The Team EDITOR Charl Harrison
CONTRIBUTERS Phil Bowne Sammie Cain Maz Cope Becca Edwards Sleiman El Hajj Ash Hartridge Tara-Marie Hurst Dan Martin Reece McCormack Carina Mitchell Ash Saunders Chloe Smith Amy Twist Nathaniel Wilson
PHOTOGRAPHY & ILLUSTRATIONS Andreea Bocancea Amy Twist
SOCIAL MEDIA Charl Harrison
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Hello!
ISSUE 3 FEBRUARY 2015
Happy new year, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and welcome to issue 3! This issue, it’s all about celebrating your work and making the most of the writing opportunities you have this year. There are new year writing resolutions to inspire you, information about a new writing tips website to guide you and plenty of writing opportunities inside this issue! Plus, we have a six-page interview special with our course leader Tyler Keevil and some fantastic dissertation tips for my fellow stressed-out third years. I hope you love this issue as much as I do, and I hope you have an amazing year!
Charl Charl Harrison Editor
Editor’s Picks PAGE 26
PAGE 6
PAGE 13
PAGE 15
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Contents
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5. 2015 Writing Goals Students share their writing resolutions 6. Interview with Tyler Keevil A six-page special on our Course Leader 12. The Carnival Launch Top picks from our third UoG anthology, Carnival 13. New Writing IV: Compass How to submit to Compass, the fourth anthology at UoG
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14. Feedback: Why Read It? Why it’s important to read assignment feedback 15. Online Writing Tips About D.D Johnston’s new writing tips website 16. Flash! Fiction and Poetry Creative pieces from students 20. Writing Markets The markets you should be submitting to now
22. Controversial Books: Lolita Why you should add Lolita to your to-read list 23. Author Profile: Takashi Hiraide About Takashi Hiraide and his novel The Guest Cat 24. Mental Health Day: A Writing Opportunity How to take part in this year’s exhibition 25. Dyslexia Support at UoG How the university can support you 26. Five Tips on Writing your Dissertation Useful tips from graduate Becca Edwards 28. Postgraduate Prospects Information about the Masters degree 29. Tips & Triggers Students offer some writing advice 30. Events What’s coming up in Creative Writing at UoG
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2015 Writing Goals CHARL HARRISON Ah, the New Year. A time for burning off those mince pies and rocking back and forth in a corner, weeping that Christmas is over for another year. Or maybe that’s just me. More positively, though, it’s a time for making resolutions and looking ahead at the new year. I love January because you can make fresh starts in your life and set goals for yourself. As this is a Creative Writing magazine, I thought I’d share some of my personal writing goals for 2015, and I’ve asked fellow Creative Writing students to get in on it, too. Firstly, I’d love to actually sit down and write more. During term time, you’re purely just writing pieces tailored to a particular assignment and you’re all burnt out by Summer. For me, when I’ve done very little or no writing over the holidays, I come back all disorientated and forgetting all the things I’ve been taught in the last few years. So, this year, I’d like to write more in my spare time, particularly in the holidays. Lucy Tyler suggested writing in a diary a set time when you’re going to write and not arranging any other plans for that time to make sure you stick to it. I think that’s a great idea and something I’ll definitely be doing. They’ll never be enough time to write as life often does get in the way, but if I can write at least one extra short story this year I’ll be happy. Secondly, I’d like to read more. These are quite obvious resolutions (sorry) but ones which I think resonate with a lot of Creative Writing students. My to-read pile is ridiculously high, so I’d like to set aside some chill time in the evening – or even during the day if possible – to sit with a cuppa and a good book. How cliché. Thirdly, I’d love to see more plays. When I was younger, I used to go to a pantomime every year and also see the odd production like Blood Brothers. With the Everyman Theatre a ten-minute walk away from where I live and the opportunity for cheaper tickets, there’s really no excuse, so I’m going to make the effort to see more productions this year. Lastly, I’d also like to submit my work to more markets and enter more competitions. I’m definitely going to make more effort to get my work out there this year by researching markets that would be suitable for my work and entering competitions. I’m also going to enter this year’s UoG novel writing competition and submit for the Compass anthology. Here’s what other students said when I asked them the dreaded question: What are your writing goals this year?
I just want to write a shit ton more than I did last year.
To finally overcome my fear of the third person narrative.
REECE MCCORMACK
Read more, or do more people watching.
CHLOE SMITH
ASH HARTRIDGE To have no grammatical errors. MAZ COPE Happy 2015 everyone and the best of luck with your writing!
To learn to critique my own work and view it in a more objective light.
SAMMIE CAIN
I'm hoping to start writing one of the stories I've had in mind for some time during holidays, when I'm not working on assignments.
CARINA MITCHELL
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Tyler Keevil we discover the man behind the man behind the man
BY CHARL HARRISON, DAN MARTIN & AMY TWIST
Dan. So what got you interested in fiction and the genre in which you write? Tyler. That’s a brilliant question, it’s a big question. OK, so it’s a long story. I was always interested in creative projects and when I was a kid I can remember working on stories when I was seven or eight, nine years old, and in my teens I had a friend who was a brilliant artist and we used to do drawings and collaborate on comics and I’d always be working on stories on the side. And it also comes down to good teachers. I’m assuming this will have resonance with you guys – you know people in high school who really inspire you – and for me that happened to be a couple of my teachers, one of whom – Mrs Cook – was a drama teacher, so we used to rehearse and act in plays and also used to do dramatic writing like you guys do with Lucy [Tyler, Senior Lecturer]. The other teacher, Miss Sandburg, was my English Lit teacher and she kind of instilled that passion for the written word. I never saw it as a potential career, I just knew I loved reading. So, I studied English Lit at university. At the same time – this is a super long answer because like I was saying it’s a big question – at the same time, in Vancouver everyone has this urge to be a filmmaker or whatever and a lot of my friends did, and that kind of came out of my drama class and Mrs Cook as well. We used to film things all the time, using little video cameras like the one we’re using now, old school 8mm video tape, and a lot of those guys are still doing it. My younger brother, he’s a director now, and one of the other guys is a cameraman, and another a gaffer. It’s a big industry on the West Coast. When I went out to Wales, I was kind of cut off from all that. My wife was working for a theatre in education company called Theatr Powys. They were wonderful people, and a big big inspiration for getting your work out there and engaging with and helping people with stories. When they were out doing their work I felt like a bum. I was on a working visa cleaning toilets in the morning from six till ten and then I had nothing to do. They were doing all these crazy hours, 14-hour days, driving around Wales, setting up sets, doing their plays, so basically I was totally on my own with nothing to do and then the passion for stories came out in a new way and I started writing short fiction, started sending them around, and one or two were placed. I think that was a big step and a big moment. The ones that stick out were a story called Felled, which was published by Francesca Rhydderch at New Welsh Review, and another called The Masque of the Red Clown in a Canadian magazine, On Spec. Those were the first two professional sales which made me think I can do this. Once you get the bite, you get infected. It makes you hungry for it and I’ll always remember those as a turning point in my life and career. So yeah, then I really started focusing on my fiction. Both of those stories – one is realist and another is a speculative piece – show off the two areas I’ve become interested in and pursued through to the present day.
