Lilian Wookey, I was born in 1936, in Barrow-In-Furness, Lancashire, Britain.
A working class shipyard town, involved with building submarines, destroyers, large guns etc, during WW2.
I have always lived with lots of stories in my head. So on my retirement I took an A and B course in Creative writing, through Lancaster University. Then I went on to do more Creative Writing, and Moving On courses, also writing for radio.
I wrote a comedy play with another friend Peggy it was for the theatre. It was produced locally, and was a little like Ello Ello, all inuendo's. I guess older readers will remember that TV series! Peggy and myself had a ball writing it and it made us laugh so much as we wrote it. It was better than any therapy.
I have had several articles in magazines, local newspapers, and had short stories and poetry published.
I used the first chapter of Jane's story to enter a screen writing competition. It was for women from Cumbria. I was one of ten finalists, and thirty years older than the other women. The chapter won me my place. It was with Shoreline Films, and was a really exciting and rewarding course, we had a wonderful tutor. (They had just won awards at Cannes Film Festival for a film called Frozen.) From that course I'm writing a television series called Sisters.
I published Jane's story as a paperback.
It's Jane's child's eye view of working class life during WW2, and has been received into the Barrow Library Archives. I have sold almost 1,500 copies. Now I'm invited to groups and schools, to give talks about my life as a child.
I missed a lot of school through WW2 and circumstances afterwards. We were badly blitzed in Barrow because of the Germans who were aiming for the shipyard and missed. It had very little damage done to it considering how huge and busy it was.
I was evacuated at five years old, and had five moves due to neglect, death, over crowding etc. In the end I thought I was never to go home.
What I didn't know, was that my mother didn't want me. I was almost nine years old before I saw my home again. My brother Tom was taken home before me when my mother found out he was neglected and starving on a farm.
I was ten and Tom thirteen when my father was demobbed from the 8th army. He was a complete stranger to me. I have always felt although he didn't die in the war, 'I still lost my father.'
He couldn't get work, so we moved into a corner shop. My mother intended to open it with green grocery, as they weren't on ration. 'There were corner shops on almost every street in those times.'
My mother made the cleaning of the house my responsibility, also trained me to serve in the shop. Then at twelve she trained me to be a florist in our small family business. This was the best thing she did for me. Floral Design has opened many doors for me both here and abroad. Life has been my teacher, because again I missed a lot of schooling.
My mother became an alcoholic and my father a drunk. They fought both physically and mentally it made life difficult. Tom left home at fourteen to live and work on a farm.
I have just finished my second story from the Barrow mother's view of her life in the war. It's called 'Cos That's The Way It Is. It's true stories that I remember from my life then. Also when reading to local groups I have have been told many stories by the women who were young mothers and wives at that time. These ladies wanted their stories told because Barrow doesn't seem to be be mentioned in any history books about the war. It is their war and they had a hard time that should be remembered!
It's written as a Novella, because although I knew about the love story, I had to add the love scenes from my own imagination! Now I have to finish the next ten years of Jane's story.
I love what I have done so far. I have had a hard but colourful, long life. With lots of experiences some funny and some not so. Still I'm tough and resilient. I don't give in easily and love the challenge of writing.
A working class shipyard town, involved with building submarines, destroyers, large guns etc, during WW2.
I have always lived with lots of stories in my head. So on my retirement I took an A and B course in Creative writing, through Lancaster University. Then I went on to do more Creative Writing, and Moving On courses, also writing for radio.
I wrote a comedy play with another friend Peggy it was for the theatre. It was produced locally, and was a little like Ello Ello, all inuendo's. I guess older readers will remember that TV series! Peggy and myself had a ball writing it and it made us laugh so much as we wrote it. It was better than any therapy.
I have had several articles in magazines, local newspapers, and had short stories and poetry published.
I used the first chapter of Jane's story to enter a screen writing competition. It was for women from Cumbria. I was one of ten finalists, and thirty years older than the other women. The chapter won me my place. It was with Shoreline Films, and was a really exciting and rewarding course, we had a wonderful tutor. (They had just won awards at Cannes Film Festival for a film called Frozen.) From that course I'm writing a television series called Sisters.
I published Jane's story as a paperback.
It's Jane's child's eye view of working class life during WW2, and has been received into the Barrow Library Archives. I have sold almost 1,500 copies. Now I'm invited to groups and schools, to give talks about my life as a child.
I missed a lot of school through WW2 and circumstances afterwards. We were badly blitzed in Barrow because of the Germans who were aiming for the shipyard and missed. It had very little damage done to it considering how huge and busy it was.
I was evacuated at five years old, and had five moves due to neglect, death, over crowding etc. In the end I thought I was never to go home.
What I didn't know, was that my mother didn't want me. I was almost nine years old before I saw my home again. My brother Tom was taken home before me when my mother found out he was neglected and starving on a farm.
I was ten and Tom thirteen when my father was demobbed from the 8th army. He was a complete stranger to me. I have always felt although he didn't die in the war, 'I still lost my father.'
He couldn't get work, so we moved into a corner shop. My mother intended to open it with green grocery, as they weren't on ration. 'There were corner shops on almost every street in those times.'
My mother made the cleaning of the house my responsibility, also trained me to serve in the shop. Then at twelve she trained me to be a florist in our small family business. This was the best thing she did for me. Floral Design has opened many doors for me both here and abroad. Life has been my teacher, because again I missed a lot of schooling.
My mother became an alcoholic and my father a drunk. They fought both physically and mentally it made life difficult. Tom left home at fourteen to live and work on a farm.
I have just finished my second story from the Barrow mother's view of her life in the war. It's called 'Cos That's The Way It Is. It's true stories that I remember from my life then. Also when reading to local groups I have have been told many stories by the women who were young mothers and wives at that time. These ladies wanted their stories told because Barrow doesn't seem to be be mentioned in any history books about the war. It is their war and they had a hard time that should be remembered!
It's written as a Novella, because although I knew about the love story, I had to add the love scenes from my own imagination! Now I have to finish the next ten years of Jane's story.
I love what I have done so far. I have had a hard but colourful, long life. With lots of experiences some funny and some not so. Still I'm tough and resilient. I don't give in easily and love the challenge of writing.
