What a fantastic day we all had on Saturday at The New Folkestone Bookshop for our very first book launch, it was our third anthology but we had never celebrated one before due to being a new group and then covid. So many people came to support us and listen to the readings we did during the afternoon. The finger buffet was a success, especially the personalised cupcakes and biscuits.
We had 28 people submit stories for this anthology so it was a significant task for Matthew and Debby to do all the editing etc but we have to agree the book is bigger with a variety of stories and poems.
Write by the Sea has now produced three anthologies, Ghosts by the Sea, Doorways to the Sea and Journeys by the Sea.
All our books are available at the bookshop on Tontine Street and also on Amazon here.
A fun afternoon for the children as well.
A massive thank you to everyone for making this book a success.
Our next event is on the 25th May at Anna’s, all about script writing and dialogue. Everyone is welcome to our free events we just like you to buy something to eat or drink so we support the establishment.
Our third anthology has taken longer to edit and publish because of the work that has gone into it from Matthew and Debby Jones, whom we thank very much. We had over 30 stories and poems this time from the group, thank you for your support.
We will reveal the cover at our next meeting on Thursday 27th April, this event is open to everyone, and there will also be a talk about writing romance.
We have set some dates towards our third anthology publication.
The cover reveal will be on the 27th of April 2023
The book launch will be at The New Bookshop on Tontine Street on Saturday 13th May between 2 & 6 pm. There will be some readings from the book and your opportunity to meet the authors and of course, buy the book also the best bit is there will be prosecco and nibbles.
Happy new year, so excited for our meetings and events this year, we are also coming into our 5th year of Write By The Sea. How quick time goes, I feel we are getting better each year. Our first meeting is Thursday 12th January, see you there. Here are the dates and events so far that we have booked, the rest should be confirmed before the end of the month.
When you think about the Grand Hotel and its visitors, who springs to mind? Edward VII and Alice Keppel? Agatha Christie? Think again. What an amazing evening we had with Emre Araci! One thing is for sure – no shortage of inspiration for our next anthology, which is going to be about journeys to from and involving Folkestone.
This talk was made even better by the fact it was held in the drawing-room of The Grand, we are so very lucky to be able to hold our events here. Emre also bought along his gramophone, which was a very old wind up version to play a record. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI1kNOxh71I
I found the evening so enjoyable listening about the history of our iconic hotel, The Grand. Let’s hope it is restored to its former glory soon.
Everything you ever wanted to know about The Grand, such an elegant old building that could tell many a story. I liked the fact that Agatha Christie stayed there to write but Emre told me that it is not true. So come along and listen to the stories about this grand old hotel, all are welcome, there will be tea and coffee available for a donation or you can bring your own drink. Doors open at 6.30 for a 7pm start.
March already and soon be spring, thank goodness. I had a tidy up out in the garden with the sun shining, little things make me smile and appreciate that I can just walk out into the garden. There is an idea for the next article about a competition for a short story.
Faversham festival has just finished so their short story competition has now opened, you can get all details from the website.
Our next event will be on Thursday at The Grand at 7pm. If you have ever wondered how to get the book you have spent years writing on to Amazon then you need to come along. This event is open to everyone, no charge! I would suggest bringing a notebook and pen as I am sure there will be lots to remember. The doors open at 6.30 so we can have everyone seated to start at 7. There will be tea and coffee available for a donation or you can bring your own drink.
Write By The Sea had a wonderful evening on Thursday, with local crime writer Charlie Gallagher. After quite a few years as a serving police officer, Charlie is living the dream and writing full time. What did we cover? It would probably be easier to ask what we DIDN’T cover, but to give you a flavour…life as an author with and without a literary agent, the process of editing (not to be confused with proof reading), Point of View and Narrative Voice, genre and getting your books onto Audible, which is a rapidly growing sector of the market. Watch out for future Write By The Sea events.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking The Grand for allowing us to hold our events in their spacious Tudor room. All our events will now be here, starting at 7pm. You may bring your own refreshments but tea and coffee will be available for a donation if possible.
For those of you that don’t know, NaNoWriMo is a month-long writing challenge that takes place every year in November. The challenge is to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days, which works out to about 1,666 words a day.
With such an intense daily word count, the idea is that you are solely focusing on getting that crappy first draft down on paper. No rewriting. No editing. Those are things that come later. For now, you just write the story. And, if you’re writing 50,000 words in a month, a lot of those words are going to be crappy. And that is okay. It’s good, even.
Word count
Prepare Your Writing Environment
Where will you write? How will you write?
Decide this now, before November gets into full swing, and you’ll be setting yourself up for success.
In the interest of speed, most NaNoers choose to type their manuscripts—there are a few brave souls who write longhand, but not many, the choice is yours and what you feel comfortable doing.
