 11 June | Manuscript Evening | 18 June | Manuscript Evening | 25 June | Flash Fiction Competition - on theme of "Temptation"- up to 350 words. Do not use Temptation as your title. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. | 2 July | Manuscript Evening | 9 July | Harrington Competition Results | 16 July | Manuscript Evening | 23 July | Summer Social | 30 July | Manuscript Evening | 6 Aug | Flash Fiction Competition - on theme of "Retribution"- exactly 300 words. Do not use Retribution as your title. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. | 13 Aug | Manuscript Evening | 20 Aug | Manuscript Evening | 27 Aug | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 3 Sept. | Flash Fiction Competition - on theme of "The Secret"- up to 350 words. Do not use The Secret as your title. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. | 10 Sept. | Manuscript Evening | 17 Sept | Bring a picture and we'll develop character traits with group discussions | 24 Sep | Manuscript Evening | 1 Oct | Flash Fiction Competition - on theme of "The Party"- up to 350 words. Do not use The Party as your title. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. | 8 Oct | Manuscript Evening | 15 Oct | Workshop by Paul Stevenson exploring OULIPO - techniques to explore language and imagination using mathematical constraints | 22 Oct | Manuscript Evening | 29 Oct | Social Evening plus Flash Fiction Competition - a Horror Story - up to 200 words. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1, up to two enrtries allowed. Judging on the night. | 5 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 12 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 19 Nov | Auithor talk. Hattie Holden Edmonds will discuss her latest book, The Spectacular Vision of Oskar Dunkleblick | 26 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 3 Dec | | 10 Dec | 7pm Christmas Dinner at The Essex Arms | 17 Dec |
| 24 Dec | | 31 Dec | |
MONDAY | 2017 Programme | 9 Jan | Manuscript Evening | 16 Jan | Manuscript Eveninfg | 23 Jan | Flash Fiction Competition - Story with a Scottish Theme - up to 350 words. Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed. Judging on the night. | 30 Jan | Manuscript Evening | 6 Feb | Punctuation Workshop - be prepared to participate!
| 13 Feb | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of 'Success'
Give your story a title other than "Success". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 20 Feb | Ghost Story Competition Results | 27 Feb | Watford Writers 12th Anniversary Social Night
| 6 Mar | Manuscript Night
| | | | 13 Mar | Manuscript Night | | 20 Mar | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of Liar' Give your story a title other than "Liar". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 27 Mar | Manuscript Night
| 3 Apr | Manuscript Night | 10 Apr | An evening with Laura E James Author of ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’. | 17 Apr | Easter - No meeting | 24 Apr | An evening of Poetry Roses - Rosie Johnston and Sue Rose
| 1 May | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 8 May | Leigh Russell – Bestselling Crime Writer shares her Writing Tips | 15 May | Manuscript Night
| 22 May | Mauscript Night | 29 May | Spring Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 5 June | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of "Envy" Give your story a title other than "Envy". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 12 June | Manuscript Night | 19 June | Manuscript Night | 26 June | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of "Window" Give your story a title other than "Window". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 3 July | Reading pf Harrington Stories | 10 July | Manuscript Night | 17 July | Manuscript Night | 24 July | Manuscript Night Elton John's Glasses Heritage Project | 31 July | Manuscript Night Elton John's Glasses Heritage Project | 7 Aug | Manuscript Night Elton John's Glasses Heritage Project | 14 Aug | Manuscript Night Elton John's Glasses Heritage Project | 21 Aug | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of "Discovery" Give your story a title other than "Discovery". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 28 Aug | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 4 Sept. | Manuscript Evening | 11 Sept. | Manuscript Evening | 18 Sept | Critique Workshop - run by Mike Lansdown. Bring 3 copies of any work which you think needs improvement and would like to have critiqued in detail by the group - works up to 1000 words only. | 25 Sep | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of "Deaf" Give your story a title other than "Deaf". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 2 Oct | Manuscript Evening | 9 O | Characterisation and Dialogue Workshop facilitated by Mike Lansdown | 16 Oc | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of a picture you have chosen Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 23 Oct | Manuscript Evening | 30 Oct | Halloween Social Evening - Poetry Competition | 6 Nov | Workshop on the perennial problem of "Show not Tell" Run by Rosemary Morris | 13 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 20 Nov | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of 'Fear' Give your story a title other than "Fear". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 27 Nov | Jackie Green and Brian Bold discuss their alter ego, Jack Bold, and the writing of their collaborative novel, Quota | 4 Dec | Manuscript Evening | 11 Dec | | 18 Dec | Christmas Dinner - 7pm at the Essex Arms. Reserve your place
| 25 Dec | Christmas - No Meeting | 1 Jan | New Year - No Meeting |
Christmas Dinner at The Essex Arms - 12th December 2016
****Harrington Trophy Winners****
First PlaceRob Summers(with Linda Spurr) Writer's Block
Second PlaceSally CampbellCurse.Com Third PlacePaul WhiteAll the World's a Stage Readers of Shortlisted Stories 
L to R Brian Bold, Penelope Rowland, Trevor Spinage David Rose, Sally Campbell, John Ward Steve Clifford, Helen Nicel, Jan Rees MONDAY | 2016 Programme | 4 Jan | Manuscript Night | 11 Jan | Manuscript Night The deadline for submission of Writer's Block entriesis is tonight.
| 18 Jan | Manuscript Night
| 25 Jan | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of 'Afterwards' Give your story a title other than Afterwards. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 1 Feb | Open Evening - share your writing experiences with the group
| 8 Feb | Another Open Evening - share your writing experiences with the group | 15 Feb | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of 'Valentine's Day' Give your story a title other than 'Valentine's Day'. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 22 Feb | Manuscript Night
| 29 Feb | Writer's Block Results Night and Social.
Pizza provided but bring your favourite tipple. | 7 Mar | Manuscript Night | 14 Mar | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of 'After a decent interval'
Give your story a title other than After a decent interval. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 21 Mar | Guest speaker as part of The Big Watford Word Fest - local author Hattie Holden Edmonds will talk about her career including Clements shop assistant, pop music journalist and in-house comedy writer at Comic Relief. Cinema Lumiere is her first novel and will be available to purchase on the night. She talks regularly on How to Successfully Self-Publish. | 28 Mar | Easter Monday - No Meeting
| 4 Apr | Dougie Brimson - local author of novels, non-fictiion and screenplays. | 11 Apr | Linda Spurr - Creative Writing Workshop - details to follow
| 18 Apr | Manuscript Evening | 25 Apr | Rosemary Morris - Writing Workshop - From Romeo to Red Riding Hood | 2 May | May Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 9 May | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of 'Life Linel'
Give your story a title other than "Life Line". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 16 May | Manuscript Night
| 23 May | TBA | 30 May | Spring Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 6 June | Results Night - Richard Harrington Competition | 13 June | Manuscript Night | 20 June | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of 'Missing'
Give your story a title other than "Missing". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 27 June | Manuscript Night | 4 July | Manuscript Night | 11 July | Writing on the Night - Bring along two pictures of inanimate objects. We will be writing short scenes (100-150 words), incorporating these objects, as a writing exercise. Lets's see what our imaginations can come up with. | 18 July | Flash Fiction - Three Stories in One | 25 July | Manuscript Evening | 1 Aug | How to Write Believable Dialogue - Workshop run by member, Rachael Muirhead. We'll look at what value dialogue can add to a story, listen to some real people having a conversation, and then have a go at writing some believable dialogue. | 8 Aug | Manuscript Night | 15 Aug | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on theme of 'Weeds'
