The Inkplotters have met every month since November 2012.
The first meeting took place in a room in the Fox and Vivian,
where members who had registered interest at the Waterstones event then met and
introduced each other and what they were writing. Further monthly meetings and
a social followed in the Newbold Tavern, where members read out various pieces
of their work and received comments.
From January 2013 meetings have taken place in rooms off Lansdowne Street,
Leamington Spa.
Each month members updated each other on writing related matters
and read further extracts from their draft books or short stories specifically
written for each meeting.
Extracts from draft books included the steamy life in and out of
hours in a city law firm, a complex personal relationship over several
time-frames, a mysterious wartime history thriller linking events in 1982 and
1940 and a fantasy novel where the main character finds he can do the
impossible things he thought were only in his dreams.
The short stories on specific topics have included a cliff-hanger;
revenge, horror, supernatural and sex scenes and a story based around three
objects – a mobile phone, medication and keys.
For the last meeting of 2013 in December, members read out their entries
for the Inkplotter’s Christmas competition.
The subject being Stranded in 2000 words with five predetermined
character roles, four of whom had to die. Twenty people died that night —
almost as bad as Paul Temple!
Stories written by members had been collected at the end of
October 2013 and sent to a reading group in the North-east to be read and a
winner chosen.
The north-east reading group’s verdict was read out and the
winning story was written by Calvin Hedley, and he received the paperbacks
generously supplied by Waterstones.
Another local author had also read the entries and provided
concise and useful comments on members’ writing.
Overall a very useful and productive year of writing activity.
Douglas 6 2 14
