NAWE National Association for Writers in Education.

NAWE is the National Association for Writers in Education. 

Their remit is quite broad and they offer a lot of services to writers who work in education and welfare. Subscribers can receive newsletters, job information, details of courses and up to date industry views and insights from people who are prominent and informed. At the moment they are taking bookings for a large annual conference. They offer a really good mix of stuff - more than I've mentioned.

I'm not advertising for them but I find what they do useful and interesting and subscribe to a monthly e-bulletin that tells me about opportunities in the world of writing, some of which I can tell others about.

You can visit their website for an idea of what they do at nawe.co.uk

Confucius Quotation

'Have no friends not equal to yourself'

Confucius.

An interesting quotation. Are the friends in your circle your equals? What does this make you, and them? 

Drama isn't made when things are equal and the same. Is there anyone in your circle who doesn't fit because at some level they aren't equal? Have you ever not fitted because you weren't equal? It's uncomfortable to think about but isolate a person, or a time in your own life and write about it.

In order to fictionalize something real you could write in the third person. Try to create a sense of structure by framing an incident with a 

start  - when did the situation arise and what was it like? 
middle - what happened to the people involved? 
end - how did things turn out?

First sentence story prompt.

Write a short story of no more than 2000 words beginning with the opening sentence


They ordered coffee and while they waited for it to arrive, sat awkwardly, wondering what to say.

In the story, in any order, include the words jewelled, interruptions and ring.


Have lots of fun.

Working without inspiration. Good or bad idea?

Sitzfleisch is a German word that means the power to endure or to persevere in an activity: stamina. 

The word sitz  means buttocks and the idea is that your bum sticks to the chair for the duration of the task in hand. It can be applied to all tasks but when applied to writing it refers to the business of writing through those periods when imagination seems to have dried up rather than putting your work down until you feel inspired.

I've experienced the need to stick to the chair on many occasions, for example, as a deadline approaches or when writing time is limited.

When inspiration has dried up I write lists, I revisit characters at different times of the day on in different places, I change names or find an ending and write backwards.

What other things can be done to trigger an imaginative response when you want to stay in your chair and finish a writing task?


Do you think carrying out this idea of sticking to your chair while you write through a dry patch leads to inferior work?

What other words, from any language, do you think need more appreciation and use?

Megaliths: Mystical or mundane?

carnacmegaliths.com

This (not very good) photo is of a field in Carnac in Southern Brittany, France. It contains some of the hundreds of megaliths that exist in the area. They are scattered in many cases but also can be found in very organised groups. Although they are not like Stonehenge, there are some resemblances. 

Many theories exist about the possible origins of these stones. They could be:-

A pre - historic grid reference for people whose advanced mathematical and astrological knowledge was then lost for thousands of years.

The  remains of communities in which the ceremonies connected with birth, death, marriage, fertility, retribution and sacrifice were carried out publicly and relied on symbolism.

Connections with aliens or other-worldly beings.

Rocks thrust up through the ground as the earth's surface changed, oceans realigned and land masses separated.

I'm very pragmatic and although I haven't researched the area and don't have access to the research of others, I'm inclined to believe that these stones, however amazing, could have been forced through the earth's surface during times of climate change or movement.

For untold years they lay untouched in the fields of farmers. 
  
What must the farming families and agricultural workers of other times have made of them?
Is it possible that people once knew the origins of the stones but that knowledge was lost?
How did the farmers of old and their families feel about the stones?
Were they believed to be mystical, benevolent, religious?

Write about a person who lived by the stones in another century. Show how they feel about them and what locals believe about them. Consider the theories that exist about these stones now, but try to imagine one of your own.

Do you live near an ancient monument or structure?  

Word counts count

How long is a short story? I'm asked this on a weekly basis. I don't like to be vague if I can help it so my answer is that some of the shortest short stories known as flash fiction can be 500-800 words long. Some stories have had as few as six words.

I think that a piece of fiction above 8000 words  might be considered as a pocket novel or novella. Writing competition organisers and  editors have word counts that must be adhered to so that work fits on a page or within a broadcasting slot.

I'd say that if you are writing for yourself a short story can be any length you like. If you are writing for inclusion or payment there are guidelines. Competitions always state a maximum word count and magazines have slots of varied and specified sizes - 800, 1000, 2000, 3000 +

And then of course you can be creative. You can link stories or group similar themes and perspectives together.

How many words are in the longest story you've ever written?
Do you prefer quick reads or something longer and more developed?

Writing short stories for women's magazines

For up to the minute information on writing short stories and serials for women's magazines go to this excellent blog womagwriter.blogspot.com/ 

You will find answers to some of your writing questions, guidelines, and news from people currently selling to this market.

It's a good read and and time well spent if you've ever wanted to write short popular fiction.