“Once you get the bite, you get infected. It makes you hungry for it.”
Charl. How did you get into teaching as a profession? T. Another great question. I kinda fell into that. Again, once I was writing I never really saw a career in teaching arising from that. But as I’ve said in lectures with you guys, you don’t make a ton selling short
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stories. You don’t make enough to get by – you make enough to supplement income and you can’t clean toilets forever. I went back to do my MA at Aberystwyth with some great teachers, not necessarily assuming that was going to lead to a teaching position. As I was doing the MA, I had my first novel accepted, and just as I finished, a part-time hourly paid job came up here. It was really far away, around 3 hours away by train, but I put in for it. It was a job, it was something, it seemed exciting, and I came down. I did the interview and I remember Martin [Randall, Senior Lecturer] being on the panel then. And I probably didn’t do the greatest job but he told me after he kinda had his fingers crossed behind his back because he thought even though he hasn’t got any experience, he seems to want to learn how to do it and become a teacher, and later Martin said I seemed like the kinda guy he could go down to the pub with. So there was that. And that was the same year that Mike [Johnston, Senior Lecturer] started too, so we both started together and we’re all pretty close. We maintain that sense of support and mutual collaboration and teamwork that we try to instil into the course which is what, hopefully, the students pick up on. D. Explain your writing process…do you have any rituals or a special kind of environment to work in? T. That’s changed recently, after we’ve had the addition of our son Daniel into our lives. In the old days, and a lot of writers say this, if I had to go to work I would get up early. When I worked in a factory 10-4, I’d get up, do maybe 6-9, go to the shift and go home and do maybe a bit of reading or something and nothing kind of got in the way. I didn’t have many connections or friends, so there was a sense of focus and that’s how a lot of my early stuff was done. When Daniel was born, it changed. Kids get up early, and he’s up at six. For a while, I tried to beat him up, not beat him up, but beat his wake up time by getting up at 3:30 or 4, and I tried that for a while but it killed me. It was hard. I do a lecture on [Sylvia] Plath and Plath did that. I teach these lectures and I go home and I’m like I gotta be like that, I gotta be like that, you can’t let it get you down. In the old houses here, they’re all creaky and I’d try and get up at 4, 4:30, get my cup of tea and go to the writing room, and the creak-creak-creaking would wake Daniel up. So not only would I not be able to write, but we’d all be up early in the morning at 4 and it just wasn’t working. So just recently, I’ve realised I can write late instead and that seems to be OK. I get him down, have a bit of family time – my wife is resting up because she’s got another one on the way, and probably goes to bed at 9 – and then I might try to do 9 till midnight and that seems to be working, that seems to be good. And that means I can focus on the university during the day, and not have a totally terrible sleep because I get six hours in. So there you go – that’s the process right now. It might change again, depending on life circumstances, but I think the main thing is that everyone tries whenever they can. It’s never gonna be perfect and you’re never gonna have all the time you want. You don’t appreciate it when you have it, you don’t realise how busy life’s gonna get. I always take inspiration from cheesy movies too, like in 8 Mile, Eminem writing on his hand on the bus. I can draft almost anywhere, but when it comes to consolidation of your notes and rough drafts and getting it into a polished form, that I find harder to do on the go. Small changes can take hours so that’s when I like to lock myself away. But in the early stages, I like trying things out. If you change the process, you change the product: writing longhand or on a computer and seeing how that affects the outcome of the story.
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D. How long have you been teaching and how do you find it (be honest)? Did you teach in Canada and if so what was noticeably different about the two?
“It’s not about selling a story or selling a book, it’s about making meaning of our lives and our place in the world.”
T. OK, the second one’s easy to answer because I haven’t taught anywhere else really in a formal setting. I’ve done some workshops, but in terms of an academic job, this is the only place. So, my experience, in that respect, is limited to UoG. And I can honestly say that I love teaching and I love the people I work with. And I love being in the classroom. I think, as with any job, there are trying moments – choosing my words carefully – and mostly it’s not at all connected to students. It’s mostly the fact that the university is a bureaucratic institution, it’s a corporation. In the current climate of higher education, with tuition fees, it’s a business, and with bureaucracy, business, corporation all mixed together, it can get frustrating. But you have to accept that if you want to do it – it’s all too easy to throw up your hands and say oh I’ve had enough. You remember what’s important and what you enjoy, like moments in our workshops when we’re all excited about new stories that someone’s brought in or in a lecture when we open up to discussion and everything’s sparking, going from one thing to another, and I can honestly say that you learn from your students as well. And some people sneer at that but I don’t at all and there’s a wonderful quote from Joyce Carol Oates, who taught at Princeton, and said ‘You don’t know a text until you’ve taught it in a room with twelve engaged students.’ The idea of taking your favourite story into a seminar and hearing all these different views and engaging with it, that’s how it is with me, and I love those moments. I think in terms of writing, it’s hard to find a balance. I don’t like doing anything half-heartedly and that goes for teaching as well, so if I’m teaching, I tend to really focus and teaching uses the same kind of energy and emotion as writing does in a way, so during term time I find it difficult to write. In the long term, maybe I’ll teach a few less classes, then have one or two days so I can do some writing. But that said, you can’t complain too much as lecturer, as you do have decent breaks and it’s nice to hear students say that you guys will be working over the break and will have new stories to revise and stories they’re working on, and that creates a collective charge. It’s really satisfying and gratifying to see students fired up, and that idea of carrying the fire and being in a safe space to be creative and to be a bit flaky and to tell stories, again, that importance of narrative. For me, it’s something I learnt with Theatr Powys. I try to convey that story is a meaning-making mechanism. It’s not about selling a story or selling a book, it’s about making meaning of our lives and our place in the world. In a way, it’s not just an occupation, it’s a calling, and when you see students getting excited about that, that’s all you can ask for really. D. What interests you most about writing creatively? T. I think that’s even tougher than the first question. You almost don’t know why you do it or why you write – it’s almost not a choice. We all have a creative energy that’s been there, wanting to get out. I think it comes down to a sharing of experience, that idea of communication. I mentioned narrative before and the idea of stories as a meaning-making mechanism, and I think for me I’m not someone who necessarily lives a highly intellectual existence. I don’t always know why things have happened or what my own motivations were in the moment. Sometimes having a bit of space and taking a step back and looking back on things you’ve done or the way people have behaved and making sense of that, and sometimes you wonder if it’s artificial to some degree, constructing a story, and [David] Shields says in Reality Hunger, he talks about ideas flying at us in bright splinters. It’s chaotic, our existence, it’s a chaotic free for all. Stories are a way of sifting through that and assembling a sort of meaning with a beginning, middle, and end, and the simplest stories were parables, fables and legends and now a really sophisticated story or novel is doing the same thing on a subtler level. I think that’s the main thing: trying to make sense of my own life and our world and then also opening that up so it’s not just a shut box but a sense-making mechanism that other people can have access to. That’s one of the gratifying things about having a story out there: knowing that people are reading it and responding to it even if sometimes it’s a negative response, at least it’s still an act of communication and sharing. For that reason, writing and fiction is a very intimate art in comparison to film. It’s colder and it’s more distant, whereas writing, you’re actually transposing someone’s thoughts and you’re really feeling and inhabiting another character and in particular, in first person, it feels like you’re living something with whoever wrote it.
