Writers\' Forum - 04.2020

Writers CIRCLE

Your news and views, writing tips and funny stories

TIME FOR RHYME

I was delighted to read ‘Tiptoeing
into the Spotlight’ in February’s
issue (#220), with Brian Bilston,
the unoffi cial poet laureate of
Twitter. Like Brian, I have been
writing poems using rhyme for
some time, and agree that it is
not fashionable.
I realised this when I naively
entered various competitions
and found that rhyming verse was
not en vogue and I never stood
a chance. A friend remarked that,
although he liked my poems,
my style would never win any
accolades in the elitist world of
today’s poetry, and unfortunately
it seems to be true.
I did get one poem entitled
Socks (about the stresses and
strains of knitting a pair of socks)
featured in a monthly knitting
magazine much to my delight.
Brian Bilson has given me hope
that good rhyme will be heard,
and about time.
Alison Saleh, South
Shields, Tyne & Wear

ON GRIEF

Reader Sue Weekes
sent kind words
in response to my
letter about how
writing helped after my wife died
(Letters, issue #221). When I
read it, I fi rst wanted to reply
but then thought the magazine
is about writing not grief. I have
now reconsidered.
Being with friends at a time
of sadness is only a temporary
palliative, sending the spectre
of grief into the shadows from
which it emerges when one is
alone and forced to face it. Like
reading, watching TV and going
to lectures, being cossetted by

friends is a taking and I believe

writers are essentially givers:

travel journalists want to share

the excitement of new places;

storytellers want to share feelings

of joy and sadness, love and

tragedy and, in doing so, fi nd

comfort and release.

Those come to me when I fi nd

the writing joy, the equivalent of

what Bernard Cornwell describes

as ‘battle joy’, when the sword is

quick and you can do no wrong.

It comes when I have solved the

problems of the plot and scene

and I am suddenly writing in the

character’s head and the words

chase each other on to the page.

Those words come from the far

corners of my consciousness,

from the hidden backwoods of my

mind where emotional memories

are burned deep.

At those times, I become part

of a spirit world, and a healing

takes place for which I have no

explanation.

Sullatober Dalton,

Faringdon, Oxon

NENE PAREIL

Our writers’ group is celebrating

its 40th anniversary. It began

in 1980 as a writing class led by

author Brenda Courtie but we

wanted to continue, and so Nene

Valley Writers was formed. In

1994 our fi rst anthology won a

competition and members have

had many stories, poems and

articles published over the years.

During 2019 we were down to

three members and we thought

our time was up. But moving our

venue to the local library has

brought in new blood, illustrating

how precious our libraries are.

Here’s to the next 40 years.

Geraldine Hunt,

Irchester, Northants

SHORT BREAK

Occasionally I put aside my WIP

to write a short story. While

I love writing books, there are

times when I take a break to

return to where, for me, it all

began. I will never forget the joy

when that fi rst submission was

accepted for publication and the

excitement returns in full force

every time it happens.

The greatest pleasure is in

creating a whole world in a

couple of thousand words. It’s

an entirely different craft from

writing a book. In many ways it’s

unforgiving as every single word

has to count.

While I love the Regency era

in which my romance novels are

set, short stories give scope for

sci-fi , crime, suspense, murder,

family... the list is endless.

So if you’re faced with writer’s

block or just fancy a different

genre, why not try a short story

for a change?

Natalie Kleinman,

Blackheath, London

SCAM I AM

My 14-year-old daughter loves

writing as much as I do. She

recently entered an online

READER LETTERS

PRIZE

LETTER

what would happen.He now has almost 70,000 followers,

including the likes of JK Rowling, Roger McGough and Frank Cottrell Boyce, and

KDVEHHQGHFODUHGWKHXQR΀FLDOSRHWlaureate of Twitter. But Brian almost fell

into his new career as a successful writer. ‘There was no masterplan,’ he says. ‘In

fact when I initially joined Twitter I wasn’t writing and sharing poems at all, simply

making bad jokes and tweeting them into the ether to be read by about three people.

never sharing anything – this was partly ‘I’d been writing poetry for years but

DERXWFRQÀGHQFH(YHQQRZWKHLGHDRIHQOLVWLQJLQVRPHNLQGRISRHWU\VODPÀOOV

me with horror. Twitter helped to build my self-belief when a few short poems I’d

posted began to do well. As the number of social media followers started to grow,

it gave me the encouragement – as well as the pressure! – to keep on writing.’

