Writing Magazine April 2020

http://www.writers-online.co.uk APRIL 2020^9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I read Philip Simon’s letter (Time To  ink, WM, Mar),

about the death of his beloved dog, with a tear in my eye

(I’m sure I wasn’t the only one).

Research shows that the loss of a beloved pet can be as

hard – or even harder – to deal with than that of a friend

or relative. Dogs are not just ‘best friends’ – for many,

they are family too and a source of comfort, security

and unconditional love, as well as the provider of a daily

routine, all of which stops when the pet dies.

So please, never say to someone ‘It was only a dog’.

And Philip, I hope, when your heartache has lessened

a little, you might consider letting another canine

companion into your life. Not to replace your beloved

Sta e but perhaps as a tribute to the love you shared

with her.

HELEN YENDALL

Blockley, Glos

I approach my desktop with sweating brow and nervous

twitch, opening my well-edited specimen with trepidation.

Deleting and rewriting many times; playing obsessively with

punctuation until commas and semicolons push each other

out of the way, until I feel dizzy.

Emblazoned in words of  re in my brain, the mantra: is

it good enough? Sighing, I close my eyes, shake my head

and shudder. ‘Come on, you must get a grip,’ I wearily tell

myself and go through the rigid rules and requirements.

 ere are so many; original and unpublished work?

Word count, font size/style, margin width, line spacing,

the list is endless.

Do I put my name on the work itself or on a separate sheet?

Can I staple the details to the postal entry and my cheque?

May paperclips be used? If loose, unnamed sheets are in the

envelope, what happens if they get separated on opening?

Can the contact details be matched with the work? Perhaps

sending it by email and PayPal would make it easier?

My mind blurs. Feeling faint, I clutch the keyboard,

sinking slowly under the desk. When I  nally open my eyes

and reach up, I’ve sent it electronically, having no knowledge

of the payment process.

Staggering to  nd a darkened room, my head throbs as I try

to think clearly. Perhaps after a few weeks of perfect calm and

tranquillity, I will be able to consider entering another writing

competition without screaming inside.

JEANNIE ABBOTT

Woodbridge, Suff olk

COMPETITION

OVERLOAD

New Year brings yet again the same resolve – that I will make the time to

write regularly. Over the last  fty years there has been the occasional  urry

of activity, a column in the local newspaper, a column in a national farming

monthly.  at lasted only three issues as the magazine ceased publication (I

don’t think my e ort was responsible.) A handful of plays for local am-dram, a

self-published book, several hundred copies of which still lie under the bed. An

afternoon play on Radio 4, but that was over 25 years ago. Sporadic the output

has been, but constant has been my unrequited yearning to write more, always

frustrated by excuses that something else has always more urgent.

Now the realization that in  e Grand National of life I am coming into the

home straight demands that procrastination is no longer an option. Time to

once again turn to my long-time mentor and inspiration – Writing Magazine –

the personal trainer who has never failed to keep me connected to the world of

writing. But the creative cog wheels are a bit rusty, so for lubrication I am going

to use the exercise of entering the WM competitions but  rst let’s start with a

letter of thanks to WM for always being there.

HARRY SEAR

Bedfordshire

Writing to the finishing line

For years writing a book had been an ambition of mine, but the years passed,
and I had never found the con dence to begin.  en my husband and I
bought a crumbling old farmhouse in Tuscany and moved our young family
out to Italy. Months later my father died unexpectedly, and there I was,
thousands of miles away from friends and family, trying to hold my family
life together and survive the grieving process. By chance on a return visit
to the UK I bought a copy of your magazine last March, and it has really
transformed my life. Inspired by the wonderful articles and advice of other
writers, I have thrown myself into my  rst novel, set here in Italy. Writing has
been a hugely cathartic experience and escaping into the world of my novel
has really helped me process my feelings throughout this di cult period in
my life. I would like to thank you for this gift that has helped me to  nally see
myself as a writer.
ANNA HOOKE
Montaltissimo, Italy

As a busy single parent I must confess to usually skipping the prompts and

exercises in Writing Magazine on the basis I don’t have time to start anything

else. However, having experienced severe writer’s block since the birth of my

daughter, I decided I had nothing to lose by giving some of the Free Range

Writing exercises a try. At  rst the words trickled painfully, but then - the

 ow. My co ee was left forgotten and an hour later I had two poems to share

with my writing group, a plot for a short story, a piece of memoir which had

given me personal insight and four article pitches – two of which were later

commissioned by magazine editors. Not bad for an hour’s free-ranging. I’ve

vowed since to start every writing session like this and have been much more

productive as a result.  ank you.

VICKY BOURNE

Kidderminster, Worcestershire

Words for

a friend

Words, unleashed

Free your mind