It has been said that the blog is important to the group and for the group because it is a means of communication for all members, but more importantly for those who cannot attend regularly. It is always good to know what is going on. Additionally it is our window into which the outside world can look through and see what our group can write. It is as simple as that. Last week Ian was absent and so was I. We both agreed that it would have been beneficial if someone had undertaken to write a blog report. It is viewed by many and there were eleven entries posted last month with almost three thousand page views. It is being looked at.
The last entry was for Bare Fiction Competitions with a closing date of 31st October. If you check out the judges credentials you could be impressed. As a group we could look more seriously at writing for competitions with a view to submitting entries. I realize that not all members will want to participate and it might be a good idea for those willing to do so liaise with one another. Maybe an agenda point for next week.
Ian announced that thirteen submissions on 'Why Write' had been forwarded to Costa Blanca Peoples Newspaper where they will be judged by the editor and the winning entry published.
Now to today. We welcomed two newcomers, Suzanne and Lynn, to add to several new faces that have appeared recently. They were, of course, welcomed and it is good for the group that fresh voices are heard.
The theme was The Dinner Party. The majority of those present had written on this subject and as always both rhyming couplets and humour were both in abundance. Interesting stories carried the writings along and it was very apparent that sexual activity was, at times, foremost in the writers' minds. Ian wrote about a son who never knew, until today, who his real father was and Suzanne's Olga, the maid and willing partner, was seduced by a sexually active husband. Both of these stories evolved carefully and were very good to hear and they were well received. Robin delighted us with an amusing story and acted it out beautifully. She talks with her hands too!
The writings were varied and included a disaster at cooking time, death at an inconvenient moment, a hungry family going out to kill and a re-cycling of one or two past events.
The penultimate story was from Lisa and this arose as a result of a 'hot pen' from last week when a teenager 'ditched ballet for burlesque'. There is of course much more to the story than that and the reading of it produced quite deep discussions involving ' the perception of self'. There was much in this piece that was appreciated for its depth and for the writing.
Maureen introduced another travel article. This time it was of a trip to Costa Rica and she dealt with the subjects of food, dance, wildlife and the environment. The words did move well on the line.
More importantly there are many writing and even more importantly the feedback is being given with serious thought and in the correct manner. Writing is a challenge and in this group members should challenge the writing and the writer. That is how we can all improve. No one has got to the stage of decrying or denigrating anyone of the efforts read out. There was some great stories this morning, skillfully read, listened to and commented upon for the writer to consider and work more on their pieces.
John Edwards
No comments:
Post a Comment