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C. Tell us a bit more about The Drive, which recently won The People’s Choice award in Wales Book of the Year. Where did you get your inspiration for that? T. The geography of The Drive is kinda true. Ten years on from going on a pathetic road trip as a young man, going with these romantic notions of what a road trip should be, and not quite living up to those expectations, I just started looking back on the experience and I thought that would be cool to write about from a more mature perspective. It’s not a true book at all, but that aspect of it is true, and I just loved the idea of getting a character out of Vancouver and away where from where I was brought up and that was what I was fixated on. So there’s a semi-realist beginning to The Drive, and once Trevor crosses over to the States it slides into the fantastic and surreal. My wife did a lot of work on fairy tales [with Theatr Powys], and that idea of colliding the traditions and trying to make the reader believe it was appealing. The reader kind of realises at the end that a lot of the story is made up for the reader’s benefit, to make himself [Trevor] sound cooler, and in a way I think that’s a lot of what writers do. You are asking for attention and that feeling of connection and communication. I was hoping to tackle that and see where it took me. It’s definitely the funniest thing I’ve had to work on. Trevor’s an idiot and putting him in all these situations and seeing how he handles them, hopefully not losing the reader’s sympathy as he stumbles his way through. C. And let’s talk about ‘Sealskin,’ a short story from your collection Burrard Inlet. That recently won the Journey Prize, and you got to go back to Canada, which must have been pretty cool. T. Yeah I did and that was huge. When I heard I got to go out as a finalist, I just thought, wow this is amazing, no chance of winning, but free trip for one. My writing career didn’t kick off until I came here, so I’ve been cut off from [the Canadian publishing scene], so I was just looking at it as a wonderful opportunity. Then, to go on to win was just mind-blowing, and meeting people like Miriam Toews and authors who inspire me. Everyone in Toronto was so welcoming, and I realised one of the wonderful things about being in the creative industries is that people love their work because they’re doing something they’re passionate about. There’s just this really great atmosphere. Afterwards, even though I didn’t know anyone, they invited me out. There was this bar down the street and they said you just won you should come out with us. It was just great and I’m still in touch with people over there – that idea of creating connections for work down the line. Networking in a non-slimy way.
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D. How are you finding being Course Leader? T. There are good and bad aspects, just like lecturing. Martin [Previous Course Leader] has been hugely supportive. He still does the open days with me, like the one that Charl came to. He’s wonderful in that there’s nobody on our lecturing staff who’s as natural at speaking as Martin, and that goes over so well at those sort of sessions. Other than that, I love doing the induction week, greeting the new students, that’s always fun, being able to take them to The Feathered Fish (previously The Frog), welcoming them to the course and saying this is what we’re about: I love doing that. But, the drawback is that – the thing that I’ve already mentioned – it’s sometimes frustrating working within a system. For a Course Leader it’s that much more paperwork, that much more admin, that much more electronic trails, paper trails, to follow up and check that you’re on top of. As you can see by the state of my office, I’m not the most naturally organised person. I have a kind of mad artist way I operate, so it’s a challenge for me. I think it was a challenge for Martin as well. It’s a good challenge – you don’t just fold and say you can’t do it. You just develop that aspect, get more organised. I talk a good game. So yeah there’s good and bad sides. The good thing is that you don’t feel like you’re a manager. It’s always been a team. When we do an Applicant Day, it’s even more so: Mike contributes, Martin and I still do a session, and last year we had Lucy and a couple of students come in, so everybody works together. I never feel like I have to go in and try and lead these guys – they know just as much as I do, you just leave them to it. Really, it’s just a figurehead. In that respect, I don’t mind being it for a time. They kind of have these three year cycles for good reason because there are certain aspects you only wanna do for three years and then take a bit of breather, so we’ll see in a couple of years if we can get Mike to take over the reins. He probably wouldn’t want me to say that. But, I’m enjoying it. I got my own office. D. Tell us a little something about yourself, something personal? T. It’s kinda tough because in a way, as an author, you get used to revealing yourself. A lot of things that might be personal or hidden may crop up in your work and it doesn’t mean you’re writing true accounts but if you’re writing what happens, you betray yourself in the content. I think there’s one thing – and Martin brought it up when we were doing the boxing match in the [Literature Festival UoG] tent last year, and it came up while I was writing The Drive. I was holding Daniel trying to get him to sleep, to buy my wife some extra time, and I was watching Point Break because there’s a surfing scene in The Drive and there’s a great night surfing scene in Point Break – a classic while I was growing up, macho stuff. And my friend called me. Beatrice isn’t real in The Drive, but she’s loosely based on somebody, and she happened to call while I was watching it and she said, What are you doing? And I said, Oh I’m with Daniel – I’m watching Point Break. And there was a pause and I said, I hope he doesn’t grow up with the same masculinity issues that I have and she kinda laughed. And I think that’s something that shines through all the books that I have out and it’s something that Martin likes to rib me about. And in some ways, writing has helped me explore that notion and what it means to be a man, and when you become a father you keep asking that question to yourself – really seriously considering it – and that idea of maturation and leaving some of the juvenile tendencies behind and hopefully maturing and moving beyond that. As in writing and life itself, you become a father, you try and change your ways a bit and also become more comfortable in your own skin. So that would probably be the one answer I could give off the top of my head.
Listen to the full unabridged interview online on our new YouTube Channel.You’ll also find a video of our Quick-Fire Round and some video questions.
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Quick-Fire Round FAVOURITE BAND? Bright Eyes. FAVOURITE SONG? Another Travelin’ Song. FAVOURITE AUTHOR? Alice Munro. FAVOURITE BOOK? Errrrrrrrr I don’t think it’s the right answer. The Sun Also Rises. BRITISH FOOD? Ooh. A good curry. CANADIAN FOOD? A really nice lean hamburger. That’s very Canadian. With a beer. IF THERE WAS ONE THING YOU COULD BRING OVER FROM CANADA THAT YOU MISS WHAT WOULD IT BE? It’s a type of cornflour with which you make a Jonny cake, we call it in our household, which are like little – it’s really hard to explain – like cornmeal muffins. It’s like cornmeal but it’s really hard to find and I bought cornmeal over here and it doesn’t quite work, so it’s a particular textured cornmeal. I get that shipped to me. WHAT WOULD YOU TAKE TO CANADA THAT YOU HAVE MOST LIKED OVER HERE? British ales. They don’t have that kind of ale – they do microbreweries, they do some, but not to that standard. GUILTY PLEASURE? Really cheesy movies, big blockbusters, totally non-intellectual stuff. I’m very much a populist. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS? Wow. Hopefully here. Possibly teaching a little bit less. With one or two more books out. The thing about being a writer is you end up planning in terms of years. You don’t kind of knock a book out in a year. Another one or two in five years’ time, maybe.
