May 22nd Meeting
Summary
In attendance: Mike Redfern, Sue Shaw, Mike Whitney, Heather Wattie and Cindy Postnikoff
Sue facilitated this meeting and provided us with the material. Thanks Sue! We were to have read Chapter 4 from the Creative Writing text we are using. It covered the following: writing what you know and don't know, memory/association, benefits of daydreaming/imagination, using our cultural memory and nostalgia plus the invaluable tools of research.
In a nutshell, the assignment was to take something interesting, fiction or non-fiction and ask yourself, 'What if..?' What if certain details of a character were changed? Cultural events, gender, family size, job etc. Heather did a few short pieces in a free association kind of style starting with 'What if...', using her own life as a base for possible changes using this technique. Sue shared a piece about the pulp mill where many events were interwoven all on the same day, very intriguing idea with details about a work tragedy, war time protests, shady custom officers and a raven's prediction. Mike R. never did the assignment and for the life of me, (because I didn't write it all down), I forgot Cindy and Mike W.'s contribution! Thank God for cut and paste so hope to have theirs in eventually.
We then did an in meeting writing session where we had to pick a period in our lives and capture the cultural details of that time period using the techniques from the chapter we'd read. It was varied and interesting, that at least I remember, with details to be added later if I can get them from my fellow members. Ahhh, the immense value of writing things down. My apologies fellow writers and shan't happen again! See you on Wed. the 12th with pens poised high! Write on!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Thursday, May 2nd meeting
In attendance: Mike Redfern, Heather Wattie, Suzanne Shaw, and Sharla Smith
In attendance: Mike Redfern, Heather Wattie, Suzanne Shaw, and Sharla Smith
Summary provided by Mike Redfern
The group had studied workbook Chapter 3, Writing What You Know, continuing from our last meeting. Sue, Sharla, & Heather read their response to Activity 3.3, writing down what they had perceived in an indoor location using their five senses. Sharla used vivid imagery to enhance her descriptions of her sensory perceptions. Mike had not done his homework so had nothing to offer!
We then read an excerpt from Seamus Heaney's poem 'Death of a Naturalist' in which sensory perceptions were described with simile and metaphor, not a cliche to be seen, and an excerpt from Laurie Lee's coming-of-age memoir 'Cider with Rosie', in which the focus was on chronological ordering of memories.
We then read an excerpt from Lesley Glaister's 'Memory: the true key to real imagining' in which past memories were written in the present tense and clear memories were mixed with uncertain memories, creating an authentic feel to the memoir. We then each wrote about a personal memory using the present tense, except for Heather who ignored the instructions and did her own thing! (not quite true Mike but close enough) These were shared, discussed and enjoyed.
Sue agreed to prepare the next meeting's assignment and studies from Chapter 4 of the workbook. She will email assignments and reading materials to the members of the group.
The next meeting day has been changed to a Wednesday to accommodate a prospective group member (whose name I missed) so we will meet on Wednesday, May 22, at 7 p.m. in Centre 64.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Nov. 20th Assignment
Hi Enthusiastic Writers:))
Two of the 10 Commandments for writers as printed in Writer’s Digest
March ’96 are:
#1. Put Thy Work first—not the audience or market
#4. Honour Thy Readers (i.e. Put 'em first, too;)
Keeping in mind these 2 commandments, write about a character's
motivation--it could even be your own. Think about just one of your
own passions/goals/desires/
fictitious person—e.g., the immoral motivator of a villain, if you so
desire…the ambitions of a Koch Bros., par example. Or the family pet,
pet ghost, pet rock or the shackled lover in the loft, as the case may
be.
This Assignment must be 900-1500 words. Not a word more! This is
counting all the connective tissue:, ‘in’, ‘or’ , ‘this’, 'and', etc..
Put your word count on the top of your piece. This will ensure
verbal economy and precision. Think of each word as costing you $5.
You must keep your readers in mind the whole time while you are writing,
for you will be passing your piece to someone else who will read it to
us all.
This way, we will all hear our own writing as our readers would read
it. (Also, we'd each get the same amount of air space and time.)
It’ll also give us an idea if we are doing our best at getting our
ideas, our characters, etc. across to others, while still making it
interesting for most audiences, because we'll each be our own
audience, too. Hearing our own words spoken by someone else will give
each of us some idea of what we have to do to make our writing more
readable and interesting, don't you think?.
Have fun!