Give your story a title other than "Weeds". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 22 Aug | Summer Social - details to be advised | 29 Aug. | Summer Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 5 Sept. | Manuscript Evening | 12 Sept. | Poetry Competition: up to 40 words on theme of 'Space'
Give your poem a title other than "Weeds". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 19 Sept | Manuscript Evening | 26 Sept | Manuscript Evening | 3 Oct | Flash Non-Fiction Competition: up to 500 words on any theme
Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 10 Oct | Talk by BIGBLUEEGG Production Company of Abbots Langley - bringing plays to the stage. | 17 Oct | Manuscript Night
| 24 Oct | Manuscript Night | 31 Oct | Halloween Social Evening - bring nibbles and drink of your choice. Fancy Dress is oprional! Flash Non-Fiction Competition: up to 350 words on any Halloween theme Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 7 Nov | Manuscript Night | 14 Nov | Talk by member, Rosie Bristow, on her self-publishing experience + Manusicript Night | 21 Nov | Manuscript Night | 28 Nov | Playwriting Competition. Any theme. Duration, no more than 10 minutes. Remember to bring a copy of your script for each character. | 5 Dec | Busting Through Your Creative Writing Block - a workshop run by member, Cynthia Marsh | 12 Dec | Christmas Dinner at The Essex Arms, Langley Way @ 7.30pm. Cost £15. Book with Helen asap. | 19 Dec | Ghost Tour of Watford
| 26 Dec | No Meeting | 2 Jan | No Meeting |
****Writer's Block Winners****Thanks to James Bartlett for judging Watford Writers' first attempts at screenplays 
First PlaceTrevor SpinageA Bridge Not Far Away 
Second PlaceRob SummersThe Other Woman 
Third PlaceDavid ElliotSunspots and Squarials 21st DecemberChristmas Dinner 
14th December Panto Night 
The Panto Writers 26th October Sue Hampton and Leslie Tategave us an intriguing insight into the purple of their new books. Sue's Flashback and Purple and Leslie's Purple 
19th October Lauren Harrisran her first workshop and lead us in an inspiring experience of Poetry Therapy 
12th October James Bartlettgave us entertaining and gripping talk about scriptwriting 
28th September Cynthia Marshrevealed the secrets up of web marketing essential for promoting our writing 27th July Things We Have in Common 
Many thanks to Tasha Kavanagh, for telling us the story of the path to publication of her very successful first novel. Many of us are enjoying reading it now. Follow Tasha on her Twitter account. 2nd June Editing WorkshopMany thanks to Linda Spurr for an entertaining and informative evening.Check out her handout and some useful websites for editing tools by clicking here. Watford Live! 2015 Richard HarringtonLiterature and Art Challenge RESULTS First PlaceClick on title to read the story 
Second PlaceLouise Broadbent - The Alley
Third Place =John Ward - Return of the Tooth Fairies (pictured)
Paul White - A Cereal Offender
Other Shortlisted StoriesRosie Bristow - Beyond the RiverRob Summers - Flight of the Fairies
Penelope Rowland - Last Stop
Jan Rees - Let's Pretend
Carol Mathews - One Wish
Cynthia Marsh - The Story Teller 
Copies of the winning stories on Watford Observer Website The Other Shortlisted Stories ACTIVITIESWatford Writers reading War Poems at Watford Museum- part of VE Day Commemorations 
"New Beginnings" Social at our new venuewith special guest Richard Harrington, MP for Watford 
OUR LAST MEETING AT THE CHA CAFE.
FAREWELL TO 10 YEARS OF GREAT MEMORIES 
OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY!
MONDAY | 2015 Programme | 5 Jan | Manuscript Night | 12 Jan | Flash Fiction Competition: 300 to 350 words on theme of 'The Package' Give your story a title other than The Package. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night.
| 19 Jan | Manuscript Night
| 26 Jan | Flash Poetry Competition. Up to 25 lines on the theme of "Love" - however you wish to interpret that. Rhyming or Free Verse - it's up to you.