Set up your computer so that you have good ergonomics and aren’t risking carpal tunnel syndrome or other issues from typing so much in a harmful way. Review these great stretches for writers and take the time to use them every hour or so, or when you start and finish a writing session.
Try to find a calm, quiet place to do your writing. If possible, set up a dedicated writing nook so that you can psychologically get into the mindset to focus on your writing whenever you go there. It’ll help you get more done!
Prepare Your People
Prepping to do NaNo the right way isn’t just a matter of getting your space set up—you’ll also need to prepare the people in your life for the challenge you’re about to undertake.
Have a frank discussion with your family, close friends, and maybe even your boss or co-workers about what you’re planning.
Let them know that you may not be available as much as usual, and that you’ll need more advance warning of events and activities that they want you to participate in.
At work, try to plan ahead so that you have extra lead time for crucial projects and don’t drop the ball because you’re busy thinking about and writing your novel. Let your co-workers know that you won’t be joining them for lunch most days, but make plans to stay engaged.
Let your family know they’ll have to take on more for themselves this month—you might not be packing all the lunches, walking the dog, and vacuuming everything every day.
Some NaNoers have found that November is a great time to teach their families to contribute more around the house; by being clear about the need to write and treating NaNo like a job or other key responsibility, they’re able to get other members of the household to contribute more. After November, you can keep up that momentum and use the newfound time to edit your book or write another one! Never feel guilty about writing, use your passion to push ahead and do what you would like to do during November.
Do Your Pre-Writing Work
The timer for NaNoWriMo starts at midnight on November 1—but that doesn’t mean that you can’t prep for it in advance.
A lot of the work of writing a novel actually happens before you write the first word of prose.
That’s not breaking the rules—you’re not cheating by outlining and creating character maps, inspiration boards, etc. before November 1. You just can’t start writing the actual narrative until then.
What kinds of things can you prepare in advance?
Choosing a genre
Brainstorming and mind mapping ideas
Creating a general plot arc
Character profiles
Names, backstory, motivations, archetypes
Worldbuilding
Setting, time, place, charting any sci-fi or fantastical elements
Scene notes
What are some key scenes that you’ll need to write to get from Point A to Point Z?
You can also work on determining your ideal reader and how you’re going to meet reader expectations during this pre-writing phase, which will help when you’re editing, publishing, and marketing the book later.
Expand characters and explore their goals
Describing your characters might be the most important part of preparing for your month-long writing adventure. As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Character is plot, plot is character.” Consider:
What do your characters look like?
What are they curious about?
What do they love? What breaks their heart? What do they want? Why?
What is her core belief about herself?
What is his core belief about others?
What is her key fault?
What or who gets in the way of her getting what she wants?
Set the scene
Here are 5 tips to plan and link individual scenes to create structured story arcs:
Start with what you want your scene to reveal (purpose) …
Decide conflicts or unknowns to plant in your scene. …
Think about who your scene will involve. …
Brainstorm further developments. …
Group scene ideas into larger units.
The average scene should be between 1,000 to 2,000 words.
Create conflict
Your Protagonist
More than anything in the world, my protagonist wants:
But he/she is afraid of:
And his/her greatest weakness is (is it something like “falling in love too easily” or “crossbows”?):
Physical Antagonist Complete this section if you have a physical antagonist.
More than anything in the world, my antagonist wants (this can be as simple as humiliating the protagonist or something a little more ambitious like world domination):
My antagonist’s “beef” with the protagonist is:
My antagonist is afraid of (long-haired bunnies?):
His/her/its greatest weakness is:
Abstract Antagonist Complete this section if you have an abstract antagonist.
The antagonist in my novel is not a living, breathing being. It is:
If my protagonist does not battle against this antagonist, it will eventually (ruin his or her life or cause death?):
My protagonist is battling against this antagonist by:
Outline your story
Are you a pantser or a plotter or combo platter? If you’re a pantser, you might think plots are the work of the devil, sent to make stories feel wooden and contrived. If you’re a plotter, you may wonder how anyone finishes a book without a detailed TripTik. For those of you doing NaNoWriMo, think about creating a loose outline: what strange and mysterious things will happen as your character seeks his fortune or the secrets of her past? As Ray Bradbury wrote, “Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.”
Set Challenges and Rewards
As you head towards your NaNo goals, you may find yourself slowing down at points, stuck on what comes next or just plain unmotivated to keep writing at such a crazy pace.
How do you get over the hump?
Set challenges and rewards!
Humans are naturally motivated by competition, so make meeting your word count a game.
Try doing a Word Sprint, either on your own or with a friend who’s also doing NaNoWriMo; you can even find sprint partners in the NaNo forums.
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Above all enjoy the month, have fun, meet fellow writers, join Facebook or Twitter groups, pop along to our weekly get-togethers, chill out when not writing, please do not get stressed about your number count as just writing is enough.
WRITE BY THE SEA IN FOLKESTONE 