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PHIL BOWNE Last month, we celebrated the launch of Carnival, the new anthology for Creative Writing. The anthology comprises of writing and illustrations, and is finished in an impressive glossy cover. To celebrate the launch, the Carnival team put together an incredible array of treats for its guests. With wine and beer flowing, a feast of carnivalesque treats, and even a face painting corner, the Carnival didn't disappoint. Before the Carnival rolled into town, the party moved into what has been described on the Creative Writing blog as 'the big top' – otherwise known as TC001, where fire-breathing sword-swallower Tyler Keevil led the extract reading extravaganza. Contributors Ash Hartridge, Nathaniel Wilson, Dani Schlosser, Reece McCormack and myself read work that appears in Carnival itself. After the readings, the Carnival was up and off to Copa, to round off the celebrations. And when they kicked us out, we had to up sticks and pitch up in Bentley's. Sadly, the Carnival is long gone. However, we can now look forward to the next instalment of New Writing, in Compass. The new editors are now accepting submissions. Congratulations to all the contributors, and many thanks to the student editors on the MA that put in all the hard work in getting the anthology together. It is much appreciated.
MY TOP PICKS: The Sack Boy by Charlie Patterson Scrubland by Reece McCormack The Lotus Flower by Jessica Lawrence
Carnival is available to buy from Amazon and Lulu.
PICTURES FROM UOGCREATIVEWRITING.WORDPRESS.COM
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ASH HARTRIDGE
There are many definitions of compass. As a noun, it could be a navigational instrument for finding your way home or the limits or boundary of physical space. Look at it as a verb and it means to surround something, to attain, achieve or accomplish something or to simply comprehend it. Compass is also the fourth in the series of the New Writing anthologies from the University of Gloucestershire. We all have a compass - be it navigational, moral or just a feeling of belonging. It is the way we map our lives, our territory or our characters. We aim for a direction, we travel to escape, we migrate and partake on journeys. These themes are sentiment to any writer. We all have places we come from, and we all have places we are going to. Compass Anthology wants to represent that. We want you to push boundaries - write in any style, even on any subject, using any inspiration or genre. Use this as an opportunity to explore your talent, as creative freedom will be given if justified by the work. This year, for the very first time, Compass is exclusively accepting short drama pieces. This is an excellent opportunity for playwrights to see their work in written print and a chance to get a wide variety of people reading scripts. Pieces have to be at maximum 8 minutes long, so accept the challenge and get theatrical. For those of you who like to dabble in many mediums, we are also offering the chance to submit multiple pieces of differing forms within the same document. If accepted, the best out of the forms will be chosen. Essentially, this is a win-win opportunity. Poets also have the chance to follow the style of their choice as we are accepting all forms of poetry this year - haikus, prose poems and experimental forms are all welcome. Prose writers, don't pack your bags just yet - there are loads of new things for you too. 100 word drabbles and flash fiction are finally making tracks and finding their way into the anthologies, as well as the return of creative non-fiction and travel writing. For more information or to look through the submission guidelines, go to the uogcreativewriting blog (uogcreativewriting.wordpress.com). Keep your eyes peeled for other updates, tips and insider news on the official uogcompass Facebook and Twitter pages. You have until February 9th 2015. Get out there and get writing. Best of luck, The Compass Editorial Team
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Feedback CARINA MITCHELL
Why read it?
So, your assignment results are in. You’ve logged on, checked the score and thought you did well… or perhaps your score wasn’t as high as you hoped. Then you log off and go on Facebook to tell everyone else. But if that is all you do, how do you know what to do better next time or why you did well this time? Our lecturers spend a fair amount of time reading each assignment and critiquing it, not just adding a grade but giving constructive feedback. Did you know that in previous years roughly 30% of assignments weren’t picked up by students? That was 30% of students not improving their prospective grades and 30% of lecturer’s time spent marking assignments wasted. Taking that extra bit of time to look and see what has been written will be worth your while and likely help you to increase your score in following assignments. You may even find that feedback can be used in many ways and discover what your strong points are as well as your weaker ones. If your Prose and Dramatic Writing lecturers both agree that your use of setting and action is strong but your dialogue is forced, then you know to work harder in making that better, and you know you’re getting it right in the other areas.
Reading your feedback can mean all the difference between those extra few points driving up your score and constantly making the same mistakes, even simple things like realising you weren’t referencing quotes properly – without checking to see what was written you may never find out. Of course, if you don’t understand what was meant in the feedback then you can take the time to contact your lecturer before you are due to write another assignment. They will probably thank you for doing so as it will mean you’ve taken the time to read what they have written and want to discuss ways of improvement. For our lecturers, that is what they are here for, to assist you in doing your very best. Also, it is the difference between studying a degree and doing A Levels, where you might just accept what’s written and plod along as before.
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Online Writing Tips CHARL HARRISON On 1st January, one of our senior lecturers D.D Johnston (A.K.A Mike) launched Online Writing Tips, a fantastic place for Creative Writing students – or anyone who is interested in writing – to learn more about the craft. For third years who are missing Mike’s energetic lectures, this is the perfect place to relive chicken dances and domino games as the website even has videos. Yes, TEAM! After having a chat with Mike about the idea, he told me that he decided to start the project because he was frustrated by how much bad writing advice there is online, such as unrealistic promises about how you can write a masterpiece overnight. Clearly, this website is a place for realistic advice, one of the first videos being that the secret of writing is that, actually, there is no secret and it is incredibly hard work. Mike also stated that he is incredibly proud of the course here at UoG and wanted to further develop the sense of community within it. He said, ‘There are other courses where students drift through their degrees without ever really knowing the people they study alongside’ yet here, there’s a real sense of team and support for one another, such as open mic nights and the creation of this magazine. When the site has become even more developed, Mike will be publicising it to A-level teachers and students to show them what we have to offer as a university, and also to aid their studies. He also wants it to be resource for current students and told me about the idea of ‘flipped learning’, where students learn the content before class and then classroom time is discussion-based and an example of interactive learning. A final reason was that establishing a presence online is a useful step for any writer or lecturer, particularly when thinking about future endeavours. Mike said: ‘Some of the other lecturers and I have this fantasy where one day we run a private writing school from a big house in the countryside and we all live together and have, like, loads of cats.’ Online Writing Tips showcases videos (and transcripts, if you’re not into looking at Mike’s face) about the specifics of prose like characterisation and dialogue, but also about getting published and writing a novel. Mike is also supported by course leader Tyler Keevil and lecturer Lucy Tyler, who will also be posting videos onto the website as the year goes on. There is an aim of 200 posts in 2015, with about two every three days. So far, Mike’s finding it a challenge: ‘Social media remains a total mystery to me - like, I've never had a personal Facebook account. And what on earth is Tumblr about? It's like a medieval shepherd is being shown an iPhone.’ Show your support by liking and sharing the Facebook page and following on Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr! You can also subscribe to the feed on the website to get the posts sent instantly to your inbox, so there’s no excuse for missing out. Facebook: Online Writing Tips Twitter: @_Writing_Tips_ YouTube: Online Writing Tips Tumblr: www.onlinewritingtips.tumblr.com Don’t forget, there is also the wonderful Creative Writing blog which keeps you updated with anything Creative Writing related that happens here at UoG! www.uogcreativewriting.wordpress.com.
