The Hopeful Novelist

Romance isn't dead

A number of venues spring to mind. Outside the Corner Shop at Stoke Ferry, why not near the Agricultural Engineers, again at Stoke Ferry, or moving on to Wereham, the Post Office? No, much as these venues have to offer there can only be one meeting place and that's under the Bridge at Stoke Ferry. If you have any romanticism in you then I believe Stoke Ferry River Bridge has much appeal, or at least it has if you get your imagination to work. To be a Novelist requires flair and imagination, how I wish I possessed these qualities. It's all very well for me to talk about clandestine meetings under Stoke Ferry Bridge, but disconcerting readers, yes I know you are still there, will know that there has to be more than that. A book has to have a beginning, middle, and an ending. How on earth do you start? Let along finish. Fellow contributor, Ron Watts, possessing a much more analytical mind than I have would have no problems with Stoke Ferry Bridge. Facts as to when the Bridge was built, materials used, and how they were obtained, all would flow from his pen without a seconds thought. My thoughts would be centred on what's happening under the Bridge, living as I do in a dream world. "Glancing anxiously at his watch, Les drew heavily on his Embassy No 1, not for the first time Anne was just a little late, a cold uninviting wind blew under the bridge"

Page one of my first novel has begun; all I need is another 99 pages. Something tells me I shall be fed up with Stoke Bridge long before I complete 99 pages, and by the way who's this Anne, could it really be Ava Gardner hiding behind a pseudonym? Even I can't wait for page two.

Les Lawrence