A Roof Over Their Heads is a new project, thought up by Geof Reed, to find local writers and involve them in a workshop. But that's not the end of it. There will be a final product (or rather, a number of them); a physical book, an eBook, a film, a radio slot... And we're working on more. It all started with an idea. And that, surely, is how all the best plans begin. The idea was Geof Reed's, and he wanted to showcase the area in which he lives, gather a group of like-minded writers together, and create something.
The something was undecided as we held our first meeting in The Big Fish Arts shop in Sheerness back in October 2011, but it soon became clear that we all wanted to create something, to come up with something that we could be proud of, and which would be a tangible product of the area...
The main idea of A Roof Over Their Heads was to choose a building, place, even an historical person or event, related to the Isle of Sheppey, and to write a piece of fiction about it.
There were no limits other than those we put on ourselves. Any type of writing was encouraged, any genre. As long as the work was related to the Isle of Sheppey, we could do what we liked, and write how we liked best.
Research was key. The Internet, as incredible and wonderfully useful as it undoubtably is, cannot beat local knowledge. It cannot describe the area with any passion, or with any love. It cannot explain, only tell.
But Sheerness Library can. With its raft of knowledge housed not only within its large collection of local interest books and historical newspapers, but also within the librarians themselves, it proved to be a vital resource for all of us.
Little by little, bit by bit, we pieced together our stories.
Together, we have come up with an exciting, fascinating, and unique slice of Sheppey life, from ancient copperas makers, through Victorian temptresses, and on to lovers meeting during World War II.
The something was undecided as we held our first meeting in The Big Fish Arts shop in Sheerness back in October 2011, but it soon became clear that we all wanted to create something, to come up with something that we could be proud of, and which would be a tangible product of the area...
The main idea of A Roof Over Their Heads was to choose a building, place, even an historical person or event, related to the Isle of Sheppey, and to write a piece of fiction about it.
There were no limits other than those we put on ourselves. Any type of writing was encouraged, any genre. As long as the work was related to the Isle of Sheppey, we could do what we liked, and write how we liked best.
Research was key. The Internet, as incredible and wonderfully useful as it undoubtably is, cannot beat local knowledge. It cannot describe the area with any passion, or with any love. It cannot explain, only tell.
But Sheerness Library can. With its raft of knowledge housed not only within its large collection of local interest books and historical newspapers, but also within the librarians themselves, it proved to be a vital resource for all of us.
Little by little, bit by bit, we pieced together our stories.
Together, we have come up with an exciting, fascinating, and unique slice of Sheppey life, from ancient copperas makers, through Victorian temptresses, and on to lovers meeting during World War II.
In the next post, the mysterious 'we' will be revealed!
A good introduction Lisamarie and I like the promise of revelation.
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