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Flash!
Fiction & Poetry
MY COLLECTION SAMMIE CAIN I collect words and whispered jokes, giggles, stares, awkward glances, and nightmares of unspoken beliefs. Rolled up, I push them through the locked door behind my empty closet. There they ferment, grow fur. And on my worst days I indulge myself, and gorge upon my collection.
BLANK ASH SAUNDERS An empty thought bubble in a comic book, Superman awaits instruction, mice scrabbling around the edges, clogs and coils turning too slowly, work becomes a painful stroll, across hot embers and coals. Without thoughts and without actions, speechless Superman allows lives to be lost, watching as they fall around him, a single tear slides down the page, he knows the bubbles need to be filled, but the ink has run out.
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THE RETURNEE SLEIMAN EL HAJJ
Having spent years away from Lebanon, she was not only ready to go back but eager to do so. However, she soon found herself experiencing the same symptoms of malaise that plagued her when she had first moved to London in 1983. As she walked through the still-cobbled streets of Beirut, she felt lost and confused by an architectural landscape whose faces had undergone decisive changes during and after the civil war; neighborhoods, streets, and people had embraced strategic facelifts amidst the frenzy of reconstruction, a purposeful reinvention of self and of the city. Looking at the mind-boggling price tags in one shop window in downtown Beirut, strategically built behind a stretch of archeological ruins, she felt both sad and angry at this almost frenzied prostitution of cultural artifacts she had cherished as a child but which, now, seemed to have invited a status-seeking community to consume art while trying flimsy tops in front of a gilded mirror in the backdrop of the city’s famed plethora of Roman pillars. Later, dressed-to-night in a way her husband, Richard, would have killed to see, she felt a misfit among the throng of painted faces straddling Christian Louboutin heels at the opening of the new Chanel boutique in the Beirut Souks. The sea of polite, plastic faces dazzled her, and even as she deplored the artificial atmosphere of the place, so thick she could pierce it with her pen, she knew that, as a returnee, she would somehow have to appreciate it, if she were to gain renewed acceptance in her old-new milieu. Also, she figured that, as a published writer and an icon in her field, Beirut, incandescent and vivacious, vulgarized yet still classical, would be the perfect setting for her new book. Back in London, Richard, who often accused her of being frigid, would just have to wait another year.
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FIRST FISH MAZ COPE I was six when my older brother, Leo, took me float fishing at Nunney Castle for the first time. The roofless castle walls were bombed down in World War 2. The entrance faced the gravel bridge. The left wall was low enough for children to jump off and land on their feet. The glassless windows were the size of an A4 piece of paper, with a triangular point at the top and carved swirls. The four pillars were dark but the only parts of the castle that weren’t completely destroyed. The uneven stoned floor had bloodstains in the top right pillar. A two feet deep moat and grass surrounded the castle. The water was deep enough for a twelve year old to stand up in. It was full of moss and weeds. The sloped grassy banks next to the bush made it easy for anyone to fall in. The moat was full of swimmers in the 1990s summer. We took Leo’s small silver fishing box with the navy cushion top, which acted as a seat. Dad gave it to him on his first fishing trip. He gave me his blue junior telescopic rod. His first rod. The rod he used when he caught his first twelve-pound pike. Leo taught me how to set up my rod and cast off. The line was easy to thread through the rod’s eyes, although it was slipping out of the smallest eye. He told me leave enough spare line and to put the float on higher on the line with a weight either side to keep it still. The pliers tighten the weights better than our teeth. Place the hook on the end of the line, with a double knot. How to put a maggot or sweetcorn on a hook by piercing it and sliding the bait on the hook. He taught me how to cast off, making sure the bar over the reel is facing the line. Hold the bottom of the rod with my left hand, letting some slack go, use my right forefinger to hold the line. My right arm should be at a 90-degree angle. Fling the rod forward and let go of the line. This should give the line enough distance catch the decent fish, not just the Minos. He taught me how to reel the fish in, without snapping the rod, by letting go of some slack, pull the rod back and gently reel the fish in. He taught me how to take the bait out of its mouth, before throwing it in the keep net. My fist fish was a Perch. I grabbed it when the fins were out, so it stung me. I couldn’t bring myself to hold it again, so I asked Leo to take the hook out of its mouth but he told me it was my job. The fish wriggled on the grass before it eventually died. We go fishing in Shearwater now, since we can both drive, and it is in the middle. Dad would be proud of us, how we are still close, even when we’re miles apart.
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WHERE SHE WAS NATHANIEL WILSON
November 24th: Found! In Milton’s Haberdashery. And almost by accident too: I was following the plan to stroll round the area (with more commitment than usual I don’t mind telling you) with the statistical inevitability of “running into” her. However, when I got bored with the cycle of shop signs and of being washed about by the currents of consumerists, I remembered that I needed to get some string for my kite before getting back home for the evening. Comely enough place: good selection, warm colour scheme, baroque music playing from somewhere. The clerk even had those fluffy hair tuffs just like the illustration in the Elves and the Shoemaker I used to read. And there: by the bobbins, grey turtleneck, left hand pocketed, hair spiralled by the wind was she; inspecting a little spindle between her dainty fingers. For a moment, I forgot everything. And became curiously aware of the floor creaking under my shoes. But I knew of course I couldn’t be cautious if I wanted results tonight. First of all, however, would she be able to recognise me? I floated over to the display on her right. She’s floral now. She used to be tangy. But there’s that same saline under-taste that will always be unbottleable. I hummed along to the music (some recorder concerto) to coax her into stealing a glance while I perused the buttons, trying to feign genuine interest by double checking their rainbow arrangement. Nothing was achieved from this except a strange new appreciation for the success of the button industry and one other thing: a light crotchet from my left, probably the unmoved verdict on the reel, but with a pitch, colour and timbre, of the sort familiar sounds collect over time, which was so unmistakeable, that I knew my search was over. Unfortunately, this plaintive reverie caused me to quite miss that she was quickly vanishing through the door. The time! I could have asked her the time and thus begun conversation. But by now there were so many other people that would have made so much more feasible choices by which to obtain that information while she sailed cleanly away. At this early stage it was not imprudent to follow her out immediately and the comfortable crowds meant I didn’t need to pace myself. Her cuddly fundament, see-sawing all the way, led me through the waddling shoppers eastward and, checking her watch, wandered with the snow into one of the cafes (memo beige sofas) where a crowd of friends welcomed her. Is this a regular haunt? Considering the informal conversation I caught through the window with a poorly postured server it must be. So my judgements were right. Here she comes and here I will go. The evening was long tonight. Barely made it up the stairs. And in the last hour before bedtime I played yoyo with my new spool.
