All together now

Writing can be a lonely job, according to Hampshire member, Helen Witcombe, who reached out to others ‘struggling to make it in the world of publishing’.

Helen found help in the pages of Writers’ News which she says ‘does a good job of bringing us all together’, and from a writers’ group in West Sussex.

‘I wanted to join a serious writers’ group,’ she says, ‘and the West Sussex Writers’ Group was the perfect candidate. It’s one of the oldest and largest groups in the country and almost all the members are published writers.

‘When I attended their well organised Writer’s Day and found out Simon Brett was their honourary patron I knew it had to be good. Talking with working writers is so inspiring.’

Helen recently won first prize in the Novel Opening Competition run by the WSW Group with her first novel, Relative Murder.

The competition was judged by bestselling author, June Tate, who declared the entry was written with ‘a professional touch’ and had an ‘excellent opening line’.

Relative Murder is with an agent but should it fail to be taken up this time, Helen has no intention of giving up. ‘If JK Rowling suffered rejection several times, then a few returns won’t stop me.’