Two of the 10 Commandments for writers as printed in Writer’s Digest
March ’96 are:
#1. Put Thy Work first—not the audience or market
#4. Honour Thy Readers (i.e. Put 'em first, too;)
Keeping in mind these 2 commandments, write about a character's
motivation--it could even be your own. Think about just one of your
own passions/goals/desires/
fictitious person—e.g., the immoral motivator of a villain, if you so
desire…the ambitions of a Koch Bros., par example. Or the family pet,
pet ghost, pet rock or the shackled lover in the loft, as the case may
be.
This Assignment must be 900-1500 words. Not a word more! This is
counting all the connective tissue:, ‘in’, ‘or’ , ‘this’, 'and', etc..
Put your word count on the top of your piece. This will ensure
verbal economy and precision. Think of each word as costing you $5.
You must keep your readers in mind the whole time while you are writing,
for you will be passing your piece to someone else who will read it to
us all.
This way, we will all hear our own writing as our readers would read
it. (Also, we'd each get the same amount of air space and time.)
It’ll also give us an idea if we are doing our best at getting our
ideas, our characters, etc. across to others, while still making it
interesting for most audiences, because we'll each be our own
audience, too. Hearing our own words spoken by someone else will give
each of us some idea of what we have to do to make our writing more
readable and interesting, don't you think?.
Have fun!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Oct. 23rd Meeting Summary
The Write On Group meeting of Oct. 23, '12 started in the pub with
members with memories. It continued at Centre 64 with the forgetful.
Colin challenged us to write something readable out of certain words
with the proviso: no two of those words in the same sentence. The
diverse results—some lustful, some humorous, some reflective and some
reminiscent—titillated us all. Next, we read out our individual
manifestos.
Colin’s manifesto expounded on ‘idealism in action’. He described 8
sentient, advanced communities in the world wherein workshops could be
established to focus on solving world-wide issues, e.g.: environmental
issues; creating successful families and successful lives, within a
milieu of better understanding of other cultures to ameliorate sources
of conflict, to identify survival issues and to explore resolutions.
His manifesto is worthy of elaboration and pursuit in a larger
work—maybe even several volumes:)
Heather used an acrostic form for her amazing manifesto and then in free form,
shared a delightful economy of intriguing words and contemplative metaphors,
she conveyed the individual portion of the same sentience Colin was
aiming for worldwide. Heather’s piece needs to be printed, too,
ASAP, as all progressive change starts at the personal level. Even in
times of intense personal turmoil, we are allowed to have fun, for
“dance is sacrament”. As usual, Heather’s writing removes our
psyche-blinders to enable us to view things from many more angles than
before:)
Mike W. described how our possessions can define our individual
manifestos. People may say politically correct things that give the
‘appearance of truth’, but the slogans which grace (or disgrace) their
T-shirts proclaim their real intentions, politics and characters.
Bumper stickers tout our beliefs, too, and you can tell a lot about a
guy from the level of percussion blaring from his car stereo. Lavish
lifestyles on paupers’ pittances could describe many young folks
today. The ‘why’ could be a lazy acceptance of ‘that’s just the way
it is’. (Or is it a fatalistic belief in earth’s imminent end?) We
had a lot to think about after his piece--mainly how do represent
ourselves in public?.
Sue’s Womanifesto proclaimed social justice, economic equality and
environmental conservation. She vowed to employ her one formidable
weapon to accomplish all this. Her weapon? Profound nagging. In
the wise words of Elmer Fudd (or was it Bugs Bunny?), “Be vewy, vewy
afwaid….” (Summary penned by Sue Shaw)
members with memories. It continued at Centre 64 with the forgetful.
Colin challenged us to write something readable out of certain words
with the proviso: no two of those words in the same sentence. The
diverse results—some lustful, some humorous, some reflective and some
reminiscent—titillated us all. Next, we read out our individual
manifestos.
Colin’s manifesto expounded on ‘idealism in action’. He described 8
sentient, advanced communities in the world wherein workshops could be
established to focus on solving world-wide issues, e.g.: environmental
issues; creating successful families and successful lives, within a
milieu of better understanding of other cultures to ameliorate sources
of conflict, to identify survival issues and to explore resolutions.
His manifesto is worthy of elaboration and pursuit in a larger
work—maybe even several volumes:)
Heather used an acrostic form for her amazing manifesto and then in free form,
shared a delightful economy of intriguing words and contemplative metaphors,
she conveyed the individual portion of the same sentience Colin was
aiming for worldwide. Heather’s piece needs to be printed, too,
ASAP, as all progressive change starts at the personal level. Even in
times of intense personal turmoil, we are allowed to have fun, for
“dance is sacrament”. As usual, Heather’s writing removes our
psyche-blinders to enable us to view things from many more angles than
before:)
Mike W. described how our possessions can define our individual
manifestos. People may say politically correct things that give the
‘appearance of truth’, but the slogans which grace (or disgrace) their
T-shirts proclaim their real intentions, politics and characters.