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Writing Markets Suitable for new writers and any genre of fiction CONTRIBUTIONS FROM WRITING BUSINESS STUDENTS PHIL BOWNE, TARA-MARIE HURST, CHARL HARRISON AND AMY TWIST So, you want to get your work out there, but where do you submit to? It can be stressful trying to find the right market to choose, so we’ve started for you. During last semester of The Writing Business module, we did presentations of a writing market that would suit our writing. On the right, all our markets are in a handy table, but check the website of the market before submitting, just in case any guidelines have changed since print. These markets are suitable for both new and published writers and vary in their word count so you’re sure to find one perfect for you. If you fancy The Lampeter Review, you can also submit short plays, and you can find out more information by asking lecturers Tyler, Mike or third year Phil Bowne, as they have all been published in this market. Contests There are many markets, from online-magazines to professional magazines. Often, it’s best to start off small or, if you can, with a local publisher as they may be more willing to offer you support (Scribble is based in Cheltenham). Entering contests is also a good idea, as even if you don’t win, you are still getting your name out there and if you keep submitting, one day the publisher may recognise your name and decide that you have improved and they want to publish you. This happened to Hannah Vincent, who entered many competitions with Myriad before publishing her novel, Alarm Girl, with them. When they met to talk about her novel, they already had an idea about her style and previous work, which made the process much easier. So, it is definitely recommended to enter competitions as it may benefit you later on in building a rapport with publishers. Useful websites for submissions Finding markets to submit to: Duotrope.com You can also look for the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market book & Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. Submission websites: Submishmash.com Submissionmanager.net Submittable.com Things to consider before submitting 1.
Entry fee—is it worth it?
2.
Reputation of the publisher
3.
History of publications they have placed
And that’s it! Now, go forth and submit! Good Luck!
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Market The Lampeter Review
Scribble
Everyday Fiction
Shortfire Press
Type Online magazine
Magazine
Online magazine
Online magazine
Website Lampeterreview.com
Prose: no more than 3,000 words in length. Poetry: either 3 short poems or 1 long poem. Plays/Screenplays: 1 scene (10 pages max.) Please attach a short bio (4 sentences max.) Word documents only.
Submission Guidelines
Parkpublications.co.uk
Everydayfiction.com
Up to 1,000 words, no minimum. Flash fiction or podcasts only.
3,000 word limit. Short stories only £3 entry fee or £5 if you want it critiqued. Free for subscribers. Attach cover letter.
Shortfirepress.com
2,500-15,000 word short stories. Word document only. Attach a short bio.
Submit to… submissions@lampeterreview.com
Post to: 14 The Park Stow on the Wold Cheltenham Glos GL54 1DX If you subscribe, you can email your submission to: parkpub14@hotmail.com
Online form on the website.
submissions@shortfirepress.com
Response Time Six weeks
N/A
90 days for fiction, 10 days for podcasts N/A
Your story is sold for 99p.
Yep, $3.
There is an opportunity to win cash prizes if you are voted in the top 3 by readers. You also get a hard copy of the magazine.
Do you get paid? No, but you get a hard copy of the magazine.
N/A
A yearly anthology of top rated stories is released.
They also host competitions you can enter for cash prizes.
Any other information Promotes new writing from both unpublished and published authors.
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Controversial Books CHLOE SMITH
Lolita
I struggle to find a more evocative fictional piece of literature than Lolita. The images are strong and Nabokov seduces the senses with no shame or mercy. Its downfall lies in the overbearing shadow of the controversy it is shrouded in. No matter how beautiful the prose is, it is hard for many to get past the content it is describing. Lolita is certainly the only book I have in my collection that I have to defend by saying “oh, it’s disgusting but Nabokov is such a good writer!” and it shouldn’t be dismissed based on its reputation. Lolita is told from the perspective of Humbert Humbert; a writer in his late 30s with a sexual attraction to girls on the cusp of pubescence. He refers to them as “nymphets”. Humbert Humbert is ruled by his desire, and when the perfect “nymphet” comes into his life, she sets up home in his mind as a child sexualised by a beast. This child is Dolores Haze, the eponymous Lolita. After becoming her stepfather, Humbert distracts Lolita from boys her age by taking her on road trips in the summer. It is during this time that Humbert develops excuses for himself; for example, “I wasn’t even her first lover”, suggesting that because Lolita was already sexually aware he hasn’t been immoral. This is a distinction in Humbert’s mind, the difference between “children” and “nymphets”. In my opinion, Lolita is unique. When it was first published, it had to be listed as porn in France because that was the only way people would read it. It was rejected by a publisher for having “no good people in it”. It has to be re-read to understand why the bad people are everywhere, and that it’s not just the grotesque Humbert. Lolita’s strength is Nabokov’s skill of creating characters that never go through redemption. At the climax, Lolita is miserable and poor, and Humbert has sunk farther into his insanity. My copy of Lolita was printed in 1967, and comes with a selection of reviews from around the world in the appendix. You may have formed your opinion already, but it is interesting to see opinions from across the world. In Great Britain, George Millar writes in the Daily Express, “Everything is here, cruelty, learning, robust humour, pathos, romanticism, true affection.” Lionel Trilling in the US writes: “…Mr. Nabokov chose his outrageous subject matter [because] he wanted he wanted to write a story about love.” Gene Baro in the New York Herald Tribune writes: “Nabokov does not make vice attractive.” France had the most interesting things to say about Lolita. Dominque Aury in La Nouvelle Revue Française simply puts “Lolita is not a scandal, it is a masterpiece.” If you are thinking about reading Lolita, don’t let the plot discourage you. It is an important read, whether you walk away from it feeling disgusted or harrowed. If anything, it’ll remind you that unreliable narrators create the most metaphorical stories. Interpretations of Lolita range from it all being in Humbert’s mind, and to Lolita never having existed at all.
