The Call

1:45 am;
a phone rings from a house somewhere in the street;
a bright insistent chirp.

I peek outside
but nothing stirs,

no clue to place it;

everything grave still.

Just rows of impenetrable black windows

soliciting taciturn suburban mysteries.

The ring continues its plea
like an frantic electric bird,
echoing down the street
bouncing off the walls.

Who is it?
She’s stopped breathing?

What do they want?
His heart has flooded?

Is this the type of call that ignores
ungodly hours and convention,
to announce in flat estuary

another disconnection?

Burdened bloated clouds
unload a mesmerising volume of droplets
in a steady deluge;
creating capillary waves as they impact
dirty pools full of fallen brethren.
Others shatter onto unyielding surfaces,
or glide down glass to combine and form vertical estuaries.

This rain perfectly echoes my laden thoughts,
as they reluctantly descend from gloomy recesses in my mind
to filter and manifest through the imagery
and silent language of thought.

I’m reminded how weather acts as a mirror to the human heart,
but is too often used as lazy metaphor for differing states of mind.

I especially love rainfall though,
as it discourages most men from walking around in
unsightly shorts and sandals,
placing natural prohibitions on our outdoor ambitions
and what we can pursue when we’re outside.
Rain is romantic too,
providing lovers opportunity to
explore affection in detail
under improvised shelter.

” Curiously,…… the phone rang at 11.30pm.
It was my sister calling from Canada.
” Why so late ?”  I asked.
” Do you remember when Ralph climbed the tree and walked out to the end of the branch, way up high ?
And we could hear him crying ?” she said.

“Y-e-s…. why do you ask ?”
“Well…. it was me who went into the house to get the blanket, so if he fell, we could all hold onto it like a fireman’s sheet and the cat would be saved….”
“Yes….but he fell before you got back.”
“I know, but that’s why I’m calling. It wasn’t my fault that he was injured, and everyone blamed me.”
” We didn’t blame you.”
” Yes you did. You were all screaming at me.”
” I don’t remember that. I only remember that after he fell, Ralph ran into the barn and didn’t come out for three days. How do you know he was hurt ?”
” Well, he must have been because it was a long way down. And you all heard the loud thump.”

“Why are you calling so late ?”
” Well, it’s just that I wanted to know when you’re coming back to visit.”
“No. You wanted to talk about Ralph falling out of the tree. Why don’t you just ask me
when I’m coming .?

*Switch off your mobile phone / pager before the meeting.

*Arrive on time. If you are ever late, come in quietly without interrupting the meeting in any way.

*Listen carefully when someone else is talking or reading out their work.

*Try not to interrupt . Your turn to speak will come.

*Give your positive and constructive feedback comments after another member has read their work. Your views are valuable to that person to help improve their writing. Keep your comments brief and to the point.

*When you bring writing you want to read out to the group, make sure your name goes onto the Reading Rota for that meeting.

*Individual readings from the floor will usually be under ten minutes each. Longer pieces must be booked in for the following meeting.

*No Prima-Donna behaviour ! Respect and sensitivity to other members at all times .

*Don’t bring alcohol or any ‘alco-pop’ type drinks to meetings.

This complies with Westminster Libraries policies.

Paddington Writers Group meets twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Thursday, from 7.00pm - 9.00pm at Paddington Library, Porchester Rd, London W2 5DU. Nearby tube stations are Royal Oak, Bayswater and Queensway and buses are 7, 18, 23, 27 and 36.

Everyone is welcome regardless of experience or ability. The main requirement is that you write.

We have total beginners, and we have seasoned, published writers.

Paddington Writers’ Group meetings are run as a workshop, which includes readings from the floor, discussion, tips for improving your work and timed writing exercises. Most importantly, you can meet other writers.

Think of us as a forum, where you can come for feedback on your writing, and get support.

You can also submit short pieces of your writing that you want to be considered for publication on this site.

Submit them and any other queries to ‘paddingtonwriters@hotmail.com’ and we’ll get back to you.

See you at the next meeting.

As writers, we must know our created characters as if they were real people. We have to know everything about them in order to make them ‘live’ in the world of our fiction. The more real we can make them in our imagination, then the more real they will be on the written page, and so for our readers.