Bumper stickers tout our beliefs, too, and you can tell a lot about a
guy from the level of percussion blaring from his car stereo. Lavish
lifestyles on paupers’ pittances could describe many young folks
today. The ‘why’ could be a lazy acceptance of ‘that’s just the way
it is’. (Or is it a fatalistic belief in earth’s imminent end?) We
had a lot to think about after his piece--mainly how do represent
ourselves in public?.
Sue’s Womanifesto proclaimed social justice, economic equality and
environmental conservation. She vowed to employ her one formidable
weapon to accomplish all this. Her weapon? Profound nagging. In
the wise words of Elmer Fudd (or was it Bugs Bunny?), “Be vewy, vewy
afwaid….” (Summary penned by Sue Shaw)
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Summary of meeting Oct. 9th
In attendance: Mike Redfern, Sue Shaw, Colin Macleod, Mike Whitney, Heather Wattie (and Mike Park's voice in the background rehearsing for a play!)
Writing assignment: 'Revolution'
Mike R. led us on an ideological revolution through his story outline based in El Salvador as experienced in first person through the eyes of two kids or a female school teacher. Present in the story would be the dark elements one may expect in a tense political scenario; rebel attacks on villages, attempted escapes, capture, refugee camps and the fight for freedom and basic human rights. We look forward to seeing how that takes shape.
Colin expounded on a former essay-like piece,'what if my idealism came true?' He included the presence of a Higher Power and an autocratic approach, benevolent leaders, inspiring actions taken community by community worldwide and a big vision for it all. A healthy environment, effective use of technology for communication, a classless society, rights for all were also present. He may do it with a voice representing different countries in a fiction story format.
Sue once again delivered in her naturally humorous vein and shared a piece about Che Guevera at Centre 64 trying to hold a meeting with many interruptions and frustrations, spoken with an accent. There were many chuckles as Che's vision of revolution was lost in the poor dynamics of the meeting!
Mike W. shared his own warm fuzzy revolution of the 24 hours from morning to night on Thanksgiving Day, reminding us of the joys of companionship, cozy beds, the feeling of community in a local congregation, smells of a turkey with all the trimmings, youth at the skate park and the simple pleasure of life to be thankful for and appreciated.
I(Heather) shared a reflection on the bodily 'revolution' that occurs with menopause and how it can compare with adolescence in dramatics on physical and emotional levels!
Mike W. then gave us a writing exercise where we had to give an excuse for not getting the flu shot. These ranged from mystical walks/discoveries in the woods as the setting for the excuse, old tins in the garage wreaking havoc when the mystery contents were tasted, a duck bite and consequent blood clot from the bruise, looking after the evil grandkids of a boyfriend with designs to dye their cat, and keeping the body as a temple for an international rugby match. Lots of laughs and fun! We then got to share a few limericks to finish it all off. Good time was had by all and we plan on gathering at the Sully 5:45 for burger and beer before next meeting! Until then word weavers...
Writing assignment: 'Revolution'
Mike R. led us on an ideological revolution through his story outline based in El Salvador as experienced in first person through the eyes of two kids or a female school teacher. Present in the story would be the dark elements one may expect in a tense political scenario; rebel attacks on villages, attempted escapes, capture, refugee camps and the fight for freedom and basic human rights. We look forward to seeing how that takes shape.
Colin expounded on a former essay-like piece,'what if my idealism came true?' He included the presence of a Higher Power and an autocratic approach, benevolent leaders, inspiring actions taken community by community worldwide and a big vision for it all. A healthy environment, effective use of technology for communication, a classless society, rights for all were also present. He may do it with a voice representing different countries in a fiction story format.
Sue once again delivered in her naturally humorous vein and shared a piece about Che Guevera at Centre 64 trying to hold a meeting with many interruptions and frustrations, spoken with an accent. There were many chuckles as Che's vision of revolution was lost in the poor dynamics of the meeting!
Mike W. shared his own warm fuzzy revolution of the 24 hours from morning to night on Thanksgiving Day, reminding us of the joys of companionship, cozy beds, the feeling of community in a local congregation, smells of a turkey with all the trimmings, youth at the skate park and the simple pleasure of life to be thankful for and appreciated.
I(Heather) shared a reflection on the bodily 'revolution' that occurs with menopause and how it can compare with adolescence in dramatics on physical and emotional levels!