PICTURE BY GIRAFFEDAYS.COM
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Author Profile BECCA EDWARDS
TAKASHI HIRAIDE
One of the perks of working in a bookshop is that, every once in a while, I discover a little gem of a book by an unsung hero of an author. Takashi Hiraide is a Japanese poet who’s novel, The Guest Cat, is causing a rush of literary pleasure throughout bookshops all over the UK. I’m currently reading it. It’s a lyrical story about a married couple who rediscover happiness through the visits of their neighbour’s cat, Chichi, and so far I’m loving it. The balance of imagery, conflict and plot movement are perfect and the writing is concisely beautiful. Plus, it really brings to light just how much joy animals can bring when you least expect it. So, who is Takashi Hiraide? Well, he was born in Moji, Kitakyushu in 1950 and as far as I can tell, The Guest Cat is his first novel, as he primarily writes poetry. His collection For The Fighting Spirit of the Walnut won the 2009 Best Translated Book Award for poetry, and he is a professor of Art, Science and Poetics as well as an established member of the Institute for Art Anthropology at Tama Art University. He’s rarely been published outside of Japan, so the success of The Guest Cat is really quite staggering. From scanning through several articles online it seems that because Hiraide doesn’t speak much English, he rarely gives mainstream international interviews; the Independent contacted him for comment via email. They said of Hiraide ‘…he is winningly inscrutable. Of the melancholy at the heart of the book, he writes: "It's impossible to talk about true sadness". And of what it's like to be an unexpected global bestseller, and quite so high on people's Christmas gift wish lists, he simply says: "I have no actual feelings yet".’ I know for a fact that since working at Waterstones, I’ve plugged The Guest Cat to as many customers as I can! It’s so refreshing to have the opportunity to talk about an author who’s clearly as talented as Hiraide. Even though he’s not particularly well known this side of the world, his work deserves all the recognition it’s received so far, and I would thoroughly recommend reading his work. Kudos, Mr Hiraide!
The Guest Cat is available in all good bookshops!
PICTURES FROM NDBOOKS.COM & SEQUINSANDCHERRYBLOSSOM.COM
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Creative Expression is Good for your Wellbeing! CHARL HARRISON
Following the successful mental health article by Eve Matthews and David Smith in issue two, student intern Zoe Miller got in touch to tell me about University Mental Health and Wellbeing Day on Wednesday 18th February. To celebrate, the UoG Mental Health and Wellbeing team are hosting a week long exhibition which will feature creative writing, artwork and photography. It is open to all students and the most exciting part is that a selection of pieces will be published in a book which will highlight the benefits of creative expression in improving your wellbeing, so it’s a great way of getting your work published!
When? Monday 16th – Friday 20th February This is a creative writing activity week, so it’s a great opportunity to take a look at the exhibition and get involved.
Where? FCH Chapel
How to submit your work… Please submit your work to the reception of the Bodley building of FCH by Wednesday 11th February. Zoe has requested physical copies instead of submitting by email, which will be returned after the exhibition. The team are also looking for some art and photography students to help out with setting up the exhibition and photographing the week. Please contact Zoe at s1203167@connect.glos.ac.uk if you’re interested. If you’d like more information about the exhibition, please contact Annette at mhw@glos.ac.uk. This is a great opportunity not just to support a good cause and get your work seen by others, but to also potentially get published, so get creating!
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Dyslexia Support at UoG MAZ COPE Dyslexia is a learning difficulty, which means you look at words and numbers differently to others. We all have different processing speeds and learning styles. It is finding the one that works for you. Many dyslexics find visual learning easy and beneficial for them. According to the organisation, Easyread, who give parents information to support their child, only 5% of dyslexics find it hard to read black on white. The university can provide filters to help with reading. I myself have experienced headaches whilst reading black text on a white background. Many public figures who may have struggled at school have gone on to become success stories. Albert Einstein, Mohammad Ali, Bruce Springsteen and many other influential figures have dyslexia. This selection of public figures may come across as random but each one of them have made a huge impact in their fields. Albert Einstein managed calculate the formula for the atom bomb. Mohammad Ali, known for boxing, has been described as a poet. Finally Bruce Springsteen, a rock star who created beautiful lyrics. It just goes to show that if you have dyslexia, you can still create amazing works of art with words. So remember you are not alone. Several people have told me they found out at school or college. It was not the same for me, nor many others, who found out after coming to university. This university has a Disability Team as part of the Helpzone, who offer a free initial assessment to see how far you are on the dyslexia scale. This is done through speaking to one of the team members, who sets the electronic test. Don’t worry, there is no right or wrong answer, just what you see and remember. It will show a scale at the end; if each of the three sections are high then a team member will give you a hardship fund application, to apply for the assessment. They do help you to fill it out, so don’t worry if there are parts that you don’t understand. You will receive a response in less than three weeks. From experience, this process was straightforward and quick. I had the assessment on the 18 th December, and received the report in the post on the 22nd December. This assessment report is confidential. The woman who took my assessment gave me a form to send to student finance and the student support team. I’m waiting to hear back from student finance. The funding goes to the materials, which will help benefit me as a student. The university also offers an additional week to complete assignments. The assessment also sees if the students have a specific learning disability, so the materials will be specifically set for those requirements. The university are fantastic in supporting students with dyslexia, and you can contact the disability team in confidence if you need any advice: disability@glos.ac.uk.
PICTURES FROM EASY-READ-ONLINE.CO.UK AND GLOS.AC.UK.
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Five Tips for Writing your Dissertation BECCA EDWARDS If you’re anything like me, your start of term will mean kicking back with a pile of books, a large mug of tea and thinking ‘I’ve got plenty of time to start my dissertation!’ Meanwhile, that invitation to that party that’s coming up in the next few days seems like it could be fun. So, after blitzing through Orange is the New Black on Netflix and donning it a secondary resource for your dissertation bibliography, you go out, promising that you’ll come home at a reasonable time to work. One round becomes two, two become three, four, five… Then, you wake up late the next morning to a blinking laptop battery and an empty document open on the screen, serving as a reminder that yes, you have no inspiration and therefore motivation to start this career and education-defining piece of intensely long work. So, loyal cohort, I come to you with (I hope) five tips for beginning, persevering with and finishing the metaphorical marathon that is your dissertation. Forgive me for focusing mainly on prose; I wrote a short story for my dissertation. Decide which form you’ll be writing in. As obvious as this may sound, make sure you know for sure whether you’re going to write prose, poetry or a dramatic script. It makes things easier for you, because you can concentrate on the structure of your work, which in turn will give you more to write about. I’d also advise writing in a form you’re comfortable with rather than something you think will earn you the most marks; have a flick back through your old assignments and decide which form is your strongest to write in. Top tip: keep a note of all the decisions you make regarding the craft of your work and use them in your RCU. A few scribbled notes can be extended into a sentence, which turns into a paragraph, which will turn into a page etc. 2000 words isn’t that much when you break it down. Plan, plan, plan! Once you’ve decided on a form, hopefully you’ll start to think about what you’re going to write and how. When I wrote my dissertation, before doing anything else I went away and did some free writing for inspiration. For those of you who don’t know, free writing is when you sit and write by hand without any punctuation or breaks; it’s basically a stream of consciousness because you literally write the first things that pop into your head. The idea is that out of that, you’ll get a trigger for a story. From there, you can write down a synopsis for your prose/poems/script. Focus on a potential theme, characters, plot, and most importantly, conflict! Take into account your word limit and make a plan, e.g. for a short story assignment with a 10,000 word count overall, 2,000 words will be the RCU, 8,000 words between eight 1,000 word sections will make your story, and then each 1,000 word section could be a story arc. Top tip: divide your time and plan accordingly. Set yourself goals for each week. Now that you’ve planned out what you’re going to write, use that plan to write little and often. If you start reasonably early, you can set yourself a target of four sentences a day, which turn into a few paragraphs a week, which in turn will build up to a good four pages of prose a month. Top tip: if you find yourself hitting a bout of writers block, try free writing for a while. Trust me, even if you start off writing ‘ARGH I
