© Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Iain Pattison One of the Circle’s highlights each year is the Barbara Olive Smith Memorial Trophy which is judged by an external judge who is also asked to provide a critique for each entry. Iain, we are delighted to say, continues to support us by being the person who takes on this onerous task. Iain is a full-time author, creative writing tutor and competition judge. His short stories have appeared in numerous women’s magazines, UK and US anthologies, and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. To give participants an idea of what Iain likes, here are a couple of quotes from an interview he did for The Word Hut web site.
How would you describe your writing style? Quirky and zany (if people still say things like zany) with a drop of satire thrown in. I try to make my stories Spartan, fast paced and exciting while machine gunning as many gags as possible. I love twist endings and always aim for an emotional response from my readers – even if it’s only a loud groan. Who is your favourite author and what is it that really strikes you about their writing? The late Terry Pratchett. He was a god and I worship his memory. Some people sneeringly dismiss his Discworld books as being simply fantasy or comedy, but he had a spookily insightful understanding of how people really think and act, both as individuals and groups. He said more about the human condition in one chapter than Dickens did in all his works … and got more laughs.
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News Meetings schedule Competitions notices and results Library (members only)
Chris Mundy competition Arthur Redway competition Iain Pattison competition Writing Tips
Our Publications Committee and Constitution How to Join Us Barbara Smith - our founder
Links Enquiries (Dick) Website (Walter) Members coms (Stuart)
© Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Iain Pattison One of the Circle’s highlights each year is the Barbara Olive Smith Memorial Trophy which is judged by an external judge who is also asked to provide a critique for each entry. Iain, we are delighted to say, continues to support us by being the person who takes on this onerous task. Iain is a full-time author, creative writing tutor and competition judge. His short stories have appeared in numerous women’s magazines, UK and US anthologies, and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. To give participants an idea of what Iain likes, here are a couple of quotes from an interview he did for The Word Hut web site.
How would you describe your writing style? Quirky and zany (if people still say things like zany) with a drop of satire thrown in. I try to make my stories Spartan, fast paced and exciting while machine gunning as many gags as possible. I love twist endings and always aim for an emotional response from my readers – even if it’s only a loud groan. Who is your favourite author and what is it that really strikes you about their writing? The late Terry Pratchett. He was a god and I worship his memory. Some people sneeringly dismiss his Discworld books as being simply fantasy or comedy, but he had a spookily insightful understanding of how people really think and act, both as individuals and groups. He said more about the human condition in one chapter than Dickens did in all his works … and got more laughs.
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Iain’s Tips

These are some of the tips that we’ve picked up from Iain’s critiques in past competitions. They’re tips, not rules, so they are flexible and open to interpretation. Hopefully, they will help you to avoid the worst of Iain’s “buts”.
News Meetings schedule Competitions notices and results Library (members only)
Barbara Smith - our founder Chris Mundy competition Arthur Redway competition Iain Pattison competition
Our Publications Committee and Constitution How to Join Us Writing Tips Links
Enquiries (Dick) Web info (Walter) Members coms (Stuart)
These have moved to the Tips page.
for writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry
Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Iain Pattison
Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
for writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry
Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Iain Pattison
Thames Valley Writers’ Circle