Just to report on a) the poetry group meeting at Warrington (refurbished) Library on Friday. Everybody on form - poetry as good as I've heard anywhere and free biscuits!
and b) Congratulations to Marian for her efforts which produced a superb hard-working half day writers' workshop at Northwich Salt Museum today. VRWG weren't the only ones there - how large do we want the group to go?
Tom.
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Friday, 23 January 2009
Vale Royal AGM
Well last Monday night was the first AGM of the VRWG held at the Blue Cap.We managed to get a quorum (just) and worked our way through the agenda without there being any fights, tantrums or pen throwing.
Bob did the hard work putting it all together.The Exec committe stood down and got re-voted back in again (funny how there weren't any other people desperate to stand - especially for Treasurer!)After the AGM we had a Management meeting to discuss some group "stuff".
We all agreed we'd had a reasonably busy year and were looking forward to the 09 events coming up.
Minutes should be on the group site shortly.
Bob did the hard work putting it all together.The Exec committe stood down and got re-voted back in again (funny how there weren't any other people desperate to stand - especially for Treasurer!)After the AGM we had a Management meeting to discuss some group "stuff".
We all agreed we'd had a reasonably busy year and were looking forward to the 09 events coming up.
Minutes should be on the group site shortly.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Rag Rug Writings
So much for new starts in a new year. The Great African Novel drags at my shoulder like a disintegrating rag rug being dragged, part complete, to a dusty market. Look - here's half the opening chapter under an empty flower pot. There's a shoddy erotic adventure, chewed by termites, in the bottom of a battered suitcase ...
Any one else having problems kick-starting creativity?
Best wishes,
Tom.
Any one else having problems kick-starting creativity?
Best wishes,
Tom.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
St Deiniols in November
Since I would like to call myself a budding writer, I thought I would try and be verbose and eloquant in my account of the day at St Deiniol's Library. So here goes...
We went to St. Deiniol's and it was dead good. Sorry, I would say a bit more but I have a very poor imagination and everyone made me use up what little I had yesterday in what could only be described as a totally inspiring day. (Well, maybe not 'only described'; it could have been described as 'a frosty, foggy November morning' or 'Saturday'.)
The library at St. Deiniol's is a beautiful building in a beautiful setting. As someone (it may have been Chris) pointed out, the library looks like you expect old libraries to look. Bill said it reminded him of Terry Pratchett and he half expected an Orangutan to be swinging across the shelves. Unfortunately the bannister upstairs was loose so I couldn't go swinging (unless you count Bill's workshop where I teamed up with Joyce and Steph with Tom - but that's another story).
Polly led the first workshop and had us sniffing ladies' handbags - something I told the judge I would never do again - and eating fruit. Quite how this prompted Tom to write of witches' cats, or Bill to write about black bikinis, I'm not sure.
I went next and adopted a similar tactic to my normal teaching, i.e. don't prepare anything, say very little and let everyone else do the work. There were some brilliant pieces of work throughout the day, but Bob's political apology was superb. He clearly has a future in avoiding saying anything.
Lunch was lovely. I have to say, for £20 we were well cared for in terms of the room, the food and drinks and just having the opportunity to write undistracted for so long.
After lunch, Bob did his bit. Bob's was much more of a taught lesson than the morning's sessions and made a nice contrast. Instead of writing a finished piece, we had to think about a character's journey, develop a character and develop a plot idea. This was very stimulating and provided us all with good ideas for future works.
Bill's session changed the mood again. He had us working in pairs on dialogue and some of the work had everyone in hysterics, as did Polly's comment towards the end of the session that she'd finally worked out what was going on. It took me a while to recover from Tom rolling about on the floor begging for a sick note while Steph told him he wasn't cut out to be a fitness instructor.
Christine's workshop at the end was also very inspiring. She had us all packing a Gladstone bag with six items. Tom read a beautiful piece about Christening gifts, Steph packed herself in the bag and Chris did his first piece that wasn't about sex. The variety of the sessions and the running order, which happened (partly by coincidence) to be perfect made the whole thing work so well.
Both Steph and I are so glad that we went and feel so inspired that we may even get round to writing something one day. Thanks must go to Joyce for organising this fantastic event.
We went to St. Deiniol's and it was dead good. Sorry, I would say a bit more but I have a very poor imagination and everyone made me use up what little I had yesterday in what could only be described as a totally inspiring day. (Well, maybe not 'only described'; it could have been described as 'a frosty, foggy November morning' or 'Saturday'.)
The library at St. Deiniol's is a beautiful building in a beautiful setting. As someone (it may have been Chris) pointed out, the library looks like you expect old libraries to look. Bill said it reminded him of Terry Pratchett and he half expected an Orangutan to be swinging across the shelves. Unfortunately the bannister upstairs was loose so I couldn't go swinging (unless you count Bill's workshop where I teamed up with Joyce and Steph with Tom - but that's another story).
Polly led the first workshop and had us sniffing ladies' handbags - something I told the judge I would never do again - and eating fruit. Quite how this prompted Tom to write of witches' cats, or Bill to write about black bikinis, I'm not sure.
I went next and adopted a similar tactic to my normal teaching, i.e. don't prepare anything, say very little and let everyone else do the work. There were some brilliant pieces of work throughout the day, but Bob's political apology was superb. He clearly has a future in avoiding saying anything.
Lunch was lovely. I have to say, for £20 we were well cared for in terms of the room, the food and drinks and just having the opportunity to write undistracted for so long.
After lunch, Bob did his bit. Bob's was much more of a taught lesson than the morning's sessions and made a nice contrast. Instead of writing a finished piece, we had to think about a character's journey, develop a character and develop a plot idea. This was very stimulating and provided us all with good ideas for future works.
Bill's session changed the mood again. He had us working in pairs on dialogue and some of the work had everyone in hysterics, as did Polly's comment towards the end of the session that she'd finally worked out what was going on. It took me a while to recover from Tom rolling about on the floor begging for a sick note while Steph told him he wasn't cut out to be a fitness instructor.
Christine's workshop at the end was also very inspiring. She had us all packing a Gladstone bag with six items. Tom read a beautiful piece about Christening gifts, Steph packed herself in the bag and Chris did his first piece that wasn't about sex. The variety of the sessions and the running order, which happened (partly by coincidence) to be perfect made the whole thing work so well.
Both Steph and I are so glad that we went and feel so inspired that we may even get round to writing something one day. Thanks must go to Joyce for organising this fantastic event.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Thanks from G.O.E.S.
I've "borrowed" one of the pictures for the GOES blog. I would happily have used more but downloading them seems to take for ever. Is Bob really recoiling from handing over the money? Am I really so grasping? And whatever is Joyce doing in the background? Is it time for my medication ...
Thursday, 21 August 2008
New link for Poets and Pints pictures
Changed the album now so that anyone in the group can add pictures - see the vrwg message I sent for instructions.
Non-members can access the pictures for viewing and downloading at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/vrwg2008/VRWGPoetsAndPintsAugust2008
Non-members can access the pictures for viewing and downloading at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/vrwg2008/VRWGPoetsAndPintsAugust2008
VRWG Poets and Pints August 2008 -pictures
To see pictures from the night go to
keep looking as more are being added!
A full write up expected here soon!
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