LET'S GET WRITING - JOIN YOUR LOCAL WRITERS' CIRCLE IN THIS NEW YEAR

 An urge to write is present in many of us. For some, it’s an obsession – there’s even a label for it, ‘hypergraphia’. Lewis Carroll is said to have suffered from this in later life, writing almost 100,000 letters. Both Vincent van Gogh and Fyodor Dostoevsky are also believed to have been affected, and the Reverend Robert Shields famously maintained his passion for writing his diaries at five-minute intervals, from 1972 until a stroke disabled him in 1997. The resulting 25 years of chronicles packed into 94 boxes were estimated to have contained around 38 million words.

Writing a Regular Diary

My own early writing life also started in the form of diary-keeping, though not as prodigiously as Rev Shields. Many teenagers pour their feelings into their diary and this is now regarded as useful therapy. Some of that early writing set amongst 1950s’ austerity, then later descriptions of London’s business life during ‘60s, early married life, raising a family, moving house, returning to full-time work during the ‘70s to a bewildering, technologically-controlled business world – makes a useful hoard of material. The diaries are often raided for livening up one's copy..

The Freelance Challenge

Whether you intend taking a sabbatical to write that novel, concentrate on selling short stories to magazines or are contracted to supply a weekly newspaper column, it is worth learning the hard facts about commercial writing and going solo. Working from Home working from one's own home does not suit every writer. Leaving a well-structured lively business fraternity to live the solitary life with maybe just the cat for company is often difficult. With more than 200,000 books being published annually in the UK, there has never been more competition for writing work.

Develop a Contact Base

With an already established contact base and membership of a couple of media agencies, writers will be that little way ahead of amateur writers taking his first steps into the business. But these skills can be acquired by using the many guides, such as the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, Writers’ Digest and subscribing to current Writing Magazines. Learn how to access the many search engines on the Internet to glean the best information. 

Joining a Local Writer's Club There are numerous writing circles in every county and generally, members are there to help and inspire.

Take a look at our local group    www.brentwoodwriterscircle.com

Just some of our members in an earlier anniversary party