• How old are they?
• What is their height/weight?
• Where were they born?
• What was the childhood home like?
• Describe their Parents
• Describe their school building
• Did they like or dislike school
• What is their favourite food/colour/holiday location/song etc (This list is endless)
• What is their medical history?
• Financial status
• Sexual orientation
• Do they have a criminal record?
• What work do they do?
• Do they enjoy/hate their job?
• Any Brothers/Sisters?
• What’s their best friend’s name
• Their first pet’s name
• Their partner’s name
• How long with present partner/how long alone?

All of these questions you can simply decide.. And as your decisions increase then your choices will begin to form themselves based on your previous choices. Your character will begin to grow organically. You can then step into your character’s shoes to discover what s/he would do, or how they would react in any given situation.

Unless your work is autobiographical, try not to base your characters entirely on yourself, or you risk making every character that you create, a self portrait.  However, if you create a fictional character, then your time spent doing this will be more interesting.

And as you build characters, you may find that they take on a life of their own, and may well surprise you with what they say and do. You have now contacted your inner creative self, and your work will flow more freely, and easily.

Almost certainly you will not actually use all of this ‘ back story’  that you have created for your characters, but these details form the bedrock on which they’re based.

With fiction, the reader sees only the part of the characters that the writer chooses to reveal in the context of the story; but a practiced writer will know all about their character’s wishes and dreams, their hopes and their fears.

Rob Goodman writes on how to submit your work to editors, agents and publishers :

“ALWAYS KEEP POSITIVE!!

Most writers.. no, all writers get rejected; some many, many times before they find a publisher.

The secret is, NEVER GIVE UP. Keep sending your work out to as many different places as possible until you get a positive reaction.

But, it will help if you do your research.

For example, it would be silly, and a waste of time to send your horror novel, full of blood and gore, and adult themes, to a publisher of childrens’ non-fiction. This seems obvious doesn’t it? But it’s surprising how many totally unsuitable manuscripts publishers receive on a daily basis.

So, investigate your target market. ‘The Writers and Artists’ Year Book’  is an excellent source of information for this.

Once you have a list of, say, 50 possible markets, then you need to write a short synopsis of your work.

 One side of A4 paper is a good length.

A synopsis is a short summary, the basic running order of what happens. If your work is non-fiction, then a basic outline of your idea. (A synopsis is different from a proposal, which you will also need)

As a general rule, never send out unsolicited, full manuscripts. Editors will not thank you for this and your manuscript will probably go unread. They receive hundreds of letters every week.

So in the first instance, just send them a synopsis. Now try and get on with other things in your life.

If an editor likes your idea they WILL get back to you.

Don’t worry, they are very unlikely to steal your idea. They don’t have the time. But, if they like your synopsis then they will write to you and ask you to send them a proposal, along with a sample of your writing.

SEND IT!

A proposal is a longer synopsis. Usually around 10-15 pages. It consists of an outline, and a breakdown of the work. Each chapter or story broken down to a small synopsis in it’s own right. You also need to state how many words the finished book will have, and your targeted readership. e.g. Teenagers, Family etc.

A good proposal at this stage can sell your work to the editor.

Should they like your proposal, then you’re in luck. They will ask for the full manuscript.

At this stage, you may even get an advance of money !

The rest is down to you, working with your editor. DO WHAT THEY ASK. Now is not the time to argue about the content..

REMEMBER! Do not get discouraged by rejection. It can be a long and lonely road.

Think of it as a numbers game. The more times you send your work out, the more chances of it being accepted. It’s the law of averages. If you sent your writing to 1000 publishers worldwide, then, chances are, that at least 10 of them would reply to you in the positive. Your writing may well have a market out there : the trick is finding it. If you do your research, then you can increase your chances of finding it in a shorter time.

The very first meeting of Paddington Writers’ Group in Paddington Library, London W2, took place in September 2006.

From the start, our meetings have been attended by both published writers, and beginners.

Our aim is to encourage good writing, in a safe and supportive environment.

We hope to share skills and to grow and improve in our work.

Membership is currently free, and members’ written work will receive honest and hopefully, helpful feedback comments from other writers.

Look out for future postings on other aspects of writing, with helpful tips.

And  you can e mail a short sample of your work to be considered for posting on this Blog.

Email to paddingtonwriters@hotmail.com

See you soon.

Good wishes, good writing!