14 Bensham Grove

14 Bensham Grove

I want to be able to fulfill an ambition I have had for a long time of completing writing my novel which is entitled 14 Bensham Grove. Owing to a lack of funding in England, I have been unable to devote time to this project. There are very few organisations in England which provide grants for creative projects. There is The Arts Council, England. This organisation prefers to help creative companies rather than individuals. I had applied on two occasions but I was not offered a grant. The Royal Society of Literature has just introduced grants for writers who want financial assistance in order that they can complete a project, however the grants are just limited to three. I applied but again, I did not manage to secure a grant. In The United States and Canada, there are many grants for writers but the criteria is that those who apply for funding have to be American or Canadian citizens.

In February 2018, I submitted the synopsis and the first few chapters of the novel to a number of literary agents. I will hear by May 2018 if any of them want to represent me. If not, I will approach small, independent publishers or self-publish the book. I have set a deadline to raise funds because I need to be able to complete the writing of the novel by May 2018.

14 Bensham Grove

The Premise:

The lives of the tenants who inhabit 14 Bensham Grove with a focus on Jennifer and her parents and Jennifer's friendship with Tracy.

Synopsis:

The novel is set in London in the 1970s. It focuses on the lives of the tenants who inhabit 14 Bensham Grove. Jennifer, the protagonist, reminisces of the period in her life when she lived in the house. She formed friendships with some of the tenants and began to know of their lives. Jennifer's friendship with Tracy, the cockney tenant, was particularly strong. Some of the other tenants are malevolent or dysfunctional. Mrs Jeffreys practices witchcraft and Ray Jenkins abuses his wife mentally and physically. Jennifer perceived the landlord as a grandfather figure but he is not as nice as he seems; when his sister stays with him, he forces her to sleep in the cellar. Jennifer's parents had a bad relationship and she had to cope with the trauma of her mother's nervous breakdown.

Eventually, a fire which started in the cellar of the house, destroys the property. The tenants leave the house, settling in other places. The house is renovated and becomes a nursing home. Jennifer obtained a summer job at this nursing home. When she starts working there, she is shocked to see that Mr Henry is one of the residents. He is now relying on care in a place he had once owned.

Jennifer had been corresponding with Tracy who had obtained work as a Beauty Therapist on a cruise ship. The two friends decide to meet after not having seen each other for a few years. Jennifer will be attending university. Tracy is pregnant but she is no longer in a relationship. She decides that she will no longer work as a Beauty Therapist. She moves to a council flat in Streatham, not far from where Jennifer and her mother are living. Although the lives of the two, young women are very different, they have a strong friendship which began when they lived at 14 Bensham Grove.