Record of meeting 15 October 2014

News

Leonie saw whales on a rocky Whale watch cruise. David C is waiting for the report on his angiogram. Terry knows how to read an ECG. Jo is still waiting for her scabby new glasses.  Cathy has more things to take to the Op shop. Di had a wonderful time dealing with flooding in her garage. Pauline’s life is busy blur of emailing etc. Geoff had his yellow fever injection for his trip to South America. Elizabeth was bottom of her quilting class. Helene went to a women’s retreat on the weekend.

 

Words of the day

Exude = to emit or discard

Adulate = praise

Frisson = quiver, shudder, tremor

Diminutive = petite, small boned

Lackadaisical = explanation of sorrow or regret, sentimental

Sardonic = grimly mocking or cynical

Extirpate = to remove utterly, destroy utterly

Frugal = prudent, thrifty

Esoteric = secret, private, confidential

Netrosexual = person whose sexual experience comes from the internet

 

Writing from words of the day

Leonie - Costs of the internet

David C - Get rid of him

Terry - Tony and Putin - a brilliant poem

Jo - Garbage, pearls and swine from a dwarf

Cath - The lowest of the low

Di - Who is small and small minded?

Pauline - Missing David Suchet as Poirot

Geoff - Fitness debate and jelly wrestling

Elizabeth - A frugal story

Helene - a dog wash

 

Reading of homework – life after death

Di – a message from my mother

Pauline – no marriage in heaven

Helene – the life of the rose – a poem

Leonie – on a swing from the heavens

David C – The end

Terry – We do not know

Jo – Once more with feeling

Garry – It’s not your time yet

On the topic of life after death Leonie recommended the Meryl Street movie - Defending your life.

 

Reading

Geoff read out the winning poem in the Ulladulla competition on the topic of “The edge of morning” by Dorothy Swoope.

Pauline read from her memoir - the migrant experience part 2 from the point of view of an 11 year old girl.

Exercise

We created a range of ship shape stories as follows

David C – the latest intake

Leonie – Only your parents

Helene – The Italian Navy

Elizabeth – We needed a ship

Geoff – Ship’s metaphors

Pauline – I don’t have time

Di – I would like to be ship shape

Cath – The fleet review

Jo – I am shipshape

Terry – it melted away

 

Homework

My greatest childhood fear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Record of meeting 8 October 2014

News

Jo had an eye lash removed from her eye and the pain has gone also talked about seeing  lights. Cath enjoyed morning tea at the Pelican. Terry ordered on line new safer side mirrors for his car.  Wendy went to a picnic at the Lady Denman and alerted us about full lunar eclipse tonight around 9 pm. Helene had her grandson visit her last week. Geoff went to a first birthday party in Sydney. Pauline has returned from a cruise with her sister. David C’s grandson visited for a week. Di visited a friend in a nursing home.

 

Words of the day

Pinguid = fat, oily, greasy

Myriad = a great number of things, a unit of ten thousand

Skittish = lively

Booby = foolish person

Encapsulate = to enclose or summarise

Snow-white-ism = a new fashion

Uxorious = excessive foolish doting on his wife

Demise = end, eventual failure

Doff = take off or lift a hat or clothes

 

Writing from words of the day

Helene – Fish and chips

Wendy – don’t get foolish with me

Terry – After a bottle or two of wine

Cath – Own style of fashion

Jo – She looked amazing

Di – Any opportunity

David C – I met a man

Pauline – Lay down and die

Geoff – A nice fresh war

 

Reading of homework

Helene – I go every where

Terry – Fairies wearing scrubs

Cath – Fly spray that’s all

Jo – A house fly admires a blow fly

Di – Fun with you all

David C – Shiite

Garry – A grasshopper in Australia

 

Reading

Helene read the story of B 1 cooking pancakes for her grandsons’ birthday.

Pauline read out her story “The ten pound pom” – there will be more to come.

 

Exercise

We participated in a progressive write where we could see all of the previous contributions to the story. This resulted in some great collaborative writing.

