Meeting 23rd August 2017

Writers
Terry, Cath, Lynn, Juan, Roberta, Pat

Re Lunch...the lunch planned for Monday 28th August has been postponed until further notice.

Words
Fain...glad, joyful
Fantod...a state, an attack of uneasiness
Sequester...to isolate
Emancipate...to free from restraint
Endeavour...to strive after, attempt
Feral...untamed, wild

A range of stories, poems utilising the words above were read out.

Homework was presented which took us to break time.

The afternoon session involved an exercise whereby we developed a character's name by combining our first pet's name and the first street we lived in. E.g. Pet...Lucky, Street...Nottinghill Rd. So the character's name would be Lucky Nottinghill.
A good way of coming up with character names. The name suggested aspects of the character.

We then used the character in a short story/ poem.

Homework
Come up with another character's name by combining your best friend at school's first name with the suburb/town you first lived in...then...use that character in a story that incorporates the sentence
..."he thought he could find her in enemy territory"

Record of meeting 16 August 2017

The writers at the meeting

Helene, Cath, Terry, Dennis, Lynn, Roberta, Pauline, Elizabeth

Words of the day

Flimflam – nonsense

Avatar -

 icon of a person

Fluorocarbon – a compound

Diabolic – outrageously wicked

Harridan – hag or vixenish woman

Ululate – to howl, hoot or lament

Prestidigitation – sleight of hand

Adamantine – unable to be broken, lustre

Writing from words of the day

The writers ululated and used the words to write about turning, dancing, TV channels, on the web site, an old air con, people living up the road, the red head and An icon.

Reading of homework

Writers read out their stories on the topics – full tilt at life, bitter sweet, E-books, death, 007, Patrick White, John Steinbeck, waiting and terrified.

The exercise

Helene provided happy pills to mentally digest plus an exercise to write about. The writers produced stories and poems about success and wacky weed, when I was young, running away, rabbits mate, music, suspicion, going for it, spring blooms & love, antibiotics, friendship and moods.

Dennis suggested seeing The 8th day – French film about a man with Down’s Syndrome.

Homework

A childhood memory

Facilitator for 23 August - Pauline

Record of meeting 9 August 2017

The writers

Cath, Pauline, Dennis, Helene, Terry, Lynn, Pat, Elizabeth

Words of the day

Inhume – to bury

Unctuous – oily speech

Integrate – bring together

Watershed – ridge or crest line

Phantom – apparition or spectre

Plebiscite – agreement of the people

Earnest– money given in token, bargain making

Artificial – copy of something natural, contrived or affected

Writing from words of the day

The writers integrated the words of the day in a range of water shed stories - I’m going home, By the beach, New inventions, Moses and the 10 Commandments, In Canberra, Meeting for months and Was it possible.

Reading of homework

Six writers read out their stories - Pat and her bike, One of sixteen, Weight of history, Architectural horror and heads in buckets, Staying with Aunty Lilly and The last time.

The exercise

Dennis provided an excellent exercise with a choice of openings, some singing but no dancing plus an example of absurdist humour as inspiration. The writers created stories about -The house, The crash, Everything differently, Not kissing, In the lounge room, Cheating, I need to get home and You don’t know what happened.

Homework

The other week I read a book

Facilitator for 16 August

Helene

Christmas in August lunch

12 noon Monday 28 August 2017 Club Jervis Bay Huskisson

Record of meeting 2 August 2017

The writers

Cath, Dennis, Helene, Pat, Terry

Words of day

Multitude - abundance

Particulate – minute particles

Spifflicate – treat roughly or severely

Mews – row of houses converted from stables

Faience – a glazed and coloured earthen wear

Writing from words of the day

The writers created a multitude of stories from the words of the day.

Reading of homework

The writers read out compelling first liners and stories. Topics included dragonflies, drought, death, crying and a wristwatch.

unmese: the blog

Dennis shared his publication unmese: the blog. The day to day account of Elena and Dino in Italy, February- March 2010. Published through blurb.com

Exercise – Lake Tanganyika

Pat provided each writer with six pages of information on Lake Tanganyika from Wikipedia. The writers produced a wide range of stories on fishing, travel, a   monster, business deals and to the north.

Thanks Pat for a wonderful exercise.

Homework

Last night in Hampton Court

Hampton Court

Next weeks facilitator and exercise provider

Dennis

Peter Porter Poetry Prize closes 3 December 2017

First prize is $5,000; second prize $2,000

Entry is $25

Entries need to be no more than 75 lines

Meeting 26th July 2017

In attendance.
Kath, Lynn, Pat,  Roberta, Terry
Apologies. Helene

*** Item not discussed yesterday but important.
There is a problem with the date for the Xmas in July lunch so the 31st July is off. We'll come up with another date next Wed.
Terry

Words of the day.
Polemic...a controversial argument
Chime...harmony, to agree, to chime in
Fraise...a horizontal palisade (usually part of a wooden fortification)
Codger...an eccentric man
Adroit...clever, skilful,

From our words we had these little gems.
Kath...peace restored
Lynn...a politician
Pat...a word game goes mad
Roberta...Edward the codger

Homework was related to die or dye.
Terry...Life for sale...a poem
Roberta...a story incorporating a multitude of euphemisms for death
Pat...The Guild Master
Lynn...the junk mail lady

Post afternoon tea we discussed writing as being a craft which needs to be learned.
Lynn led a discussion on Unity in writing.
Unity in time...Unity in place...Unity in plot...
As an example The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson the story taking place over one day, in just one place (home) and with one idea (to kill the snake).

We also read out and discussed some "First lines, paragraphs from published books.

Homework
Each of us to write six "first lines" of our own for next meeting.
Take one of those "first lines" and write a story.

Next week's meeting (3rd August) will be facilitated by Pat who will also provide the exercise/s for the afternoon session.

Record of meeting 19 July 2017 by Helene

The writers

Helene, Cath, Pat, Roberta, Terry, Juan, Lynn, Diane and welcome to Denis

The words of the day

Titular – in name only

Ogive – diamond like

Abate – reduce, end

Interweave – woven together

Exigency – urgent need or demand

Auspices – protection or patronage

Peripatetic – galloping all over the place

Omnipresent – present everywhere, infinity, eternity

Writing from words of the day

Juan – Full of painkillers, Roberta – The new housekeeper, Pat – The old church, Denis – Korean leaders, Lynn – Rome, Cath – Head of the group, Helene – The royal family and Terry – strange looking house.

Christmas in July lunch Monday 31 July 2017

12 noon Monday 31 July Club Jervis Bay Huskisson (previously named RSL club)

Reading of homework

Helene – My favourite things, Terry – Thin walls, Roberta – Open Road, Pat – Fishing and whales, Juan – An old tree (read by Terry) and  Denis - Legs and personality and Dust.

Discussion on future direction for the group

We held a discussion of future direction for the group and why we come to writers group and what we want to achieve from it.

As a result of the discussion Terry will prepare a spreadsheet so group members can nominate to provide exercises and other tasks each week. Terry also to set up a new private blog only for members.

Until the new system is in place Terry and Lynn to provide Exercises next week.

Homework

Dye or die