We will read them on the night and there will be prizes. £1 to enter.
| 2 Feb | The deadline for submission of Writer's Block entriesis is tonight.
| 9 Feb | "Openings" Workshop and Manuscripts | 16 Feb | Manuscript Night | 23 Feb | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 250 words on theme of 'Ten' Give your story a title other than "Ten". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 2 Mar | Wattford Writers 10th Anniversary Social and Writer's Block Results! Venue: The Barn, 1, Watford House Lane, Watford WD17 18J
In the service road opposite Watford Place Theatre
Parking in The Gade or The Palace Car Park | 9 Mar | Manuscripts and Writer's Block Entries | 16 Mar | Copy and Line Editing Workshop run by member Rosemary Morris If time allows, more Writer's Block Entries | 23 Mar | Manuscripts and Writer's Block Entries | 30 Mar | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of 'Beyond the Gate' Give your story a title other than "Beyond the Gate". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 6 Apr | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 13 Apr | FIRST MEETING AT OUR NEW VENUE - The ODDfellows Hall Manuscript Evening | 20 Apr | "New Beginnings" Social to launch our new venue with visit by Richard Harrington, our local MP. Bring some nibbles - sweet or savoury - and any questions for Richard. | 27 Apr | Last meeting to bring your entry for the Richard Harrington Fairy Tale Competition. Closing date is May 1st. | 4 May | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 11 May | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of 'Made of Metal' Give your story a title other than "Made of Metal". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 18 May | Writing Workshop Part 1 - "Finding Your Writer's Voice" run by Linda Spurr, Creative Writing Tutor
| 25 May | Bank Holiday - No Meeeting | 1 June | Results Night - Richard Harrington Writing Trophy | 8 June | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of 'The Invitation' Give your story a title other than "The Invitation". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 15 June | Manuscripts and Programme Planning | 22 June | Writing Workshop Part 2 - Editing - the First Cut is the Deepest!" - run by Linda Spurr, Creative Writing Tutor
| 29 June | Manuscripts | 6 July | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of 'Celebrity' Give your story a title other than Celebrity. Use no more than 3 adjectives! Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 13 July | Manuscripts | 20 July | Competition and Prizes - Write a story in six sentences. Any theme. Read on the Night. | 27 July | Tasha Kavanagh - previous member - will tell us about her path to publication with her novel -Things We Have in Common - which has received very favourable reviews. She has an MA in Creative Writing from East Anglia University and has worked as an editor on feature films for many years. Discounted and signed hardback copies of her book will be available on the night. | 3 Aug | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of 'Barefoot' Give your story a title other than Barefoot. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 10 Aug | Manuscripts | 17 Aug | Social | 24 Aug | Manuscripts | 31Aug. | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 7 Sept. | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 400 words on theme of 'The Secret' Give your story a title other than The Secret. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 14Sept. | Manuscripts | 21 Sept | Manuscripts | 28 Sept | Workshop run by Cynthia Marsh - The Importance of Online Marketing for Authors | 5 Oct | Flash Fiction Competition: 250 to 275 words on theme of 'The Wrong Room' Give your story a title other than The Wrong Room. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 12 Oct | James Bartlett will give us a talk about screenwriting. James comes from Watford but is now based in LA, working as a journalist, script reader and story editor. | 19 Oct | Lauren Harris, one of our members, will treat us to a workshop on poetry.
| 26 Oct | Sue Hampton and Leslie Tate return with an unique performance on their writing. They have published new books recently. | 2 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 9 Nov | Flash Fiction Competition: 300 to 350 words on theme of 'Sacrifice' Give your story a title other than "Sacrifice". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 16 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 23 Nov | Panto Preparations | 30 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 7 Dec | Flash Fiction Competition: up to 300 words on theme of 'Revenge' Give your story a title other than "Revenge". Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 14 Dec | PANTO NIGHT! | 21 Dec | Christmas Social Event - The Essex Arms
| 28 Dec | No Meeting | 4 Jan | No Meeting |
MONDAY | 2014 PROGRAMME | 6 Jan | Manuscript Night Writer's Block Competition The theme this year is FIREWORKS' which you can interpret as you wish. Length must be between 2500 and 3000 words (excluding title) DO NOT title your piece FIREWORKS', give it a different title DO NOT put your name on your story but DO include your name, address and telephone number on a separate sheet. Entry is £2 per story, maximum two stories per person. The deadline for submission of entries is 27th January 2014 | 13 Jan | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 250 words on theme of 'Time Flies' Give your story a title other than Time Flies. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night.
