Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting this evening.

Free writing

I used the random word generator to produce three words to inspire our free writing this month. Those words were: village, salad, history.

I wrote a scene where one of the characters in my current project bored another to tears about the history of building materials in Norfolk villages. She was more interested in food – but not a salad.

What would you write in five minutes?

Readings

We had two readings this evening.

One member solicited advice about the beginning of her novel; she was given such advice as to reduce the amount of description and backstory, and to increase the action. Description is tantamount to an information dump, which is not what the reader wants at the beginning of the novel. The beginning is also not the place for backstory.

The beginning of a novel1 is the place where the reader needs to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck and thrust kicking and screaming into the world of the main character. Any necessary description and backstory can be given on the hoof, as and when it’s needed. How to do that is a topic for another month.

Discussion

The group requested that we look at writing about emotion next month and dialogue the month after that. Its wish is my command.

Next meeting

We’ll next meet on 2 November 2022, when we’ll be talking about writing emotion.

Useful links

1. Ely Writers 2022 Things not to worry about: the beginning, Ely Writers