The Writers' Group introduction thread.

[coyleys 10]

To be part of this Group really is a pure pleasure. The Members, both old and new really are making it worthwhile.

 

Thank you to all of you.

 

Hey! less of the old:rant:

[shoeshine 10]

Hey! less of the old:rant:

 

I was referring to those who joined originally, coyleys, not the age of people of your advanced age. Congrats on reaching 85, by the way!

[Karis 11]

Just thought I'd say hi to the Sheffield forum. I had no idea there would be so many writers in Sheffield; it really is a great place to be to get positive encouragement from others.

 

Favourite Books: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Bridget Jones's Diary, The Undomestic Goddess (bit of a mix there). Also like stylish horror and lots of kids' books.

 

Anyway, Hi. I look forward to getting involved in your discussions.

 

Regards

 

Stuart Renton

[Falls 10]

Hello,

 

I’m a 70 year old retiree who has run out of things to do around the house so I thought that I would join the group. That is, if you will have me.

 

I grew up in the Wicker area of Sheffield, was badly schooled locally and left at 15 to become an office boy in a local engineering company. After a decade of studies, writing numerous engineering examinations and a lot of hard work, I became a Charted Engineer. I worked 20 plus years in England, mostly in the Sheffield area.

 

We moved to Canada in 1974 and I joined a consulting engineering company. I was with them until retirement at the end of 2003. Although nominally based in Niagara Falls, the job took me to client’s offices and work sites all over Canada and some interesting parts of the US. In later years, I spent a lot of time in Asia

 

The job did involve a lot of technical reading and writing - mostly specifications and reports - so I didn’t have lot of time for distraction reading.

 

I have always been interested in history and geography so my reading tends towards these topics. I also read biographies. My latest read in these categories was the history of the Medici family of Florence. When the hubbub had died down, I recently read the Da Vinci Code but failed to see why so many people got their knickers in a twist over it. After all, it plainly states in the front that it is a work of fiction.

 

People tell me that I have a strong sense of humour (absolutely essential on a job site in the developing world), and tend to observe things in situations that other people don’t see. Therefore, I enjoy well written humour – if I can find it. I have just finished reading three books by Jeremy Clarkson.

 

With travelling so much and being exposed to a multitude of different situations, I think I have a treasure trove of stories that I hope to mine in the future. Failing that, I can always fall back on tales of my relations – long since deceased (only joking).

 

Regards

[coyleys 10]

Here’s an old curriculum vitæ I dug out.

 

My life on the Wybourn began; well I suppose you could say it all started when I was an egg, then going though the usual evolutionary stages of embryonic development into fetus and finally baby boy, my first vague memories of this ordeal were screaming my bloody head off, and can one blame me, after all I had just spent the first nine months of my so called life in a prefect environment, the constant warm temperature, peace and quiet, food and drink on tap, what more can one ask for, then to have someone forcefully evict you into an unknown world of total chaos, also having some madman hang you upside down and slapping you on the backside.

 

Then to be subjected to Cold, Noise, Hunger, Ricketts, inflation and the low income and high taxation of a post war socialist government, now was not a good time to be born, a fine mess you’ve got yourself into, these thought’s I pondered as I lay in my mothers arms screaming for my first feed.

 

Born of Vincent and Kathleen in the year of our lord 1953. Blond hair, blue eyes and of a cantankerous dispossession,

Oh yes; I was definitely a Coyle.

My formative years were to be the responsibility of Wybourn School, I use the word “formative” very flippantly as the exchange of knowledge was very sparse to say the least. Then after numerous attempts at various apprenticeships and two or three night school courses it would seem my forte in life was to rest in the hands of St Crispin.

I am now at the age of 53 and suffering in the advanced stages of old age and poverty, with emphasis on the latter, but I keep smiling, it must be the wind.

[shoeshine 10]

Here’s an old curriculum vitæ I dug out.

 

My life on the Wybourn began; well I suppose you could say it all started when I was an egg, then going though the usual evolutionary stages of embryonic development into fetus and finally baby boy, my first vague memories of this ordeal were screaming my bloody head off, and can one blame me, after all I had just spent the first nine months of my so called life in a prefect environment, the constant warm temperature, peace and quiet, food and drink on tap, what more can one ask for, then to have someone forcefully evict you into an unknown world of total chaos, also having some madman hang you upside down and slapping you on the backside.

 

Then to be subjected to Cold, Noise, Hunger, Ricketts, inflation and the low income and high taxation of a post war socialist government, now was not a good time to be born, a fine mess you’ve got yourself into, these thought’s I pondered as I lay in my mothers arms screaming for my first feed.

