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Pylons
This week I was sent a link to a site which allowed me to watch footage of the felling of pylons in Dorset. This is a project known as Visual Impact Provision and reports admit that there is no motive for spending £116 million, other than to improve views in an area of Outstanding Natural… Read more
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Talking to your Characters
Blog October 2022 (2) Following on from my earlier discovery that a board of characters could be a useful reference point, I turned again to the remnants of my magazines and leaflets for inspiration when I needed a scenario in which estranged parents would be brought together to rethink their relationship. There it was, right… Read more
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Knowing your Characters (Part 1)
Inspired by the idea of the interior decorator’s best friend, the Mood Board, I began to beg, borrow and steal magazines and leaflets from my family and friends. Well, actually, I didn’t steal them because you never know when you might need that friend or family member so better to not risk offence. I didn’t… Read more
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Changing Times
One of the words that has changed dramatically, even since my parents’ generation, is ‘high’. They would have referred to a high mountain or described a kite as flying high. Now we have abbreviations such as hi-tech, hi-vis, hi-fi and wi-fi. Where is it all going in such a rush? We were the last generation… Read more
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Filby Broad
Filby Broad Twenty five years ago I walked this way, With children laughing On another summer day We lived close to here And knew it well, The sound of lapping water, What tales it could tell Just a minute’s walk From woodland to Broads, Through dappled light We walked the boards You, my daughter, Always… Read more
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Benacre Bird Hide
As I climbed the steps to this new bird-hide, I felt the smoothness of the rail beneath my hand. Then, pushing open the door, I breathed in the smell of newly cut timber. Two forward facing windows looked over the expanse of lake, with the stillness of pine trees stretching into the distance, and gently… Read more
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The importance of research
This month’s meeting of the Whittlesey Wordsmiths will be looking at the growing trend in novels, to explore in detail the occupations of the main characters. As well as the usual detectives, and girls who inherit properties from unknown relatives, I have come across a tree surgeon and a designer of stained glass windows. A… Read more
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Inspiration for Characters
The sources that inspire characters are as varied as the characters themselves. A lot will depend on the setting you have chosen and the period. A demure young virgin might fit better into a Victorian drama, than into a racy modern rom-com but there is a need for caution in all eras. We have all… Read more
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Looking for Inspiration
At the May meeting of the Whittlesey Wordsmiths, we started to look at how we would choose a location to provide a setting for our stories/novels. The main considerations were: Suitable for the story Do you need a particular building, such as a library or a shopping centre, or maybe a tower block? This would… Read more
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Let’s be SENSE-IBLE Part 5
As most stories are told in terms of what we see, these five articles have covered the other senses, so our final part is a look at the sixth sense which is still a bit of a mystery to us. Much has been written, and even more passed down the generations by word of mouth,… Read more
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Let’s be SENSE-IBLE 4
Following our journey through the senses, we look at Touch. This is a sense familiar in all cultures but perhaps valued differently in various regions. In the west, we are not known for being great huggers and our private space is greater. Post-Covid we are even more conscious of our closeness to others; perhaps less… Read more
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A kind mention
Eva Jordan was kind enough to include me in an article she wrote for the Fens Magazine and then published on her blog. Thank you, Eva and The Fens magazine.
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Let’s be SENSE-IBLE 3
This month I am taking a look at TASTE and how it can be incorporated into our writing as we paint a picture of our characters. Taste can, of course, have more than one interpretation. A character might have a questionable or excellent taste in clothes/boyfriends but today I’m focusing on the physical sensation we… Read more
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Let’s be SENSE – IBLE part 2
In the last post we looked at the role of HEARING when we are trying to capture the attention of our readers. This time we will explore the sense of SMELL –often said to be the most emotive of all the senses. The following is an excerpt from my biography, The Railway Carriage Child, which… Read more
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Let’s be SENSE – IBLE
A lot of what we read (and write) is description of what the characters see. We call it ‘setting the scene’ or ‘backdrop to the story’. The other senses are often overlooked or not used in the best way to promote our understanding of the characters. In the next few posts I will be looking… Read more
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What do we mean by ‘Character Building’?
Blog June 2021 As my novel takes shape (slowly), I am still enjoying ‘meeting’ new characters. This is perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of writing. It feels like making a new friend who will accompany you on a journey. Of course, this may be a short journey with minor characters but some of… Read more
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Recommended Reading
As we head out of lockdown and start to plan summer outings I am sitting out these last (hopefully) weeks by reading the few remaining books that I stockpiled at the beginning of our enforced stay-at-home. This week I have finally managed to read the last of Eva Jordan’s trilogy. I had read the first… Read more
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Stop the bus – I want to get off
As we continue in lockdown and feel even more isolated by the snow that has recently marooned us indoors, it feels like a good time to remember past holidays when the sun shone and we enjoyed the freedom of travel: Stop the bus – I want to get off It was the 1970s when my… Read more
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Looking Forward
Wishing everyone a happy new year seems a little ironical this month as we head towards the threat of tighter restrictions, so perhaps a wish for a productive new year would be more appropriate. During the coming months I will try to put forward some ideas to make us all feel more positive about our… Read more
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At the end of a remarkable year and looking forward
As Christmas approaches, we look back on a strange year of lockdowns, social distancing and self-isolating. A year ago these were terms that had never entered the vocabulary of most of us. All of the above have touched our lives in one way or another. Our local creative writing group has had to adjust quickly… Read more
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What I didn’t mean to say…
As we continue to be thwarted in our efforts to meet – we almost made it this week, planning to book a room for the first face-to-face meeting since March before the rule-of-six overtook us – we are trying to keep our spirits up and our brains engaged. We don’t want the ink to dry… Read more
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An added bonus?
