progress at last

So pleased with todays work (thanks to Elaine) advanced a bit better

drafts of b.head and rock ferry

rough work done this week towards my story page 1 to 8.

Story map

View relic of the past in a larger map

visit

looking for to having elaine to the house to sort out a few niggles
went to visit doreen this morning it brought back memories of when i lived in the same area

thinking

thinking of a story were the person gets lost in the past like ashes to ashes.
Been to a writers group in West Kirkby tonight. Author named Mark Gee from Wallasey who has had various things published.
Quite interesting group - May go again!!!!
Loads of notes of my story but still working on it

changes to be made

This to be fitted into the story as i think I've taken out all my descriptive side.





this row of houses had been vacant for some time while the area was waiting to be cleared completely.

He was a tall man in his early twenties with lanky blonde hair, his skin was badly marked which could have been left after acne or german measles.

He explained that his name was Daniel Jones and he had an uncle named Billy Jones who ran a fish shop locally.



He was taken into an interview room after he explained that he could possibly help the police with thenewspaper enquiry

Pictures for My Story

Here are some pictures I'm considering using for my story. I've trtied to capture the names of the places using signs and street names.

The middle two pictures are the Victorian houses mentioned in the story. The bottom picture is of the entrance for Victora Park. The top picture is Byrne Avenue Baths where we swam as kids.

Which ones do you think would go best with the writing I have already done?

The Last Workshop

Today we did a review of our stories and assess the changes. Talk of the launch or preview in July Venue t.b.a.

Elaine gave us a list of things to do for this next week working towards July 21st. My logo for the story may be a policemans hat. Here's an example of the sort of hat I mean. What do you think?

I would like some music in the background - eerie first - to finish maybe a band.


Doreen found some pictures on the internet she thought I might want to use on my blog. You can look at them on here. What do you think of these pictures? Creepy! I like the second one down best because it looks like the derelict building where my story is set.

Another thing I have been thinking about is the character's name in my story: John Clarkson. This is not an unusual sounding name. There should be hundreds of John Clarksons. But I don't want someone to look at my story on the internet when it is finished and think I am writing about them. What do you think about this? Should I be worried?

Relic of the past

Remains Found In A Derelict House

Mystery Remains
Police Are Asking For Help Concerning A House
In The Birkenhead Area
See Page 3

This heading in a local newspaper early 1970 led to a massive police enquiry.

The area involved had in the last five years been part of the re-development and reconstruction of Birkenhead town centre. Included in this was St. Johns street upto Charing cross. eg., Cyprus, Catherine and Oliver St including Claughton road the main thoroughfare to Cole street school and Birkenhead park

This picture shows Charing X 1965 with the roundabout and a view of Grange rd with banks on the corners and cars parked down the rd which is now a pedestrian area.

It was during the demolition of this area that the workmen were shocked to come across a macabre find, in the cellar of one house in Claughton road, the remains of a human body, Was this a relic from the war, as this area had been quite heavily bombed during WW11, or something else, suicide, murder or an accidental death.

It was something that mystified the police and the local neighbours still living in the area.
It was some time later that the bones were identified as being between 1960-1970.

Who was this mysterious person?

What had happened and why?

It was many months after the police newspaper story that a man appeared at the Bridewell Police station at the Town Hall Hamilton Square that this story emerged.
He was in his early twenties with a fair complection, scars on his young face,left by either acne or chicken pox a common illness in those days. He had lanky blonde hair which was the modern style at this time dressed in a bomber jacket and drain pipe trousers. After introducing himself as Daniel Jones and explaining that he could maybe help the police with their enquiry that the police took notice of him and led him into an interview room. There they began began asking him questions and the following script is a sample of what transpired:-

Police Sergeant What is your name?
Daniel Jones Daniel Jones (D.J)
Police What information can you supply regarding this enquiry
D.J. I will tell you in my own words, if i may!
Police Okay you have been cautioned, the tape is running. Carry on!
D.J. When I was younger I lived in Cyprus st - a cellar house off Claughton rd. Nearby were corner shops selling 1d sweets, lollypos.liquorice, sherbets and apples all at 1d (pre/decimal ), and g/grocers on every corner with a cinema and laudrette were my Mum sent me with the washing every day as we did not have a washing machine like some people. Across the road was a convent called The Little Sisters of the Poor.
Police We don't want a history lesson here. Where is this leading?
D.J. Let me finish my story don't rush me, I 'll get to it soon enough.
Police Ok! Carry on!
D .J. Often tramps /down and outs or nutters as we children called them, arrived at the Convent to receive bread and water a few times a week, some of these were quite scary to us kids and one particular man I remember was called J.C. because of his long beard and hair and he walked around quoting the bible hence the name he had.
Police. Hold on! you are from rock ferry now aren't you? I still don't see where this is leading.
D.J. Yes, I live in Egerton Park now and as a child went to Rock Ferry for holidays to stay with cousins. I spent time swimming at Byrne Avenue baths, playing fooball in Victoria Park and came to appreciate the beauty and history of the area even played at Rock Park long before the by-pass was built . When eventually my family settled here in Rock Ferry with us kids ten years ago. In fact where I live now still has the old victorian houses with the same grandeur although most have become nursing homes. From my Aunties house I could look across the river Mersey and we had a perfect view of Anglican Cathedral.