| 20 Jan | Manuscripts and Quiz
| 27 Jan | The deadline for submission of Writer's Block entries | 3 Feb | Manuscripts | 10 Feb | Manuscripts | 17 Feb | Social Evening - Celebrating our 9th Birthday You are welcome to bring along some snacks, cakes, nibbles and liquid refreshments. And why not drag along a few friends, especially those we haven't seen lately. | 24 Feb | Manuscripts | 3 Mar | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 400 words on theme of 'Journey' Give your story a title other than Journey. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 10 Mar | Manuscripts | 17 Mar | RESULTS NIGHT Writer's Block Competition
| 24 Mar | Manuscripts | 31 Mar | Manuscripts | 7 Apr | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 500 words featuring 'Another World' Your story can have any theme,but it is to be based in 'another world'. It could be science fiction, fantasy, a children's story, the choice is yours! Bring three copies. Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging and prizes on the night. | 14 Apr | 'We are delighted to announce that author and poet Rosie Johnston will be joining us on Monday 14th April. Rosie has been a professional writer in various genres for over 25 years, her talents include fiction, play-writing, journalism, poetry and teaching creative writing. Rosie facilitates writing groups in Greenwich and Cambridge. Most recently her book 'Bittersweet Seventeens' has been published by Lapwing Publications (Belfast) 2014. There will be an opportunity to purchase signed copies on the night. Rosie will be talking about her work and getting published. The evening will include a Q&A session, a glass of wine on arrival, tea and coffee during the break and all for just £3.50. We hope to see as many of you as possible, please invite friends and family. For those of you in Facebook, Twitter etc please spread the word via your social network tools! Take a look at Rosie'sr website www.rosie-johnston.com
| 21 Apr | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 28 Apr | Manuscripts | 5 May | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 12 May | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words on the theme 'Shadows' Give your story a title other than 'Shadows'. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 19 May | Character Building Workshop, facilitated by Kimberley Angel, Watford Writers member. | 26 May | Bank Holiday - No Meeeting | 2 June | Manuscripts | 9 June | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words on theme of 'Time' Give your story a title other than Time. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 16 June | MONOLOGUES - an introduction to the form and a performance of several monologues written by Melville Lovatt, local playwright and member of Pinner Writers | 23 June | RESULTS NIGHT - 2014 Richard Harrington Trophy Competition | 30 June | Manuscript Evening | 7 July | Social Evening - Celebrating American Independence Day | 14 July | Monologue Competition -this is like a Flash Fiction Night in that you will be asked to write a story this week but we shall not need three copies as they will not be passed round the room. You will only need to bring one copy as the stories will be read out to the group. The rules are:- - It must be a monologue - It must be between 500 and 1000 words, not including the title. - You need to give it a title - The theme or subject is open for you to decide. - It will cost £1 for each entry..... maximum two entries. - and, although we can't insist, it would be nice if everyone read out their own stories instead of asking someone else. After all, you wouldn't ask someone else to write your story, would you? .... or maybe you would. | 21 July | Manuscript Evening | 28 July | Manuscript Evening and Quiz | 4 Aug | War Poets Workshop facilitated by Trevor Spinage, Watford Writers member | 11 Aug | Manuscript Evening | 18 Aug | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 350 words on theme of 'Broken' Give your story a title other than Broken. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 25 Aug | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | 1 Sept. | Manuscript Evening | 8 Sept. | Flash Fiction exercise, to be written on the night, using random words for the themes. Just bring along pen, paper and your imagination! | 15 Sept. | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to300 words on theme of 'October' Give your story a title other than October. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 22 Sept | Manuscript Evening | 29 Sept | Manuscript Evening, Caption Competition and Quiz | 6 Oct | Manuscript Evening | 13 Oct | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to300 words on theme of 'Drowning' Give your story a title other than Drowning. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 20 Oct | Manuscript Evening