Who says research is the boring bit? I have spent the last two days researching for my novel. Sometimes research can be a time-consuming chore but I think I have found the answer. Set your characters in an interesting location and then you have an excuse to visit. Now we are allowed to travel again,… Read more
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News from the Writing Group
My writing Group, the Whittlesey Wordsmiths, continue to meet monthly, courtesy of Zoom and are now working on a collection of stories with each member writing a chapter, then handing over to someone else to write the next chapter. This has led to some interesting twists as everyone takes up the story and adds their… Read more
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A Helping Hand
I have recently been interviewed by Eva Jordan, local writer and columnist for the Fens magazine (May edition). Eva has kindly followed this up with a review of my book, (The Railway Carriage Child) in the June edition of the Fens magazine. Both editions of the Fens Magazine are avaliable on line. It is encouraging… Read more
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Continuing to survive lockdown…
As we all continue our struggle to survive lockdown without our families and friends at our side, I have realised how much I rely on them for so many things. The first that comes to mind is technology. At the moment my phone is that black device that lurks in my pocket and makes a… Read more
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New Beginnings
As we struggle through these difficult times with stories of illness and death all around us, I have been fortunate this week to see a new beginning; the birth of my granddaughter, Gwen Francesca. My daughter and her partner enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the Midwife Unit at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and… Read more
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An Easter Update
My first words today are to those of you who have been adversely affected by the Corona Virus. I guess that’s most of you. Many lives have been changed by this. No work. No school. No visits to family and friends. As writers, we are perhaps in the fortunate position of being able to use… Read more
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Book Signing at The Octavia Hill Museum in Wisbech
I’m pleased to tell you that I have been asked to take part in an event at Octavia Hill’s Birthplace Museum in Wisbech. The event is to be held over the Easter weekend and will feature a number of local writers and poets.I will be giving a brief account of my journey to becoming a… Read more
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Kings Dyke, some progress
I am now collecting material for my second book, (A history of Kings Dyke). This is going really well. I have been buried under a mountain of replies and, believe me, a mountain is a rare sight in the fens. Perhaps it is symbolic of the time when a lot of these people would have… Read more
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Whittlesey Straw Bear Weekend
Another successful weekend for the Whittlesey Straw Bear Festival and for my book sales. There were around two hundred visitors to the Whittlesey Museum (whittleseymuseum.co.uk) on the town’s Market Street where I signed copies of The Railway Carriage Child. The book is available from the museum and from Parkers newsagent, 13 Market Street, (https://www.yell.com/biz/parkers-newsagents-peterborough-3780006/) I… Read more
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A New Work in Progress
Just started collecting information for my new book, a social history of King’s Dyke, Whittlesey. This was a small development of houses with their own shop, school, chapel and social club, built around the turn of the century by A W Itter. The houses were rented out to local brickyard workers and were occupied until… Read more
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Christmas Update
‘The Railway Carriage Child’ continues to sell well and is now available from the museums in Whittlesey and Peterborough, as well as at Whittlesey’s Parkers Newsagent. Meantime, the Whittlesey Wordsmiths, the U3A creative writing group which I set up in February 2017, grows in numbers. We are now 13. Our membership includes two other published… Read more
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Edward Storey Memorial Concert
I was privileged to be invited to a memorial concert today in Peterborough, for Fenland poet and author, Edward Storey. I wrote to Edward for several years while I was working on my book, The Railway Carriage Child, and received much good advice and support from him. This also led me to setting up the… Read more
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Exciting Times as a published author,
Just an update on my publishing success: My first book, The Railway Carriage Child, is for sale on Amazon and can also be bought locally in Whittlesey at Parker’s newsagents. It also being sold at the museums in Whittlesey and Peterborough. I was delighted when the first print run sold out in less than a… Read more
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Book Launch Yesterday At U3A
At the U3A meeting in Whittlesey yesterday I did a book signing session at the launch for my first book, The Railway Carriage Child. Over 100 members attended and the afternoon was a great success. I hope that is encouraging to all would-be writers who may be having doubts about stepping onto the public platform with their own… Read more
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The Railway Carriage Child
At last! My memoire is finally on sale on Amazon. Check it out. This is the foreword Against a backdrop of the Cambridgeshire fens, lies the small market town of Whittlesey. Here are many features of historical and architectural interest, including two medieval churches, a 17th century Butter Cross and rare examples of 18th century… Read more
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The Railway Carriage Child
Hoping that today will go down in History (well, my history, anyway) as the day I send my book to Amazon. I couldn’t be more excited if I was going to the Amazon. Meantime, a few more ideas for the writers of fiction. How about choosing a building as your setting? Could that tiny cottage… Read more
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More ideas to inspire that short story.
Do you ever pass a car in a layby and wonder about the occupants? Is it a man travelling alone? Could he have stopped to gather his thoughts before an important meeting? How will the outcome of that meeting affect his life? Is there a family in the car? Can you see luggage through the… Read more
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First Post
My name is Wendy I am group leader of Whittlesey Wordsmiths, a U3A creative writing group based in Fenland. We have published an anthology of our poetry and prose, Where the Wild Winds Blow, and are currently working on a second volume. Individually, we are at various stages of writing and publishing. I have just… Read more
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Wendy Wordsmith 