The Writers' Group introduction thread.

Hi! I haven't posted on here in a while but I've now gone freelance as a creative writing tutor.

I'm putting on two memoir writing taster courses later this month.

Course 1: Thursday 23rd May, 1-4pm: Use your senses to find memories and start writing!

Course 2: Thursday 30th May, 1-4pm: Structure your memoir using stories and anecdotes.

Venue for both courses: Quaker Meeting House, 10 St James Street, Sheffield, S12 2EW.

£10 for each session, including refreshments.

The taster courses are designed to stand alone or you can take both courses as the content of each courses is different and there is some progression from course 1 to course 2.

If you haven't put "pen to paper" for a long time, you'll be able to have fun, relax and tune into your memories. You will come away from each course with your own pieces of writing, and ideas for developing your memoir.

The courses are also suitable for people with more experience of writing. I'm going to use lots of stimuli and practical ideas - and your own ideas are also very welcome!

Please contact me at anne.grange77@googlemail.com if you're interested in taking part!

Many thanks,

Anne

Born way back in 1965, I left school the first opportunity I could. Over the years it became very apparent that I had made a mistake in leaving school so early. I embarked on a number of courses such as, Fitness instructor, Football coach and loads more.

I found I actually enjoyed learning again, so I applied to university studying part time. No one was more surprised than me when I was accepted. It gave me access to the huge library at Sheffield University. I soon found out I liked reading books, couldn’t get enough of them. That was when I decided I wanted to write, but I had one major problem, that Punctuation thingy, I couldn’t do it. Meanwhile I gained a basic adult teaching qualification and became a first aid trainer.

I still can’t do it very well, but I know a woman who can. So here I am writing my first book, it's fiction set primarily in Sheffield.

(I know, I know, making a comment like that on SF is daft, do your worse)

All-right, what ho then,

I am Tom and I hold an MA in the linguistics and literatures of the Germanic languages, specialising in English and German. As a professional linguist, I sit behind a computer screen and type each and every day, a side effect of which is that I oftentimes grow exceedingly weary of reading and writing altogether.

I nevertheless greatly enjoy the Restoration era and the 18th century; Pope, Dryden and Swift I have read to my not inconsiderable satisfaction, as well as having plodded my way through the entire Pepys diaries. I do think that, on the whole, I have read more German books, though, that is to say: Grimmelshausen, Jean Paul, Heine and the like, as well as Kafka, Horváth and some lesser-known expressionists. My all-time favourite book, however, remains Tristram Shandy, with At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien following closely. Also amongst the works I hold in high esteem: The Orkneyinga Saga, Frost by Thomas Bernhard and Scherz, Satire, Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung (Jest, Satire, Irony and Deeper Meaning) by the Romantic playwright, Christian Dietrich Grabbe. As a general rule: the obscurer something gets, the more interested I become.

I have, amongst other things, written an unpublished and cynical novel in Flemish, on which I wasted over three years and innumerable sheets of paper (I find that I need a booklet and a fountain pen to be creative, as I associate computers with proofreading lawnmower manuals). It was mostly about suicide attacks, religious extremists, eating fish and taking trains in Germany, and when I read it now, I find it just a tad silly.

For which reason I have commenced my first novel in English, its provisional title being ‘A Treatise upon the Smacking of Gobs’. I vaticinate that within approximately 5 years, I shall be able to appraise whether it makes any sense.

My only ‘public’ exposure hitherto has consisted of a few whilom readings at student unions and a performance of my translation of Büchner’s Leonce und Lena at a theatre in Ghent, back in 2003.

In general, apart from never splitting an infinitive and using ‘whom’ wheresoe’er I may find the opportunity, I am very verbose indeed and extremely bombastic.

Am I supposed to introduce myself?

English isn’t my first language even though it is the only language I have been using for many years .. …

I can’t say I am a writer, but I do write when I feel I have no other alternative to empty what I have in my chest .. I am very fussy about what I like writing about, and very often I have an opinion about virtually everything … I’d love to be 100% honest all the time but it isn’t easy ..

Perhaps these 2 messages which are related to writing would give a better idea about me

why write .. ?

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1192654

How to become a writer

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1197898

Please feel free contacting me about anything, if I know something and can be of any assistance, I’d be glad

Cheers!

