Test
Piers Rowlandson
Review of Meeting
Tuesday, 4th February 2025.
Lesley invited Nicola Garrard to come along and tell us how she got involved in writing two novels. She started by saying that she had never imagined writing a novel but had always enjoyed writing poetry. Then, after one of her pupils from the school in Hackney where she worked for fifteen years, was murdered, she felt she had to tell his story.
29 Locks is written from Donny’s point of view in Multicultural London English. It deals with the injustices suffered by the Windrush generation, the impossible situation a single drug addicted mother finds herself in, local gangs, drug dealing, county lines, and knife crime. Naturally a lively discussion was had about social issues as well as how 29 Locks came to be published. The crucial fact being that the novel was short listed for a prize and so caught the attention of an agent. 21 Miles continues Donny’s story as he and his girlfriend, Zoe, cross the channel (21miles from Dover to Calais) and get involved with the children and teenagers in a camp in the woods, who are waiting to cross the channel and seek asylum with relatives in England. The publisher who took on 29 Locks was naturally keen to publish 21 Miles. Nicola’s eagerly awaited next novel is set in Devon. The focus is on rural poverty and social injustice
Recovery by Leslie Pardoe
'It's over!' as darkness split and evaporated and pain blossomed like a scarlet
Chrysanthemum growing and strengthening in the radiance.
'Painkillers written up,' said an adjacent voice as he cried out. The flower
disintegrated into withered petals, fading to nothing.
Eight beds, more nurses, an ant-heap of purposeful activity. Demands. 'Is your pain moderate or severe?' nodding at his floundering assessment. ~Breathe deeply-your Oxygen levels are dropping.' ‘Wiggle your toes.' Struggle to comply. One patient wheeled out and another wheeled in, one out, one in} one out, one in, as the darkness crept in from the corners again. 1Stay awake!' Another out, another in. The scarlet bud burst and spread again, and he gasped. 'Okay. Done,' and the blossom drooped, crumpled and vanished. Four hours then. Waiting for a bed. How long? 'Not lon&' said a foreign voice with the creak of a chair. 'Where are you from? I have friends along the road from there. They birdwatch on the marsh.' He smiled remembering the Brent geese. 'Yes! They like them too. And the egrets.' More birds lifting into sunrise, strong wings beating like a heart into spring. 'Look! You can go now. Nice knowing you.' A wave and he was back to work. The trolley jerked and moved. 'That was his coffee break,' said the porter. 'moved her lips to speak,’ -'He smiled remembering .... '
New technology in support of creative writing
Whatever your views on the use of technology to support writing, you may be interested in this new app. Software that offers help to aspiring creative writers has been around for years and there’s plenty of it about (second link below), but this is something different. It’s the only app that promises to lend you the skills of the man who wrote “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. Aptly named The Hemingway App, it works by editing your writing, helping you to make it bold and clear. It highlights overly long or complex sentences, eschews excessive adjectives, and lets you know its objection to most uses of the passive voice. Currently available only for Apple, you can try it online (first link below). Just paste in something you’re working on and edit away, or click the “Write” button to compose something new. If you see text highlighted yellow, shorten the sentence or split it. If your prose turns purple, you need shorter words. And so on. Mouse over highlighted text for hints.
www.creative-writing-software-review.toptenreviews.com