Network News: South East... and a surprisingly high score from Southampton

Southampton FC seem to be doing ok at the moment - they're still in the premier league which means they must have been scoring goals…

Exactly like SCBWI So'ton.


Our goal setting supper group,  Helen Dineen, Helen Bonney, Veronica Cossanteli, Ken Lymer, Lorraine Cooke and me, Jan Carr, meets monthly on a Thursday evening at 7:30pm in the Cowherds Pub on Southampton Common. And since our first meeting in May last year, we have grown! Last month we were so pleased to welcome, illustrator Duncan Wilson to the group. 

We have all started, finished, revised and submitted work. Helen (D) has signed with Agent Anne Clark, Lorraine has had two shortlistings, Helen (B) has written and composed a musical, Veronica has published with Chicken House and triumphantly handled her first author visits. Ken has developed picture book ideas, written for Words & Pictures and started blogging, and I finished a book that,  in May '13, was under serious threat of the bin.

Goal setting is such a good idea.
Southampton Common

Quite a few of us across the country now seem to be making goals a focus for getting together. It's interesting to read about how different groups approach goal setting. Here's the routine we've fallen into in Southampton:

  • Meet at 7:30pm at our favourite round table in the window
  • General catch up while ordering drinks and 'supper'.
  • Go round the group, in turn, updating how we did on last month's goals
  • Eat (this isn't compulsory but we usually come hungry!)
  • Commit ( aspirationally is fine) to a goal for next month
  • Jan notes these down 
  • Go home in complete control of faculties, encouraged and inspired at about 9:45pm
  • Before the next meeting, Jan emails everyone's goals to the whole group with a reminder of the date for our next meeting, and books the favourite table.

Our next goal setting supper is Thursday March 20th

In the coming months we're looking forward to taking part in the Ejector Seat Arts Festival in the City Centre, Southampton Central Library showing of the wonderful SCBWI Showcase and we hope, very soon, to confirm our first SCBWI So'ton workshop on 'Voice'.

Watch this space!



Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is all over the place she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta.

7 comments:

  1. Well done Southampton! We really are a sociable lot on the South East! I've got my own meeting with Chichester SBWI tonight and I can't wait ( even though I haven't quite made my goal, there's time, there's time...) In fact we have a need for a new group in the Portsmouth area so if anyone is interested please email me at southeast@britishscbwi.org

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    1. Thanks Kathy - we are! Hope your Thursday evening was inspiring and fun:))

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  2. I agree Jan, goal setting is a great focus for a SCBWI get together. We had our second Central North brunch in Nottingham yesterday, lots of chat and productivity! Someone else got our table though ;)

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    1. Commiserations about the table, Liz, getting a good table does make a difference!

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  3. Good to know that fab things are happening in my former home area! May be coming back in a couple of years ...

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  4. Really enjoy our group, although I'm not doing well on my goal for this month - best get back to it! :-)

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