many writers who feel unsuited to Brian’s is an uplifting story for the

selfselfselfthe anonymous but hugely popular street promotion. He has been compared to

artist Banksy. A Google search will turn up many Brian Bilston results, but precious

little is known about him personally and IHZSHRSOHNQRZZKDWKHORRNVOLNH(YHQ

Bookshop and festival appearances, in SDUWLFXODUFDQKHOSWRÁRJERRNV

the thought of putting myself out there in ‘Being rather shy by nature, I dreaded

that way but it’s been a genuine joy and allowed me to meet many people with

whom I’ve been interacting on social media for years.’

Mr Bilston’s work, it’s a down-to-earth, For those who aren’t yet familiar with

accessible form of poetry encompassing many references to the everyday: the

putting out of bins, compilation cassettes, that missing key on your computer

keyboard. There is also often a visual element to

his poems – whether that’s a circular whirl of words denoting a snowball or letters

scattered downwards across the page to indicate needles falling from the Christmas

tree. See also as a game of Scrabble, or A Night on the Tiles,The Problem of presented

Writing a Poem in the Shape of a Heart¶:KHQ,ÀUVWVWDUWHGWRVKDUHSRHPV

on Twitter, one early realisation was how visual social media is. Tweeters,

Facebookers and Instagrammers are faced with a seemingly neverending stream of

words, photos, videos, memes, most of which gets lost in the frenzied scrolling

just to stay on top of all this content. My response was to consider more carefully

the form and structure some of my poems might take.

diagrams or on Scrabble boards or ‘I began to write poems as Venn

HPEHGGHGLQ([FHOVSUHDGVKHHWVWKHform reinforced the content of the poems

themselves but also helped them stand

and romantic rival Toby Salt. This Brian aims to write a poem a day, many of

ZKLFKÀQGWKHLUZD\LQWRWKHQRYHO7KHbook is written in diary form because

Brian – the real one – felt this was less intimidating than trying to write 80,

words in one long stretch. On the book blurb Richard Osman

advises that: words which rhyme with each other, you will ‘If you like a) laughing and b)

love Brian Bilston.’love Brian Bilston.’love Brian Bilston.’style proved popular, and at the end of The witty and accessible The witty and accessible

November 2019 the novel was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award.

Philip Larkin, Roger McGough, Wendy Among Brian’s own poetic heroes are

Cope and Ogden Nash: talented writers of rhyming poetry. So, is rhyming ready for

a comeback? ‘Rhyme still has a place in the modern

poet’s toolbox,’ Brian says, ‘but it’s not been fashionable in more scholarly circles

VLQFH76(OLRWFDPHRQWKHVFHQH%XWthere’s room under that broad heading

of “poetry” for all manner of forms and structures – and in some areas, rhyme is

at the centre: the rise of the spoken word scene over the last decade or so is a good

example of this.’I asked what else might be ahead for

Twitter’s poet laureate. Brian says he hasn’t yet summoned up the courage to attempt

the daunting task of writing another novel. At present he’s back to writing

poetry, including poetry for children, and considering other projects further down

the line.News of a poet and novelist making

good via social media will be music to the ears of all of us who hate and avoid

self-promotion. The fact that it’s possible to slide into success on the back of grassroots

support is encouraging. $QGXQOLNHPDQ\SXEOLFÀJXUHV%ULDQ

GRHVQ·WMXVWSRVWWKLQJVRQVRFLDOPHGLDhe actually responds when someone

comments. Tell him you enjoyed a newly posted poem and he’ll thank you – a

VPDOOWKLQJEXWHͿHFWLYHDWEXLOGLQJDQGmaintaining a loyal following.

DGYLFH¶.HHSSUDFWLVLQJ7U\WRÀQGWLPH)RUDVSLULQJZULWHUVKHKDVWKLVÀQDO

to write every day. It doesn’t matter if what

TIPTOEING into

the SPOTLIGHT

Kath Kilburn talks to Brian Bilston, who has been called

the Banksy of poetry for finding fame anonymously

Being shy

by nature, I

dreaded the

thought of

putting myself

out there

MEET THE WRITER

MONETISATIONby Brian Bilston

The ad saidMONETISE YOUR FOLLOWERS

so he thoughthe would respond

by painting themin the changing light,

like waterliliesin a pond.