Cleckheaton Writers Group (CWG) met on Monday evening at 5.30pm at Cleckheaton Library with Karen and Paul in attendance, Alice, Cassie, Gemma, Kathy and Reuben having passed on their apologies.
The minutes from the last meeting were passed.
WIP updates: Karen has pitched her novels Burning for You and Undercover to Pitch Day at Harlequin Mills and Boon Romantic Suspense, has written a new scene for her rom com sequel Seducing the One 252 words, edited chapters nine to twelve of her rom com Christmas Evie and sent to her editor Cassiel, written another new scene for Seducing the One 1164 words (which she brought to share for feedback), been chosen for Interview with Abigail from the Beyond Brontes Breakthrough programme, written a new beach scene for The Pallbearer 153 words (which she brought for feedback), entered a chapter of her YA fantasy romance Half-lands into the July 2023 SCBWI Slush Pile YA romance/thriller challenge and five poems into the Peter K Hixson Prize for Poetry. Paul has finished the polemic about Ian Bailey and they discussed the interviews where facts were changed and the implications that Bailey knew the victim was French and about where the body was. Although Bailey's partner split from him 2 years prior, neither she nor her daughters had ever changed their story as they are still under his control.
Karen had been on a Writers Retreat in Scarborough for a week where it kick-started her writing again. She brought with her tips on pitching to publishers that she had received during the retreat from Jamie McGarry of Valley Press, who will be open to submission in September, which she shared with Paul.
· CW comps/workshops/events: Can’t See the Wood for the Trees Creative Writing workshop with Ali Taft Tuesday 12 September 2023 2-4pm Leeds Beckett University (details on LinkedIn/Eventbrite), Peter K Hixson Prize for Poetry and Prize for Short Stories deadline 1 August 2023, Birmingham Literature Festival coming up in October (Karen brought the brochure in for CWG members to view)
Writing plans: Karen hopes to complete more editing of her rom com and perhaps write some new scenes for the sequel or her crime novel. Paul hopes to finish the Mary Bell book.
Feedback sessions: Karen shared the new short scene she had written for her crime novel. She had been struggling with separating her happy childhood memories of the beach she used for a scene to give it a darker edge. Following a workshop on 'sense of place' at her writers retreat she wrote the descriptive scene. Paul felt it gave a sense of foreboding and found it useful as he doesn't write about locations in his work but could see how it worked to bring the place alive. Karen also shared a new longer scene, perhaps a whole new chapter, for her rom com's sequel. The scene is later in the MS where the MMC is realising how much his nature has changed (this was written during a session on sustaining your writing practice at the writers retreat). Paul felt it conveyed the male thought processes of how unsettling and lonely it is to realise that you have moved from the single guys perspective (like all your long-term friends), into a relationship status but not quite in the married friends zone either. Karen felt this was positive feedback as she sometimes worries about writing from the male perspective.
Writing challenge: The theme of Pride has been suggested for the August theme as it is Gay Pride in Leeds today.
Next meeting: Monday 14 August 2023, 5.30pm at Cleckheaton Library. New members always welcome.
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