David C – the dress in the window

Pauline – On the beach

Geoff – The sun dial

Wendy – The big one

Terry – It’s gross

Cath – Undercover agent

Jo – Seven men

Di – Good bye from the Teddy bear

 

Homework

Life after death

 

 

 

Meeting 1st October

Those Present: News

Terry –  surprise! He opened the Nowra News to find an article with his photo in it.

Wendy – Serious leg problems continue to worsen

Cath – Visited Bundanon, pleasant day and evening, however, the place covered in fireweed.

Geoff – Celebrated his 50^th year in Australia. Became a citizen 20yrs ago, was waiting to pledge allegiance to the people, not the crown.

Leonie – Writing  slowly progressing

David C – Grandson 14yrs old, eating him out of house and home – the cost of growing pains!

Di – Bought herself a garden umbrella, and a large outdoor table to put in.

Jo – Seeing Optometrist, still having irritating eye problems

Word of the Day:

David –   surfeit – overloading of the stomach through excessive eating/ excessive amount

Leonie – piffle – verbal nonsense, waffle on

Geoff -    immure  - to be extremely engrossed in a subject, belief

Cath -      festoon  - decorate

Wendy -   squalid – dirty, unpleasant filth

Terry  -    nepotic  - favouritism, usually to a relative or friend

Jo -           runnel  -  small channel  for water

Di -          corruption – morally depraved, , pervert, impair, wicked

Writing using all words of the day:

Cath,  ?

Geoff – Govt dealings

Leonie – Don’t know what to write

David – the Annual renovator

Di  - Indonesian trip

Jo – Pork Pies

Terry –The West Challenges the Evil Foe

Topic for Homework:     B1 & B2 running the government for 2 days

David – B1 & B2 to the Rescue

Leonie – Pooh’s Rules for the Country

Di – ‘Plan B’

Jo – Visit to the Zoo

Terry – Look Who’s Going to Canberra

After the Break: Long discussion re: Printing of Anthology,  September 2015

Sanctuary Point quotes seem to be within acceptable price range. Set up and lay out costs around $200. Example of cost: 20 books with coloured Photocopy cover, stapled, $222.

With 8 members present and all in agreement, $1000 was nominated as our maximum outlay.

A few interesting words emerged at the end of the meeting:

‘Irritafilia’  - no meaning given or found, heard on TV

‘overarching’ – The big picture’ (covers everything!)

Homework Topic for next week:  A Fly on the Wall

Record of meeting 24 September 2014

 Present

David C, Leonie, Lynne, Jo, Terry, Cath, Helene, Geoff, Elizabeth, Di

 

News

Lynne has been gardening. Jo is rewriting a lost story. Terry went to the readings at the Milton writing competition. Cath was quiet. Helene went to Sydney and the dentist. Geoff brought a petition from Shelly Hancock about additional parking at the hospital. Elizabeth went to Sydney at the weekend. David C stayed with his daughter in Sydney on the weekend. Leonie has started rereading her old writing and received an unexpected shopping voucher. Di had her grandson visit for the weekend.

 

Words of the day

Adulate = to praise in an exaggerated way

Aberrant = diverge from normal

Pessimist = unfavourable view

Ubiquitous = seeming to be everywhere, omnipresent

Narcissistic = self fascination

Fatwa = a ruling by a mufti

Pestilence = a deadly disease

Fractious = bad tempered

Sever = to divide

Umbilical = flexible tube attaching foetus to placenta

 

Writing from words of the day

Terry – Julia’s moment

Cath – Leo was his own idol

Helene – Parliament house Canberra

Geoff – Muslim leaders

Elizabeth – the view

David C – Head of a crime gang

Leonie – The group

Di – The patient with a reptile attachment

Lynne – Feeling of helplessness

Jo – Danger every where

 

Reading of homework

Elizabeth – news at school - a goanna with a tomato on his back

David C – About me

Leonie – The airport

Lynne – Heaven

Jo – Prehistoric

Terry – Imogene

Garry – A new relationship at the retirement village

 

Anthology

Terry called into Sanctuary Point Printing. Unfortunately the person who gives the quotes is away - Terry will revisit for a quote next week.

 

Readings

 Geoff read his very funny short story of 800 words dialogue, The whole load.

