Unfortunately, Writers 2000 in Johannesburg has had to close its doors. It ran for more than a quarter of a century and was very close to my heart but all good things come to an end. I can’t stress enough how important it is to belong to a writing group. The support from other writers and knowledge gleaned from well-established authors, editors and publishers is unparalleled. I am currently a member of the Sunshine Coast Writers Group in Port Alfred, Eastern Cape of South Africa. I have become very fond of the area and for now, it’s wonderful to hang up my hat – if only temporarily – and nestle in the bosom of other writers. An essential diet for a writer is having the company of other writers from which to feed. Find your own writing group and join for inspiration and motivation – not to mention just good old-fashioned fun and laughter.
Writers 2000 is Judy’s writing group. If you live in Johannesburg you may want to join as well, for mental stimulation, ideas and learning from others.
Writing can be a lonely profession / pastime and regularly rubbing shoulders with other writers is always a good idea.
Meetings: Held every last Saturday of the month in the hall of Tarentaal Village on Modderfontein Rd near the Edenvale Hospital. (That’s in- between Modderfontein and Sandringham)
Time: 1:30 for 2pm running until 4 or 5 pm, breaking for tea and cake after hearing a guest speaker, prior to attending to club business. This is always done in a very informal manner.
Guest speakers: These include novelists, journalists, poets, publishers, editors and professors of literature among others. The incomparable David Bullard of the Sunday Times has even graced us with his presence!
Competitions: Writers 2000 holds a 65 and 200 words’ competition every month to encourage ‘tight’ writing and attention to detail. Themes are wide-ranging and a phrase is given to stimulate the imagination. Judging is done by fellow-members.
Annual Awards Lunch: Our lunch is held in July and is a fun day where we honour those who have put shoulder to the wheel in their writing throughout the year. For example, James Clarke a popular columnist at The Star newspaper has, over the years, been a regular guest speaker.
Competitions are held in short stories, feature articles and poetry where friendly rivalry is enjoyed. Judges are drawn from the professional sector.
One year’s example of judges for the annual competition were as follows:
Anna Cox, Bureau Chief / Chief Journalist of The Star newspaper judged the feature articles.
Jill van Zyl, Retail and Development Manager from Exclusive Books judged the fiction.
Dr David Lloyd, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Unisa was responsible for the poetry.
The Write Stuff: Writers 2000 also publishes a magazine, The Write Stuff, where members have the opportunity to showcase their work, be it short stories or poetry; as well as airing their views about various aspects of writing.
Members may request friendly critiques by their peers, if desired.
In August 2005 we proudly printed the 100th issue of our magazine!