Mike W. then gave us a writing exercise where we had to give an excuse for not getting the flu shot. These ranged from mystical walks/discoveries in the woods as the setting for the excuse, old tins in the garage wreaking havoc when the mystery contents were tasted, a duck bite and consequent blood clot from the bruise, looking after the evil grandkids of a boyfriend with designs to dye their cat, and keeping the body as a temple for an international rugby match. Lots of laughs and fun! We then got to share a few limericks to finish it all off. Good time was had by all and we plan on gathering at the Sully 5:45 for burger and beer before next meeting! Until then word weavers...
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Summary of Sept. 25th meeting
In attendance: Mike R., Mike W., Colin, Heather and Sue
It was great to reconvene after the summer and touch base again with everyone. We are hoping we will see some new members this year to join the core membership already established. Our assignment was to share about our summer experiences. Colin had many adventurous and touching moments connecting with his collection of grandkids and getting to know them better while enjoying the beauty of the West Cost. Mike R. shared his thoughts of the Platzl being a vibrant place that folks come to and stay if there was enough artistic and creative happenings to pique interest and keep it long enough. He was able to observe the comings and goings of Platzl life while painting murals on some boring windows which drew curious onlookers cuz' something creative and unusual was actually taking place! Sue kept us chuckling with her anecdotes of relatives and her trip to Ontario. Particularly, the peculiarities of rellies who have certain ideas of how to properly use an outhouse! In the midst of all the family dynamics, she made us feel the 'forlorness' of a town that has lost it's way out and the beauty of the rock and water in that part of Canada. Mike W. and spouse survived the transition of organizing and moving stuff from their 40 years of life from one house to another as they packed up their belongings, pawned off possessions, dismantled a workshop and came to settle for good here in the Kimber. Mike will once again grace the ski hill as soon as the snow flies! I, (Heather) shared my summer experiences which highlighted a trip to the coast for a wedding, 75th b-day celebration, time with grown-up daughters and the annual family golf weekend...a carousel of laundry and guests! Loved being in nature as always with new trails discovered and shoes broken in. We finished off by exploring the cool form of the poetic "lune' which Mike R. introduced to us. It felt similar to Haiku but has a 5/3/5 word line format. It wet our appetites to do more! Until next time...
In attendance: Mike R., Mike W., Colin, Heather and Sue
It was great to reconvene after the summer and touch base again with everyone. We are hoping we will see some new members this year to join the core membership already established. Our assignment was to share about our summer experiences. Colin had many adventurous and touching moments connecting with his collection of grandkids and getting to know them better while enjoying the beauty of the West Cost. Mike R. shared his thoughts of the Platzl being a vibrant place that folks come to and stay if there was enough artistic and creative happenings to pique interest and keep it long enough. He was able to observe the comings and goings of Platzl life while painting murals on some boring windows which drew curious onlookers cuz' something creative and unusual was actually taking place! Sue kept us chuckling with her anecdotes of relatives and her trip to Ontario. Particularly, the peculiarities of rellies who have certain ideas of how to properly use an outhouse! In the midst of all the family dynamics, she made us feel the 'forlorness' of a town that has lost it's way out and the beauty of the rock and water in that part of Canada. Mike W. and spouse survived the transition of organizing and moving stuff from their 40 years of life from one house to another as they packed up their belongings, pawned off possessions, dismantled a workshop and came to settle for good here in the Kimber. Mike will once again grace the ski hill as soon as the snow flies! I, (Heather) shared my summer experiences which highlighted a trip to the coast for a wedding, 75th b-day celebration, time with grown-up daughters and the annual family golf weekend...a carousel of laundry and guests! Loved being in nature as always with new trails discovered and shoes broken in. We finished off by exploring the cool form of the poetic "lune' which Mike R. introduced to us. It felt similar to Haiku but has a 5/3/5 word line format. It wet our appetites to do more! Until next time...
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
My apologies once again for the tardy blog update! We had some interesting meetings the last few times, wrote/shared some wild and wacky words of which I am forgetting the specifics unless I check my journal notes. We managed to select and put together our 3rd journal with Mike Redfern at the helm of the whole process guiding us on and putting in numerous hours. Colin and Heather graciously hosted us in their intriguing abode for our windup potluck in June with stimulating discussion in one of the coolest homes in Kimberley! Homemade bread was brought by 'Mikey', plus a lovely assortment of ethnic yum yums and of course, drinks for all. There were house tours and hopeful glimpses for the ghost but she never graced us with her presence. Instead, we graced each other's presence with humorous stories and anecdotes and a few attempts at card tricks by Don(keep your day job buddy). Grab a copy of the journal around town, put your feet up somewhere and keep word-smything over the summer dear-hearts!
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