| 27 Oct | Tipping our proverbial hat and cane to Halloween, this week we shall be asking for short horror stories of between 200-250 words, to be read out loud. No competition, just ghosts and ghouls, wraiths and spooks or even just a feeling of unease or impending doom. Let's hear something of the dark side.There may also be a suitable quiz to get your teeth stuck into. (sorry) | 3 Nov | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to350 words on theme of 'Fire' Give your story a title other than Fire. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 10 Nov | 'CASSIOBURY, THE ANCIENT SEAT OF THE EARLS OF ESSEX'. Sarah Priestley (Heritage & Arts Manager, Watford Museum) and Paul Rabbitts are coming to tell us about the launch of their book, | 17 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 24 Nov | Manuscript Evening Writer's Block Competition 2014
The theme this year is 'IN HIGH PLACES' which you can interpret as you wish. Length must be between 2500 and 3000 words (excluding title) DO NOT title your piece 'IN HIGH PLACES', give it a different title DO NOT put your name on your story but DO include your name, address and telephone number on a separate sheet. Entry is £2 per story, maximum two stories per person. The deadline for submission of entries TBA | 1 Dec | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 350 words on theme of 'Sharks' Give your story a title other than Sharks. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 8 Dec | Social Evening - This will entail some fun! Please bring along the following:- - any seasonal writing you may have - some snacks you may care to eat and share. Home-baked stuff will be most welcome.(Please don't ALL bring crisps and sausage rolls!) - any drinks you may care to partake of and share (Beer, Wine, Soft Drinks etc) - funny, silly, seasonal or even sensible hats can be worn (optional) and may be rewarded.
-------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT NOTE:- Unlike former years, we must depart by 9'30pm with everything cleared up by then. You can arrive early (7.15 pm) so that we can make the most of the evening. Help in clearing up will be appreciated. | 15 Dec | Christmas Dinner at The Essex Arms | 22 Dec | NO MEETING | 29 Dec | NO MEETING |
MONDAY | 2013 PROGRAMME | 7 Jan | Manuscript Night Writer's Block Competition The theme this year is 'LOSS' which you can interpret as you wish. Length must be between 2500 and 3000 words (excluding title) DO NOT title your piece 'LOSS', give it a different title DO NOT put your name on your story but DO include your name, address and telephone number on a separate sheet.
Entry is £2 per story, maximum two stories per person. The deadline for submission of entries is 28th January 2013 | 14 Jan | Meeting Cancelled - adverse weather
| 21 Jan | Meeting Cancelled - adverse weather | 28 Jan | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 200 words on theme of 'Pleasure' Give your story a title other than Pleasure. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. DEADLINE for entries for Writer's Block Competition | 4 Feb | Mini Pantos and Manuscripts
| 11 Feb | Manuscripts | 18 Feb | RESULTS NIGHT Writer's Block Competition | 25 Feb | How to write and self-publish bestselling books Guest speaker, Rob Palmer, who has built his own profitable online publishing business, will reveal the opportunities this new access to readers offers us. | 4 Mar | Manuscripts | 11 Mar | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 250 words on theme of 'The Wheel' Give your story a title other than The Wheel. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 18 Mar | Manuscripts | 25 Mar | This is the last meeting before Easter. There will be no meeting on 1st April. Therefore we shall have a social evening - any excuse for a party. Just bring along the following:-
- A book which had such an inspiring / intriguing first paragraph that you had to buy it. What made you read on? Read that paragraph to the group and see if it can have the same effect on them. - A tipple of your choice - be it wine, beer, cordial, squash, water or hooch. - Some sort of snacks or nibbles - bought or homemade - though homemade is better, isn't it.
