Featured this meeting: Robert Cohen gave a reading from his newly published novel Architecture for Beginners – two childhood friends reunited and an architect is drawn into a retired football star’s world. He then discussed how the book came to be, inspired by personal experience…

Robert will be guesting at the Kemp Town bookshop and appearing in Who Is Number One in the May Fringe, then in The Madness of King George at Brighton Open Air Theatre in July.

Thomas discussed his workshop on Writing Monologue for Hastings Writers Group at the Regency Rooms.

Thomas then led the conversation round ‘how do you create your characters?’ involving writers, actors and drama makers.

A table reading from A Smuggler’s Song, Charlie Sharp’s work in progress on the Hawkhurst south coast smuggling gang, with group discussion and feedback.

Paul Levy on Rational Madness Theatre, Fringe Review – and the Kansas Missouri arts festival, where he, Robert, Jenny and Ross took their solo shows.

Members’ and visitors’ news included:

Hove Writers upcoming events.

Louise Taylor on her playwriting, performance poetry and the business of developing a radio situation comedy.

Dave Patchett on Brighton Theatre of the Air latest audio drama works in progress.

News of the Brighton Theatre Promoter Group.

Thomas led a discussion around how to run a Patreon as a way for writers/artistes to support themselves.

Drinks, nibbles, news and good conversation on:

Jenny Rowe has a short story The Yew’s Embrace accepted for publication, following success in the US Weird Christmas competition.

Discussion on casting actors for your stage, audio, film etc script – the relationship between writer, director, producer and actor – the perennial paid work question, how the number of actors matter.

News of the Raindance producers’ course.

BBC Radio Repertory, getting your work in front of a producer.

Self-publishing, marketing and promoting your work.

Writer mentoring and teaching.

The lack of a brochure or app for the upcoming Brighton Fringe Festival.

Mark Burgess’ playwriting course.

The importance of networking for everyone who works in drama and the concept that it’s not what you know, it’s not who you know – it’s who knows you that matters.

A reading of Thomas’s short story The Haunted Mansion.

Next meeting in February – no January meeting.

Conversation included:

Louise Taylor’s news of her ‘awkward sex coach’ sitcom in development for BBC radio

Discussion round AI in music, drama, art etc – is it a worry or is it intriguing? A valuable tool / opportunity, or will it take opportunity away from creators?

Brighton Fringe applications and early bird deadline, Brighton Actors Networking Group meetup and actor friend Ross Gurney Randall’s appearance in Doctor Who

Thomas presented The Shakespeare Quiz

Amanda’s monologue Scrooge read by Simon Jenner, a 21st century take on A Christmas Carol and the spirit of Boxing Day.

Extracts from two works in progress read and discussed at the meeting:

John Lawrenson’s The Big Interview

Dave Patchett’s Shillingworth, a mysterious tale of magic realism in the Brigadoon / Twilight Zone tradition.

With no January meeting, we eased into 2024 with general members’ and visitors’ discussion on projects, news and current activity, with writing plans for spring.