Write Local. Get Read.
Why your next piece might belong in the local paper, not just your drafts folder.
If you’ve been wondering what to do with the output from our Prompt-Write Night sessions, here’s a suggestion - why not send it off to your local newspaper?
It’s an easy step to overlook. Many of us think of “getting published” as the big leap - agents, publishers, national magazines - and skip straight past the opportunity sitting on our own doorstep. But writing for a local paper offers something immediate: a real audience, a real deadline, and a readership who will recognise the streets, the shops and cafes, and quite possibly you.
Here in Caversham, we have the Caversham Bridge newspaper, and most of what follows applies to submitting for them. But for those of you from outside our little catchment area, check out your own local paper and see what they are looking for.
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” - Douglas Adams
A deadline is a great cure for a manuscript you’d otherwise never finish. The Caversham Bridge publishes monthly, with submission dates set well in advance, so you’re not writing into the void - you’re writing towards a date, for an editor who will actually read it. That discipline alone sharpens a writer. So does the word count. Local papers are ruthless about space, and learning to make a point or land an ending in 350 words is one of the best exercises going for tightening flabby prose. Every sentence has to earn its place.
There’s also the discipline of writing for real readers rather than imagined ones. A local audience is forgiving of subject matter but unforgiving of waffle - they want to feel something happened, that the piece was worth their two minutes. That’s good training for any writer, whatever you’re working on next.
It’s worth noting Caversham Bridge’s editorial character: this is a paper built on community spirit, warmth, and local pride. Fundraising successes, neighbourhood events, people doing good things for other people are all topics editor Phil Chatfield is on the lookout for. If you’re pitching a piece of nonfiction or a human-interest article, lean into that. A profile of a local character, an account of a community event, a piece on a Caversham tradition or institution - these fit the paper’s tone far better than anything downbeat or cynical. Good news, well told, is still good writing.
If non-fiction isn’t your thing, the Bridge runs a dedicated Creative Caversham section in every issue, featuring poetry and short fiction, along with other local arts and crafts activity. Recent contributors have had work featured there regularly, so the section is active and looking for material. Given the paper’s space constraints, a single poem or a piece of flash fiction in the 350-word range is ideal - which suits a lot of what we already produce on Prompt-Write Nights. If you’ve drafted something tight and complete in itself, this could be its first home. If it relates to Caversham in some way, all the better, but if not, don’t worry - make sure you mention you’re a Caversham Writers member and that’ll go in your byline.
Here’s some ideas to get you started:
Adapt a Prompt-Write Night flash fiction piece - many will already be close to the right length, but if you’ve been particularly prolific, here’s a chance to work on your editing skills
Write a short poem inspired by Caversham itself: the bridge, the river, Caversham Court Garden, shops, bars, cafes
Profile a fellow group member or a local creative figure as a human-interest piece (not me - I’ve already been done!)
Cover an author event at Fourbears Books (one of ours, or one of theirs - but check with Vicky in the shop in case she’s writing it up already for her regular column)
Turn a piece of memoir or reflection into a “Talking Point” style article
How to submit
Submissions go to editors@cavershambridge.org, or via the form at cavershambridge.org/articles-for-publication. Keep to 350 words maximum, include a photo if you have one, and check the monthly submission deadline.
Seeing your name in print locally is a quiet, satisfying thing. Give it a try - and don’t forget to bring what you plan to submit to Writeshare Night first to get some group feedback.
Member News
Some splendid news from Curtis Chin this week - his follow up volume of memoir to Everything I Learned, I Learned In A Chinese Restaurant has been picked up by publisher Little, Brown.
Congratulations to Curtis, very well deserved.
Our Last Meeting
Writeshare Night - Read Your Work To The Group
We usually hold our Writeshare Night events online via Zoom, as our many members from the rest of the UK and overseas particularly enjoy reading examples of their work to the group and it’s a great way for us to hear stories and voices that we might not otherwise come across.
This time, though, we met in person at our local indie bookshop, Fourbears Books. This was mainly to give those members reading on the spoken word stage at East Reading Festival this weekend a chance to practice and get some feedback on their intended pieces.
We were also able to work out a running order for our lineup, so it was a productive meeting all round.
East Reading Festival is at Palmer Park, Reading on Sunday 21st June. Acts on the spoken word stage begin at 12 noon, and Caversham Writers are scheduled to begin at 14:15. Our friends at Dreading Slam are also appearing at 15:00 and Progress Theatre have a slot at 16:00 where they will be previewing their forthcoming open-air production of Hamlet at the Reading Abbey Ruins.
Come along for a fun afternoon out in the sun - don’t forget to splash on the sunblock, it’s forecast to be a scorcher!
Next Week's Meeting
Writes & Bites - an in person social event!
Wednesday, June 24 · 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM BST
We are currently well overbooked for next week’s social at Alto Lounge in Caversham, with 9 members currently on the waitlist.
This is the only event that I typically set an attendee limit. I need to confirm numbers with the restaurant we’ve booked, and too many people presents further difficulties with payments etc. I’ve found that 10 people is the usually the upper limit to allow for a good round table discussion.
All of which means that Writes & Bites events are the only ones where no-shows on the day are a problem, as they may be denying another member a spot at the event. So please be aware that no-shows on the day of these events may result in expulsion from the group. Please let me know in advance if you cannot make it.
Free To Join, Free To Attend
As you know Caversham Writers is free to join and free to attend and I want it to remain so. That doesn’t mean it is free to run, though. I organise the group meetings on Meetup.com who have seen fit to double the fees paid by group organisers over the last year.
This has led to many groups shutting down or moving platform. I like to think of Caversham Writers as a local group with a global reach and I want us to remain open to voices from all over the world. Meetup provides that global reach so I intend to stay there, but would welcome any contributions toward the costs of running the group.
So if you enjoy this free newsletter and our weekly free events, please consider helping out by buying me a coffee at the link below.