Hi Folks,

Won't bore you all with the details.

I'm 37, left school with nothing to my name and ended up and a job matched accordingly with that nothing.

Not sure whether I was thick or lazy and never had the chance to find out since.

Always enjoyed writing though as a youngster and have started again, I find it a good way to unwind (until I hit mental blocks that is)

Here to have a neb and a nosey around. Possibly ask some questions. Probably basic and annoying ones that will make folks roll their eyes.

Apologies in advance !

Hello guys!

My name is Owen. I am 13, and I'm a gamer.

I live in Crosspool, a little place up the road from Broomhill.

I love reading and when I'm older I'm thinking of being an author.

I have Asperger's syndrome (mild), too.

And that's all I can think of, hehe.

I'm Joey, I'm 27 and I'm an RE Teacher (and not an alcoholic!)...I don't read as much as I used to but I was a proper bookworm in my younger days. I like reading books that my friends recommend to me (usually about lurve and romance and that have pink covers) but I also enjoy the more intelligent works recommended by Richard and Judy (recent favourites have been The Time Travellers Wife and The Lovely Bones).

 

I'm a sucker for anything with a vaguely religious theme (but reject anything by Dan Brown) and adored the Philip Pullman Dark Materials trilogy - also enjoy the odd Harry Potter. As a teenager and an adult I guess I really enjoy/ed books by Christopher Pike - my favourite book "Sati" is written by him.

 

I wrote my first novel when I was 19 and am still re-writing it now - am determined to at least try and get it published. Think I've got a couple more in me but will post some of my short stories to hopefully get some help from new found "critical friends".

 

Shoeshine: Can we make a little rule about stories being written in proper english please? I can't bring myself to read anything in text speak and I might miss something good...

What about the (true?) story of how and why the universe began? I like the idea that before spacetime existed there was not nothing exactly but what I, along with Star Trek, call sub space. The speed of light in sub space is infinite, which accounts for the way that certain quantum effects such as Alain Aspect's experiment on quantum entanglement can occur. Those Star Trek writers certainly had some good advisers. But once you add human factors to the story it all becomes rather predictable and boring, I'm afraid. One of the best recent bits of background science is string theory and loop quantum gravity. In the latter, space is composed of granules of space and granules of time of minute size. The theory is mathematically described in several research papers and is regarded as being very good, although not the last word. String theory is said to contain all the currently accepted aspects of quantum theory plus gravity within its mathematics but although some of the equations of string theory are known, finding solutions for them is proving very difficult. Somewhere in all this there's a good story, I reckon.

Why not write a science fiction story based on this?

Hello to all,

Im Bill Stewardson , living in Broomhill. Im 25000 words into the story of events since my son Alex was killed at Basrah in January 2007.

Hi, I'm Graham. Long retired. Dabbled in writing all of my life, got into it seriously in the 1990s when I enrolled, as a mature student, on a part-time BA course at University of Sheffield. Graduation got me into teaching creative writing to adults for a decade. Have been a member of writing groups in Rotherham and Barnsley. Produced anthologies for them. Have published a small magazine for nearly 14 years. Write all kinds of stuff but see myself primarily as a short story writer.

May I make a modest but sincere suggestion: all of us here who took time to write under this thread, would it not be worth the effort that we take the initiative and do something more than just introducing ourselves? I am thinking we, perhaps, could meet somewhere and share ideas and interests, etc etc …

I just feel it is about time we did something more concrete and see how it might develop ….

…

Just a thought!

That's a good suggestion Ela, although - as I'm sure you are already aware of - that is easier said than done. I would like to know how many members of the group would be willing to meet up at some point. I know we all have obligations but I'd be willing to give it a go, but I wouldn't make a promise to become a permanent member of any sort of physical group that may develop as a result.

Hello,

I'm a writer and actress, based in Sheffield. I write mainly stage plays and am just venturing into film scripts. I perform with my partner as Capo Ferro Ensemble, and we write our own material. I also co-host a radio show called Communities Live! on Sheffield Live! radio, and we are looking for short sketches (about ten minutes) or stories to record and broadcast, so if anyone has anything that might be suitable for transmission, with a Sheffield theme if possible (but not essential), then please email it to me at: cassonsue@outlook.com.