Cleckheaton Writing Group (CWG) - 10 Year Anniversary

Hi Peeps

Monday 20th September - I attended Cleckheaton Writers Group for the first time, physically in nearly 2 years.  It was great to be in the beautiful Cleckheaton Library again. A lovely old building in which I've spent many hours. The room in which the group hold their meetings had been decorated and was all shiny and white.  There were familiar faces. Karen of course, plus Alice. There was also a new member Ria.

It felt like I hadn't been away.  Although I did enjoy the Zoom meetings I joined last year and first half of this year.

I even read out aloud the first chapter of "The Cubby-hole", my haunted house story.  As I read aloud I realised that this was the first time I had read aloud in the group in 10 years. 

Yes I've been going 10 years - since September 2011!!

Sadly I haven't got as far in my writing career as older members but that's my laziness to blame.

So what adventures found me at Cleckheaton Writers Group?  Here's the timeline:-

• Summer 2011 - I start writing a few short stories, wanting to get back to writing for the first time since I was a teenager.
• August 2011 - Split from daughters mum and move back in with parents.
• Late August - attend a one day writing workshop hosted by Calderdale libraries and held in the old Halifax library.  Meet fellow writers including Karen, who invites me to Cleckheaton Library as she holds a writing group there.
• September 2011 - Attend my first CWG meeting and love it. Meet new people and find a renewed love of writing.

So what are the highlights over the 10 years attending Cleckheaton Writers Group!!

• Meeting fellow members past and present - so many to mention, but here are a few that made an impression on me. Tony(the priest), Pauline(RIP), Andy, Dawn, Laura, Martin, Amanda, Sarah, Kathy, Alice, Gemma, Steve, Martijn and of course Karen herself who puts her time and effort into it and has done a great job keeping it going so long.

• Meeting some great authors on Group nights out, including Ann Cleeves with Karen in Brighouse.  Andy Mcnab at Cleckheaton town hall with most of the group and Phillip Pullman in Manchester with Dawn.
• 2 fantastic Cleckheaton Literature Festivals we arranged in 2015 and 2016. We worked hard and the festival's were great fun.  There was a good mix of authors and events, workshops and author interviews.  We met some famous authors and made friends with them.  These included Joanne Harris, Ian C Douglas,  Justina Robson, Leigh Russell and the late Helen Cadbury to name a few.

 

• Published 2 short stories in the Cleckheaton Writers Group story anthology "Reflections".  Which included a launch event and gave us all a taste of being a published author.

What have I taken away from my experience in the Writing Group over the last decade?

Well firstly time goes too fast. I need to get moving and get back to writing as everyone is passing me by.  I need to be more confident in my writing.

Although thanks to the group's author trips and attending workshops with members, I'm now doing these alone.  I've attended a few work shops plus loads of author events - usually in Waterstones Leeds.  I have also gone to Derby to larger all day events like Edge-lit and hope to go to UK Ghost story festival in Derby in November.

I hope to continue going to Cleckheaton Writing group but due to work clashes will probably go down to around 6 times a year.

Here's to the next 10 years - where hopefully we are sharing our published work with each other and helping newer writers (for a fee).