Police What has this to do with the enquiry.
D.J. Well this enquiry took me back to the times we played in the derelict houses in the Birkenhead area, which had been emptied, boarded up. breaking in to play cowboys and indians, sometimes we came across tramps sleeping or bedding there. We were often chased by neighbours who had not been rehoused and they often called the police.
Police So let me ask you, what you are saying is that you think that this could be one of these tramps.!!
D.J. Yes! I just thought of those times and wondered if it could possibly be that old guy, J.C. who was always around and maybe the Convent records could help you as he was one that used the help from the nuns That's really what I meant. Do you think it could possibly be him?


Police Right! Well, we will certainly look into this. Thankyou for your time and information. We will follow this lead and let you know of the outcome as soon as we can.

It was some months later when the police called at Daniels house in Egerton Park, it was good news as far as he was concerned!!!

It had been proved after a lot of research through records photographs and DNA that the remains had been identified positively as J.C. or John Clarkson, Ex-prisoner of war, who had come back to Birkenhead after being held prisoner for two years in Japan. Unfortunately he had been mentally ill since and somehow had slipped the system at that time of receiving the controlled help he needed. He was traced through his army record and medals of service, which was phenominal and really should have been awarded a heroes recognition, and so the case was closed and the mystery solved.

Mr. Daniel Jones attended the memorial service later that month.



EPITAPH

AUGUST 1970

Funeral and memorial service
of

John Clarkson

in memory of his service 1939-1945

to be held at St Marys church Prenton

2pm

Do you think this is more interesting and better?

This is how i will procede:-


MYSTERY REMAINS


Police are asking for help.
concrning remains of a body found
in a derelect house in Birkenhead area.
see page 3

This heading and the following story early 1970 led to a massive police enquiry.

The area had for the last five years been part of a redevelopment and reconstruction.
This included houses from St.Johns street through to Charing X. including roads Cyprus, Catherine st and Claughton rd

It was during this demolition that workmen were shocked to find the human remains.

At first there was thought to have been remains from the 2nd world war but forensics placed the bones at least as late as 1965.

Who was this person? What had happened? The police found it difficult to continue with the enquiry without help.

This was because people had been rehoused to outer districts Woodchurch, Noctorum, Tranmere and Rock Ferry to name a few.

The old cellar houses with out side toilets were gone entries or alleys leadind to back gates

Gone were the local corner shops with 1d apples, lollypops, sherbets,(pre decimal)and a local cinema and laundrette,instead there were car-parks with parking meters.

revamp

my story will nom start with a newspaper headline and with the help of collegues I feel more competent and organised with the layout if you know what i mean

new beginning

news headlines

i think this will start my story and this time i will not ramble on about the areas as much.
Got good advice today and sometimes it takes other comments to help reconstruct a story thanks all.

Penultimate Workshop

I've finally got my blog sorted out!

This is an old post but I have edited it. I would appreciate some comments on the story in this post as well as my earlier one.

Thank you!

Notes for a Story Idea

Here's a picture of all my notes that I did during the workshop. You can see how the idea for a story is developing. If you click on the picture you can make it bigger and see it better.

X marks the Spot!

Here's a photograph of a map I drew to show where the mysterious remains in the story were found.

What do you think?

Draft Stort and a Question?

It was almost a dead end as far was the polie was concerned when a man presented himself to the Bridewell in Birkenhead Town Hall to say he had some idea of the identity of the person. His name was Daniel Jones he thought his family were friends of this person who had a shop in Old Chester Road. He'd been friendly at school with the family living Catherine Street, even played there as a child. Eventually the family moved to Tranmere, Rock Ferry and he remembered visiting them there and having a swim at Byrne Avenue Baths with visits to Victoria Park as part of his stop-over.

This might end up being the first paragraph of my story. I'm thinking of starting with a mock-up image of a news story from a newspaper. The headline would be:

MYSTERY REMAINS

Police are asking for help concerning remains found in a derelict house in the Birkenhead area.

What do do think should go first? The story-paragraph or the headline?

back to reality

hi guess what have just received all emails from 29th April. I had a problem with the server but now know what our homework is. Help!!! Ha!hhhha!

hope this time my story is read by friends. wish I could read others!!!
Enjoyed the trip - hope Jenn is ok.!
Enjoying your book.

camera lead

hi Jensen, the lead did not work unfortunately, I will buy a new camera. Thankyou for trying I appreciate the thought see you Thursday Dot

extraordinary minds

People we meet along the way
Influence and make an impact of different kinds.
Then we met on that interesting day
twas a link to other peoples minds


I have loved meeting this group and am amazed how linked and compatable we were.