There may even be a fun quiz to do. It doesn't matter if we haven't seen you for a while, just come along and say hello | 1 Apr | Easter Monday - NO MEETING | 8 Apr | Manuscript Evening | 15 Apr | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 250 words on any theme
Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 22 Apr | Manuscript Evening | | 29 Apr | Workshop - Building a Character for a Story - bring two pictures taken from a newspaper or magazine (NOT any celebrities, just unknown persons, preferably with an interesting countenance) At the end of the evening there will be a fun quiz. The deadline for the ONE DAY competition is Tuesday, April 30. This is last meeting at which you can hand in your entry. | 6 May | Bank Holiday - NO MEETING | 13 May | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words Science Fiction story
Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 20 May | Manuscript Evening | 27 May | Bank Holiday - NO MEETING | 3 June | Results Evening for Richard Harrington Trophy - "One Day" Competition | | 10 June | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words on the theme of "The Secret"
Give yoyr story a title other than "The Secret" Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 17 June | Manuscript Evening | 24 June | Manuscript Evening | 1 July | Programme Ideas, Literary Quiz and Manuscript Evening. Come and enjoy. | 8 July | Flash Fiction Night with a difference. Something we've not done before.A story written in verse form, with a beginning, middle and end. The subject is of your choosing. 40 lines maximum, excluding title Usual rules:- Bring 3 copies of your entry Do not put your name on it Give it a title £1 to enter Prizes for the top three Judging on the night, by all present | 15 July | Manuscript Evening | 22 July | Manuscript Evening | 29 July | Manuscript Evening | 5 August | Write a New Cliche' Competition | 12 August | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 350 words on a theme of your choice
Your story must have a title which is a cliche' - one that supports your theme
Bring three copies Do not put your name on it Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 19 August | Manuscript Evening | 26 August | BANK HOLIDAY - No Meeting | 2 Sept. | Manuscript Evening | 9 Sept. | Manuscript Evening | 16 Sept. | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 350 words on a theme of Reincarnation
Your story must have a title other tah Reincarnation
Bring three copies Do not put your name on it Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 23 Sept | Manuscript Evening | 30 Sept | Manuscript Evening | 7 Oct | Manuscript Evening | 14 Oct | An evening with Peter Wilson-Leary, Editor of Watford Free Newspaper | 21 Oct | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words on the theme of My Dreams
Your story must have a title other than My Dreams
Bring three copies Do not put your name on it Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 28 Oct | A workshop on how to write ENDINGS with Patricia Kavanagh-Brown, group member (TBA) | 4 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 11Nov | Manuscript Evening and Quiz | 18 Nov | Flash Fiction Competition: 300 - 350 words on the theme of Mind Reading
Your story must have a title other than Mind Reading
Bring three copies Do not put your name on it Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 25 Nov | Manuscript Evening | 2 Dec | | 9 Dec | | 16 Dec | | 23 Dec | | 30 Dec | | MONDAY | 2012 PROGRAMME
| 9 January | Manuscript Night | 16 January | Manuscript Night | 23 January | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words on theme of 'Games' Give your story a title other than Games. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 30 January | Manuscript Night | 6 February | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 150 words on theme of 'The Accession/Succession' to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen coming to the throne on 6th February 1952. Your story does not necessarily have to relate to royalty.
Give your story a title other than Accession/Succession. Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | 13 February | Valentines Day Themed Workshop Presented by Helen Nicell and Rob Summers. You will have the opportunity to choose some famous lovers and write a short amorous scene on the night, for their night! I f you feel inclined to bring along some wine or chocolates the rest of us will love to share them with you. | 20 February | Manuscript Night | 27 February | 2011/2012 WRITERS BLOCK GHOST STORY RESULTS NIGHT Nick Cook will invite writers of shortlisted entries to read their stories before announcing the winners and presenting our highly coveted WRITERS BLOCK TROPHY Bring some drinks to celebrate with the winners. Nibbles will be provided | 5 March | Manuscript Night | 12 March | Manuscript NIght | 19 March | Workshop on Presenting Your Stories hosted by Norma Luetchford and John Ward, followed by better manuscript reading | | 26 March | Manuscript Night | | 2 April | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 250 words on theme of ' Eggs'
Give your story a title other than Eggs Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | | 9 April | Easter - No Meeting | 16 April | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words on theme of ' Scout'
Give your story a title other than Scout Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. | | 23 April | Manuscript Night | | 30 April | Manuscript Night | | 7 May | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | | 14 May | Manuscript Night | | 21 May | 'Have a Rant' Night Get those feelings of frustration, irritation and downright helplessness off your chest and put them into words. It can be in the form of a complaint letter, a blog, a letter to a newspaper or magazine or just a general rant.