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HAVE NO CLUE WHAT TO WRITE this is so dumb’ it’ll keep your thoughts flowing and eventually could churn out an idea! Read, read, read! Something that you’ll be expected to draw on in your RCU is your ability to talk intelligently about your work and the influences behind it, to demonstrate your understanding of the form you chose. I vividly remember being told by Martin Randall during first year that our work showed him clearly that we weren’t reading enough. At the time I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I can’t stress enough how much my work improved through immersing myself in short stories. Your writing will flow better, you’ll pick up on the use of language and style and you’ll understand the structure both of the work you’re reading and your own. The most prolific writers out there are ardent readers. To indulge in one of my favourite authors for a moment, Zadie Smith once said "...when you practice reading, and you work at a text, it can only give you what you put into it. It's an old moral, but it's completely true.” Conclusion: read, read, read! Top tip: focus on authors you found you identified with in lectures for more to focus on in your RCU. Finally… REMAIN POSITIVE AND PERSEVERE! Even by planning your dissertation down to every last letter you write, it can be all too easy to hit a wall, panic, fluster, and worry that you’ll never ever finish, fail your degree and end up wandering the world aimlessly for a year while you try and re-discover yourself. Hopefully, with some support and guidance from your supervisor and an encouraging speech from your friends, you’ll end up finishing your dissertation and finishing your degree. Or you may finish your degree and end up wandering the world aimlessly anyway! In all seriousness, though, make sure you take a break if you feel like your work’s starting to get on top of you. Go for a walk, or make a cup of tea, or go punch your pillow for a while if it helps you destress! Make sure you take some time to unwind and rediscover your love for writing. After all, it’s why you did this course in the first place! No matter how bad things can seem, there’s nothing a great book and a cup of tea won’t cure. Top tip: find something else to help you focus in your de-stress periods. I found a combination of going for a cycle, swimming and video games helped me! Obviously not all at the same time.
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Postgraduate Prospects ASH HARTRIDGE So, you can see real life brimming on the horizon. The end of your undergraduate course and it's time to make a decision - a fairly big one. What do you do afterwards? There are lots of good reasons to consider further study. Some would argue that a postgraduate or a Masters course is the next logical step in climbing that "academic ladder". Having the extra degree shows a certain willingness to learn - you're ready for more, you're willing to give time and money towards your self-improvement and you want to focus down on your subject area. If you enjoy the Creative Writing course at undergraduate, you will probably enjoy it at Masters level. I've only gone through one semester, but I've never regretted it and could give nothing but endless praise. Where it differs to the undergraduate is that you are in control of what you write. Essentially, the workshops and the lecturers and the actual structure to the lectures work the same - but the Masters modules are broader in scope. They are more theoretical and worldly - and are there to inspire you to write something. There are no exclusive dramatic writing, prose or poetry modules. In fact, the only time you need to "officially" decide on some kind of form is for the creative project. This is then completed over three semesters for full-time, or five semesters for part-time. The opportunities are varied from being able to work on the anthology or interning for Iota, to writing commission projects for real life people. The course expands on the lectures of the undergraduate degree, as well as how to teach creative writing and how to study the theories of creativity itself. It has to be said that the approach to a Masters degree is very different from an undergraduate. If you are lucky enough to have a student loan, you are paying for your degree currently in "ghost money". This is where a Masters degree is different. The Creative and Critical Writing MA Course is currently priced from ÂŁ4860, and the harsh truth is that you have to start paying for that as soon as you start. At current, there is not any government-funded financial support for Masters courses. Similarly to the undergraduate schemes, you can apply for scholarships and some universities will even have money that they can
award to candidates for various courses. Alternatively, you could take out an educational loan from the bank, but as you can imagine this comes with its own issues. The good news is that at the University of Gloucestershire, you can usually get a 20% discount if you're going from a UoG undergraduate onto a UoG Masters. You then have the option to pay monthly rather than paying each term, so those bills don't seem so huge. This is a big bonus as a lot of universities don't actually offer the "pay -monthly" scheme. If you go part-time, the fees and workload splits itself across the years, and you get given four years to complete your course. The part-time version of the Creative and Critical Writing course works out as only one or two afternoon/evenings a week - so there is plenty of time to work and rack up that extra cash for living costs. For those looking for the best deal, a parttime and pay-monthly course here at UoG is a sure-fire way of being able to pay in smaller and easily-managed instalments. If you are seriously considering a Masters degree, wherever that happens to be, ask yourself: "Am I ready for more?" As someone currently doing the course and working full-time and trying to have a social life, my tip to you would be to think about all of the options available to you and then get prepared. Talk to your tutors and your lecturers, or get in touch with the Masters students and ask them what they think. Think about the benefits of the course, and what position you'd be in at the end of it. Look out for reviews of the courses, the success rates, the opportunities available, and the module descriptions. You may have to push yourself, but I'd definitely say it is worth it.
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Tips & Triggers Free writing, and describing somewhere you love in as much detail as you can.
BECCA EDWARDS
Don’t be afraid to push your own boundaries—you’ll never know where your strengths lie if you don’t experiment.
TARA-MARIE HURST
Get to the point.
REECE MCCORMACK
TRIGGER OF THE MONTH Imagine someone's about to kill somebody or themselves but something makes them change their mind at the last minute.
It can be tempting to go into a detailed physical description of a character that halts the narrative flow, but I find it's generally more effective to integrate concrete details into descriptions of the characters actions, e.g. "He scraped some withered hair away from his face and, grinning through his jagged teeth, stumbled away across the room." Also don't underestimate the value of the right verb.
NATHANIEL WILSON
Try writing in longhand and see which way your story goes!
CHARL HARRISON
Ask friends for two character names and a scenario while socialising in a pub and see who can come up with the best short story.
- NATHANIEL WILSON CARINA MITCHELL
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Events Open Mic Night The Frog and Fiddle 8pm 27th January Submission Deadlines 2nd February—Myriad First Drafts Competition (see Myriadeditions.com for details) 9th February—Compass (see p. 13) 11th February—Mental Health Exhibition (see p. 24) Mental Health Exhibition FCH Chapel 16th-29th February Open Mic Night The Frog and Fiddle 8pm 17th February Socials Dates to be confirmed—keep checking the Creative Writing Society Facebook group for events.
DON’T MISS THE NEXT ISSUE OUT TUESDAY 24TH FEBRUARY! 30
@uogshowdonttell facebook.com/uogshowdonttell uogshowdonttell@gmail.com
issuu.com/uogshowdonttell 31
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