We were delighted to hear that she is in the running for two book awards in Australia: Tamara is one of six finalists for the Romantic Book of the Year with Part 1 of her Oceania trilogy, 'Lands Beyond the Sea', whilst Part 2, 'Kingdoms of the Brave', has been nominated for The Book of the Year (Fiction) run by The Age newspaper. The results will be announced in August at the Melbourne Literary Festival.

Tamara's subject for the evening was 'Points of View'. She explained how important it is when writing to decide whose story it is and whether to tell it in the 1st or 3rd person. She advised that writing in the 1st person is restricted, since the story must be told from one character's point of view and it is easy to make the mistake of slipping into other viewpoints. Writing in the 3rd person makes it easier, since it is possible to describe what different characters are thinking and feeling. It is however always important not to confuse the reader by 'head-hopping' and to have complete scenes or chapters from one viewpoint, making sure it is clear when this is changing to that of another character.

Other important tips were not to have more than 4-5 main characters in a novel and to always start with a moment of crisis or impact to hook the reader in. We were reminded that novels do not need to start at the beginning of the story – they can start in the middle or even at the end and look back. Tamara gave us much to think about and provided an interesting, enjoyable and useful session.

For further details about our group please visit www.hastingswriters.co.uk or e-mail hastingswritersgroup@googlemail.com

Our national short story competition, the Legend Writing Award, is now inviting entries of up to 2000 words. Prizes are £500, £250, £100 and 3 x £50. Closing date is August 31 with an entry fee of £7 for the first story and £5 for subsequent entries. Optional critiques. Details/entry form www.legendwritingaward.com or SAE to LWA, 39 Emmanuel Road, Hastings, TN34 3LB.