 

Media

We discussed the use of emotional words in the media.

 

Exercise

We wrote a dialogue between mother and child before a first date

 

David C – I’m gay

Leonie – Pink and purple

Di – The artist

Lynne – Don’t forget

Jo – He’s got a girlfriend

Terry – the game player

Cath – Matching flowers

Helene – Rocky on the motor bike

Geoff – Did you have a good time?

Elizabeth – Stop fussing

 

Homework

B1 & B2 are in charge of the country

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Record of meeting 17 September 2014

News of the week

Cath received her printer cartridge in the mail packed in lollies. Geoff had a quiet week. Helene put up a vertical garden for herbs. Wendy had a picnic and is booked in for her fifth surgery. Terry had fun at his grandson’s soccer presentation. Jo talked about the Ulladulla Book competition. Lynne napalmed the garden. Leonie plans to start writing this week. David C had no problems detected with his angiogram.  Elizabeth told us about wearing a hospital gown in a high wind.

Leonie told us the best time to see whales in JB is the last week in October.

Words of the day

Equilibrium = stability
Incorrigible = bad beyond correction

Gimp = a lame or stupid person

Soliloquy = talking to one’s self

Tantamount = equivalent to

Frolic = run and play in a lively way

Pell mell = run around in a confused way

Didactic = teaching in a patronising

Bestial = of or belonging to a beast

Zeitgeist = spirit of the times

Writing from words of the day

Jo – a political story

Lynne – a riot

Leonie – politics and the flag

David C – a difficult childhood

Elizabeth – a quick decision

Cath - the teenage like speech

Geoff - Mr Abbott an empty shell

Helene - my Pump class

Wendy - down the street

Terry - Policy is robbery

Reading of homework

Cath – Power in the saddle - part 1

Leonie – A fall from the saddle – part 2

David C – A woman and a man (rewritten from Lynne’s poem)

Elizabeth – More of life in the country

Helene – The truth from Oscar – part 2 of David R’s poem

David R – Invisible - part 2 of Terry’s poem

Terry – SMS - part 2 of David C’s story

Jo – friends together in Arnhem Land – part 2 of Helene’s story

Lynne – a dress up party - part 2 of Jo’s story

We discussed the advantages of writing a progressive story.

Anthology

A discussion on the proposed Anthology was held with different points of view expressed, particularly on the topics of editing, finish and costs. The group decided the current quote is too expensive.  Terry to request a quote from Sanctuary Point Printing. Geoff is collecting names and details of work people want to have included in the Anthology, he will send out an email next week.

Christmas Lunch 2014

Leonie suggested a Wing and a pear in Nowra for Christmas lunch. Wendy will investigate.

Homework

Imagine ……

Record of meeting 10 September 2014

News of the week

David C is having his angiogram tomorrow & did the ice bucket challenge at the Angel. Pauline’s husband enjoyed a hamburger for Fathers Day. Terry won $30 on Lotto for Fathers Day. David R saw whales, dolphins and seals in JB on the weekend. Helene went out to lunch on Sunday and saw a movie. Wendy had several visits to hospital for herself and her husband. Geoff celebrated his son’s birthday and Fathers day on the weekend. Elizabeth told a funny story about her grandson at a family funeral.  Jo had no news. Cath has cleaned two drawers in the kitchen. Lynn has been gardening. Leonie went Kiama and another day to China town in Sydney and also saw the Archibald prize exhibition.

 

Words of the day

Scurrilous = untrue or defamatory

FORTRAN = a high level computer language

Abrogate = to fail to do what is required or cancel formally

Stultify = hamper or impede

Ambivalence = simultaneous contradictory ideas

Stoic = strong in the face of

Accretion = gradual growth or accumulation

Prance = to caper

Honeymoon = sweet month

Limpid = clear

Dipsomania = morbid craving, addicted to alcohol

Innate = inherited characteristics

 