 

Born of Vincent and Kathleen in the year of our lord 1953. Blond hair, blue eyes and of a cantankerous dispossession,

Oh yes; I was definitely a Coyle.

My formative years were to be the responsibility of Wybourn School, I use the word “formative” very flippantly as the exchange of knowledge was very sparse to say the least. Then after numerous attempts at various apprenticeships and two or three night school courses it would seem my forte in life was to rest in the hands of St Crispin.

I am now at the age of 53 and suffering in the advanced stages of old age and poverty, with emphasis on the latter, but I keep smiling, it must be the wind.

 

So all in all, contrary to the rest of the human race, you are happy?

[pattricia 575]

Here’s an old curriculum vitæ I dug out.

 

My life on the Wybourn began; well I suppose you could say it all started when I was an egg, then going though the usual evolutionary stages of embryonic development into fetus and finally baby boy, my first vague memories of this ordeal were screaming my bloody head off, and can one blame me, after all I had just spent the first nine months of my so called life in a prefect environment, the constant warm temperature, peace and quiet, food and drink on tap, what more can one ask for, then to have someone forcefully evict you into an unknown world of total chaos, also having some madman hang you upside down and slapping you on the backside.

 

Then to be subjected to Cold, Noise, Hunger, Ricketts, inflation and the low income and high taxation of a post war socialist government, now was not a good time to be born, a fine mess you’ve got yourself into, these thought’s I pondered as I lay in my mothers arms screaming for my first feed.

 

Born of Vincent and Kathleen in the year of our lord 1953. Blond hair, blue eyes and of a cantankerous dispossession,

Oh yes; I was definitely a Coyle.

My formative years were to be the responsibility of Wybourn School, I use the word “formative” very flippantly as the exchange of knowledge was very sparse to say the least. Then after numerous attempts at various apprenticeships and two or three night school courses it would seem my forte in life was to rest in the hands of St Crispin.

I am now at the age of 53 and suffering in the advanced stages of old age and poverty, with emphasis on the latter, but I keep smiling, it must be the wind.

My Auntie was called Kathleen Coyle,she wasnt your mom though.Shes dead now. Theres a lot of us Coyles about.

[coyleys 10]

So all in all, contrary to the rest of the human race, you are happy?

 

Eeee! am r'eight chuffed lad, that I am.

[shoeshine 10]

Eeee! am r'eight chuffed lad, that I am.

 

So...the pills the doctor gave you are working at last?

[coyleys 10]

You just have to get the last word in, Shoeshine.

 

So...the pills the doctor gave you are working at last?

 

Pills! I rattle like a bag a mabbs.

The ointments he gave me seems to have cured my trench foot, but I’m still having trouble with my in growing cloisters.

[jenniflower 10]

You're all mad as sticks!!

 

Introducing me...

I was rubbish at english at school - I was the 'scientific type', I didn't read books. I wrote song lyrics and poetry like most teenagers though!

Then at uni I found out I had an astygmatism and that's why the words didn't stay still.

Got bitten by the reading bug when I was backpacking round Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island. We stopped at a campsite with a laundry and I picked up a book called 'Welcome to the Monkey House' by Kurt Vonnegut. Brilliant. Then I read all the classic sci-fi I could find. This is an area or great interest to me as my degree was physics and astronomy.

I then worked in France doing a snowboarding season and my resort manager had loads of books crammed into wine boxes in her tiny attic apartment. SHe gave me books like 'perfume' and 'miss smilla's feeling for snow' which I really enjoyed. Then I realised I liked reading, full stop - not just the sciency stuff.

I then made a huge mistake and trained to be a maths teacher. I had no time for books. I left teaching and now I've started to write a bit. Hey - what greater work of fiction is there than a naughty kid's report card!!!

So here I am, I have lots of ideas, but little experience. This seems like a really supportive group and I hope we will enjoy each other's work in the future.

 

And I'm really sorry- due to a wine spillage a year or so ago, my K key doesn't work unless I bash it, so forgive me when there is a K missing.

[mikey10 10]

hello fellow creatives. im intersted in screenwiting. no oscars as yet but ive had some success in the critical reviews of my work. i write comedy. never had anything made but ive hit the post a couple of times! if anyone is interested in te same i'd be interested in speaking to them. if anyone would be interested in seeing a finished screenplay id be happy to send them a copy, dont worry you get thick skinned in this game so critisism will be taken in good heart. i wrote a book about ten years ago 350 pages took me years.i got a bit disolutioned and threw it away along with all the copies on disk when i was a bit drunk. oops i regret tat now!!