Welcome back
Good to see everyone and a nice turnout. Always interesting to have people back after their travels and meet up with new members. Leads to great banter!
Where to begin?
We always start with a catch up and ask for suggestions of what members would like to discuss.
We agreed that, now we are up and running, we could do with a treasurer. Not too onerous a task but important nevertheless.
Please send applications to Writers’ Neuk, unless your name is George Osborne. To be honest, George, we feel that with nine jobs already in your portfolio, one more might tip the balance and we would not like to be responsible for that, what with the additional responsibility and travelling too.
WordPress
Several members expressed a wish for help in using WordPress and how to write a blog.
It was suggested that we could get together for a workshop and take it from there.
Discussion
We shared a lot about our writing habits, how we overcome them and what we fear most when we write.
In the main, we agreed that dialogue, in fictional and non-fictional pieces, could be difficult to include, as we often tend to emphasize description and character.
However, dialogue can be an effective way of bringing out character traits and moving a story along. We considered this as we brought our work, for this month, to the table and as a result agreed that we would try and bring along a piece of written dialogue, to share at our next meeting.
Our Writing
There had been two suggestions for themes after last month’s meeting. These were:
Write about an emotion – Kindness, or
A beautiful sunset with an interesting person.
An Act of Kindness
First up was a reading about how bullying can be turned around by an act of kindness. A thoughtful piece, weaving a moral outcome throughout. Group members suggested considering who the audience was and the addition of some dialogue, to bring the story to life.
Sunset
One of our members has been travelling in Ireland and sent us an incredibly evocative piece he had written whilst there. It took him back to family summers, on the west coast, recalling all those special memories of childhood: the sun, the sea, the sand, the food and of course parents and siblings. In his absence, another member read it for us and really did it justice. The combination of the written word and the spoken word transported us to that place and time and no doubt made us reflect on past sunsets, in our own distant childhoods. As this was a first draft, it was suggested looking at the structure and polishing up.
Turning a Corner
Kindness was the prompt for the next piece and a theme of restorative justice in the community. It told the story of a young boy who had been reported to the Children’s Panel for mugging an old lady. He found himself at a Residential Care Home for the Elderly helping in the garden and seeking redemption. The group suggested that the Head Gardener’s reaction could be non-judgemental and that there could be some clarification, near the end, when the boy reflects on his situation.
The Lookout Point
Next we heard a beautifully succinct piece, written from the perspective of a character who is well known to its author, as she has been creating her over a period of time. The character is in a position of trust in the community, living and working in the neighbourhood but she is also rather nosey. From her vantage point, she is able to observe and form opinions about how they really lead their lives. Very thought provoking!
Sun Downer
Lastly, we listened to a haunting piece about a meeting between a young walker out late in the mountains of Arran, who comes across an elderly woman watching the sunset. He feels he should offer her help, not realising that she is the Cailleach who is named for the place (Ceum na Caillich or the Witches’ Step). She has watched such sunsets for millennia and surprises the young man by stepping over the ravine to the Castles Ridge (Caisteal Abhail). A great balance of description, dialogue and intrigue.
Inspiration and Support
As always, everyone was supportive of each other’s work, which always inspires us to write more.
Thanks to Joy and Jenny for this
Next Month
If you feel inspired, try and bring along a piece of dialogue, on any topic, of approximately 200 – 300 words. If you can’t manage that, no matter, just come along, we’d love to see you.
Remember, we meet on the last Monday of each month, which this month is August 26th at 7pm. See you there!
Writers’ Neuk 