Stories from words of the day

We created a range of great stories as follows

Pauline – my favourite author P G Woodhouse

David C – get off that pedestal

Pauline – a family secret

Lyn – Hiding

Cath – Not generous

Jo – The professor

Elizabeth – torn in two parts

Geoff – The coalition honeymoon is over

Wendy – Me and Mr FORTRAN

Helene – Seaside training resorts

David R – Six foot under

Terry – Young and keen

 

Reading of homework

David C – Living in the fast lane

Terry – Alf and Michael

David R - The two of us

Helene – Paris and Boris

Jo – The mysterious mystery

Lyn – Blame generic ink

Elizabeth – On the farm

Leonie – The coffee shop

Pauline – Jan and Jenny

 

Anthology 2015

We had further discussions on our proposed Anthology and the project outline BANJO-2015 prepared by Geoff. It was agreed

• Helene to ask for advice and quote from Busybird publishing based on 100 copies, maximum 3,000 words from about 12 contributors
• People who want to contribute to the Anthology to email Geoff by Tuesday at geoffdb@shoalhaven.net.au including if its a short story/stories or poem/s and the topic and size of those submissions if known. Remember each contributor will have a limit of 3,000 words.

Homework

Write the final part of the story you received at the meeting today, to a maximum of 1,000 words combined for parts one & two.

 

If you didn’t do part one, write a story/poem using an old homework topic, maximum 500 words.

 

 

 

 

Record of meeting 3 September 2014

 

News

David C is having an angiogram next week. Di’s van has broken down. Lyn has been cleaning out her mother’s house. Jo has had her three sons staying and sharing her car. Terry found the word ruly (as opposed to unruly) and discussed fat loss and global warming from the Catalyst program on ABC 1. Geoff went to the Sydney symphony by train and assured us seniors paper tickets are still available. Pauline is a disappointed woman. Helene is waiting for more warm weather and enjoyed the Publishing workshop in Nowra. David R spent some time in Canberra, went to the NGA and went walking. Cath sprayed for bindii eye weeds. Elizabeth met her newest great grand daughter.

 

Words of the day

Convoluted = complicated

Spifflicated = to destroy

Faction = a mixture of fact and fiction

Redeem = to make better

Imbroglio = an extremely confused and complicated situation

Digest = to absorb

Absolute = free from limitations

Etude = short composition or study

Brevity = short, a fewness of words

Cumbrous = complicated, difficult, unwieldy

Declaim = speak loudly or verbally or attack someone

 

Writing from words of the day

We created the following fabulous stories from words of the day

 

Lyn = a mixture

Jo = the marriage

Terry = a slanging fight

Geoff = Julia and Kevin

Pauline = Family history

Helene = The story

David R = half a sausage

Cath = adjourn to the pub

Elizabeth = Later

David C = Clive and Tony

Di = food and music

 

Reading of homework

 

Most homework was the final part of our ongoing stories, others wrote about postcards

Helene – Finding “me time”

David R – the story of Lucy and Fred

Cath – A dangerous visit to the circus

Elizabeth – Thank you for the postcard

David C – The rescue

Lyn – Dusty Rose

Jo – love and terror in a holiday cabin

Terry – the skull

Pauline – A postcard from Paris

Garry – the end of madness

 

Exercise

David C read his story “Heart of the matter” on the topic "here and now" published on ABC Open.

Terry downloaded some of Michael Robotham's writing for research and found it was  easy to read and written in the first person.

Helene and David R shared information from the "Lets get published workshop" in Nowra on 2 September 2014 conducted by Ms Blaise van Hecke from Busybird Publishing. Helene will email a summary of information collected at the workshop to email address she has. Please send your email address to helene.gaul6@bigpond.com if you think she doesn't have your email address.

 

Anthology 2014

Based on the information from Busybird Publishing, David R suggested we consider producing an Anthology for the group with a total 1,000 words per members who want to contribute. Please think about your contribution and we will discuss at our next meeting. Also prepare a draft of a short bio to go with your contribution to the Anthology. Imagine updated versions of this will appear one day in your published books.  Please email Helene if you have any questions about preparing your bio.

 

Homework the first of three parts

Write a 500 word introduction to a new story using two characters. The second part of the story is to be written by another member as the following week’s homework. (This is an upgrade of the progressive writes we have written as exercises.)