Notes from August 25, 2013

The Portsmouth Writers Salon had a wonderful meeting this evening. Meeting minutes were emailed out to the ten members. 

Our writing prompt for tonight's meeting was, “Nina unlocked the door with difficulty that stopped this side of panic.” from Guided Tours of Hell by Francine Prose.  

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Zadie Smith from June 28, 2013, published in the London Evening Standard. 

“Most dear to her is the community of writers in her life, which begins with her husband. She met Laird at Cambridge but only married him eight years later, at their college chapel. ‘It’s an incredible friendship,’ she says. ‘We never expected to get married, but it’s very useful to be married to your friend.’ They edit one another’s work, a habit that goes back to university days. Does this never cause tensions? ‘As I’ve got older, I’ve maybe got a little more sensitive,’ she concedes. ‘I’m trying to write a short story while feeding this kid, so my attention is maybe not so focused. I give him the first draft, and I do get a little touchy when I get it back with yellow highlighter pen all over it.’ Still, she does the same for him. ‘We both have the attitude: “Do you want to make a fool of yourself in front of me, or in front of x amount of people?”  

Until next time. 

Keep Writing,

Portsmouth Writers Salon