No theme, just something you feel strongly about.
There is no minimum or maximum word count but there is a five minute time limit, after which you will be booed off. | | 28 May | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words on theme of ' Diamonds' to tie in with the Diamond Jubilee (but don't use the word Diamond in your title.) Also separate flash poetry competition, up to 28 lines on the diamond theme.
Bring three copies of your entries, but don't put your name on them.
£1 per entry, up to two entries per person allowed Judging will be on the night. Even if you don't enter you can still judge (We may even send the winning entry to Her Majesty)
*****This will also be a social night. so bring something to drink and something to eat as well and, of course, do wear your diamonds and tiaras****
| | 4 June | Jubilee - No Meeting | | 11 June | Manuscript Night | | 18 June | Manuscript Night | | 25 June | Leigh Russell, local crime writer, will talk about her latest book 'Death Bed', the fourth in her successful detective series, published in May. | | 2 July | Manuscript Night | | 9 July | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 250 words on theme of ' Hanging' Give your story a title other than Hanging Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night. Also we will set theme for a Radio Play | | 16 July | Manuscript Night | | 23 July | Manuscript Night | | 30 July | In the beginning..... This week, something completely different.....yet strangely familiar. What makes you want to read a book from opening the very first page? What hooks your attention? How did the author do it? Did he succeed....or not? Bring along a favoured book, read us the first 250 words and we'll discuss the merits of that first dip into the authors efforts? Alternatively, bring a book you didn't like. Or even your own efforts Or just any old book, then. But limit the reading to just the beginning. Ah, 'In the beginning.....' That could work, couldn't it? | | 6 August | Manuscript Night | | 13 August | NO MEETING | | 20 August | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 250 words on theme of ' The Question' Give your story a title other than The Question Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night, with prizes Also discuss future programme, come with suggestions. | | 27 August | Bank Holiday - No Meeting | | 3 September | Manuscript Night & Discuss Programme | | 10 September | Characterisation and Dialogue Workshop Bring along a picture of a person (or 2 or 3) cut from a newspaper or magazine - NOT a picture of anyone famous and definitely NOT a 'celebrity'. And bring your imagination. We will write dialogue as our various persons interact in character. | | 17 September | Manuscript Night | | 24 September | Flash Fiction Competition: Up to 300 words on theme of ' Pioneer' Give your story a title other than 'Pioneer' Bring three copies Entry fee £1 per entry, up to two entries allowed Judging on the night, with prizes | | 1 October | Dickens Night Trevor Spinage will review Dicken's development of characters through naming, mannerisms, catchphrases etc and explore some of the social issues covered in his novels. We will be invited to develop our characters in today's environment. | | 8 October | Manuscript Night | | 15 October | Manuscript Night | | 22 October | Radio Play Night Bring along your own 5-10 minute radio play, any theme, and pick members to speak your parts. This is always a fum evening and uncovers hidden acting talents! | | 29 October | Manuscript Night | | 5 November | Bonfire Night - Social - Flash Fiction Bangers | | 12 November | Manuscripts | | 19 November | Manuscripts | | 26 November | Author Evening - Susan Hampton and Leslie Tate will share their experience of writing for adults and children. Together they have published 19 novels and a poetry collection. They will discuss what inspires them and what goes into a great novel. Come along for a prompt start at 7.30pm so we have the maximum time to benefit from their accumulated wisdom. **** Bring £5 to reserve your place at our Christmas meal. Payable to Kimberley Angel | | 3 December | TBA | | 10 December | Panto Night and Social | | 17 December | Christmas Meal - The Essex Arms | | 24 December | No Meeting | | 31 December | No Meeting |
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