Network News: Central North

The critique group

Normally news of us comes from Liz Miller and will continue to do so. However, the dates of our critique groups have fallen all wrong for her just lately so this is a quick fill-in from Gill Hutchison.
I don’t want you to think that here at Central North we don’t take our writing seriously – we do. However, we’re all in various stages of recovery from our meeting on September 28th; a stunningly ribald crit group considering we were within the hallowed walls of the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. Why? 

Well, our leader and guru Addy Farmer had accidentally managed to pen something along the lines of 50 Shades of Grey meets Little House on the Prairie. Should we mention our “minor reservations” with the activities of the characters, or should we not? Of course we did! Our wonderful Addy was soon rolling in the aisles with the rest of us. She could afford to - having also invented an other-worldly villainess who is clearly the love-child of Lord Voldemort and Miss Trunchbull, only spookier, she was still onto a winner.

Sobriety returns!

We were brought back to sobriety by our first taste of the wonderfully polished and lyrical prose of Brian Gray (publ: King Midas and Other Tales) in “Unsung Moon”, and by our very own flower child, Norah Pellatt with one of her Blam! Splat! off-the-wall offerings “Why has my dog got horns?”
However, it was a memorable meeting, ranking up there with the one where Suzanne and her husband had spent half an hour wrestling on their front room carpet “helping” Sam Hawksmoor (The Repossession) to determine whether it is in fact possible to shoot yourself through the head with a double-barrelled shotgun whilst being attacked by a Rhodesian ridgeback...
Our final two meetings of 2013 are on October 12th and November 16th also at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. We have a crit slot up for grabs at each of these meeting, so if anyone out there likes the sound of us, please make contact!

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 Gill joined SCBWI in February 2006

Her contribution to the world of writing up to that point had been yearly school shows, press reports for my sport of tenpin bowling and songs for her comedy folk band.

Gill enjoys everything about SCBWI, from the critiques and workshops to the friendship and support within our Central North group – and of course the wisdom of guru, Addy. She won Sarah Frost’s July 2013 “Slushpile Challenge” with “My Mum’s bigger than your Mum”.

Network News Central North

By Liz Miller 

 

Here in Central North we are a welcoming group of published and pre-published writers and illustrators of everything from picture books to YA. We hold regular writing workshops, occasional author talks and annual publisher events alongside our thriving monthly critique meetings at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. Most of our group are Lincolnshire based but the Nottinghamshire contingent is growing and we’re always trying to think of new ways of reaching our members in East Riding and South Yorkshire.

Writing, critique and support are priorities but in recent months many of our members have also been seen bowling, climbing, power walking, running, cycling, fencing and working out with Davina. What is driving them to these extreme fitness challenges?

Well if you’ve been to Lincoln you’ll know all about the vertiginous incline in the middle - Steep Hill.

So when our very own Addy Farmer told us she was putting together a fantastic selection of events as part of the forthcoming Lincoln Inspired Festival of Literature, Performance and Art, we knew we had to do some serious training.The following SCBWI led events take place over the weekend of 11th and 12th May . . . betwixt the top and bottom of this hill.

We warned you it was steep!

On Saturday 11^th May, Addy will run The Craft and the Graft and the Road to Being Published at Lincoln Drill Hall, offering one- to- one slots for children’s writers.  Book in early and you’ll have time to stroll leisurely up to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life for Museum Curator and SCBWI member, Debbie Holt’s Inspiration Through Artefacts session. Book in late and we suggest you pack your running shoes because you won’t want to miss it – we know, we’ve done it before! Come and handle objects from the museum’s educational boxes, hear some of their stories and be inspired to write your own.

We're going on an artefact hunt.

Walking shoes on (or something faster if you need food as well) and then it’s back to the Drill Hall to hear Emily Thomas, publisher with the fabulous HOT Key Books, talk about the children’s book industry and how she finds and nurtures talent.

Now you can don your leisure shoes as you have time to wander, shop, be a tourist, relax, eat, sleep, fence, bowl, whatever. Just remember to come back on Sunday morning, 12th May and join Katherine Lynas (temporarily poached from the North East, shhh don’t tell them!) Katherine will be leading a Scrawlcrawl from the Drill Hall. Pens, paper and drawing equipment advisable; bowling balls and epees optional. Sturdy leisure shoes should be fine – it is Sunday after all.

If you’ve been inspired to join us for these events, further details and booking information can be found here. 

If you’ve been inspired to come and join us at one of our monthly meetings we’d love to see you.

SCBWI Central North

Or if you’d like help in setting up something more local to your part of Central North we can support you to do that. Email Addy Farmer and Gill Hutchison at centralnorthATbritishscbwiDOTorg

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Liz Miller writes picture books and joined SCBWI in 2010. She has a penchant for volunteering which has led to her being joint moderator of the SCBWI e-critique group PictureBook Too, co-founder of the Early Readers e-critique group and a reading volunteer in local schools. She knows she should sit on her hands when volunteering opportunities arise but life would be less varied and she can’t write with her nose.